Reddit User BasisUnhappy3402 points out more than just Chaos Armor as the catalyst. A lot of interesting seasonal powers, such as Alter the Balance, offered opportunities to build in unique new ways.
A return to "normal"
Season 11's Overhaul to Tempering and Masterworking is an exercise in simplicity from Blizzard. Removing the second temper affix and changing Masterworking to only apply to base stats, rather than affixes, will undoubtedly make items less unique and more generic. It is a direct nerf to a player's ability to specialize their gear towards their build.
On top of the changes that stifle item diversity, the removal of Chaos Armor comes as another blow to the creativity allowed by the game. Sadly, this will lead to a new normal of builds being very one-dimensional, with very similar items, and specialized affixes coming at an all-time low.
Sanctification, for all its flaws, is a step forward toward itemization with some depth, and each item has something special about it under the system. It's not ideal, but Blizzard needs to embrace further allowing build diversity and item diversity.
