Act - 1
Regarding lock boxes, there are soo many topics about this thesus, that it seems there are those that would call you "unlucky", or those that would suggest that the wheel spins due to the amount of "Heat" that you would get when you traverse a level or levels.
So, as an experiment for the last week now, I tried different combinations, very little heat, and all the heat that I could acquire, but the end result is still the same --------> 50 crowns whoooope!! - NOT. Those nay sayers that would otherwise tell you " trust me, 3 rings wants you to have lock boxes.."
O_o pardon me, but its been a long time since I ever got even 1 lock box., Honestly if that were the case, i would buy Hordes of silver keys to open them., so sorry, Mcfly my faith in you has all but faded.

Act-2
Some would argue , that the levels have been made easier, well then, since you happen to have all the UV's and trinkets that you need, of course it's easy, so consider those of us that do not. Oilers Now seem to magically float and stick to you like glue, other thing is, remember when a stratum was of a specific status effect? In those days you knew what to expect in that stratum, Now it's when you traverse a supposedley specific status in that stratum, its a cornucopia of all status effects, Im only saying that cause some of us can only afford 2 weapons at a single time , not 4. So in one level it was all about this wolver pack that you needed to dispose of, along the way you have Poly ups, slimes, jellies, lichens, and rocket puppies, and that's in the lower tiers, its even worse in tier 3.

Act-3
Regarding shields, so many arguments on the subject, that " your client is not up to snuff", or that " you need to update your java program"... Blah blah blah blah. OK so as a precautionary measure i did the following: 1. I called my ISP for a house call, and they ran all the diagnostics and speed tests to ensure that I wasn't getting "packet loss". , hence I am at Optimal conditions from my internet speeds are maintained where they should be.
2. I went ahead and re-evaluated my systems specs, checked for any updates, heck, i even updated my BIOS.
3. I made sure that I had the latest versions of Java, and also direct X 11 for good measure.
So everything was a go, and surprisingly, the result is still the same, i can tell you that I have a Kick-butt PC, so no, its NOT my machine.
SYNOPSIS----------> shields come up at the appropriate time, but somehow you still get hit.

Act-4
Armors, it would seem that there isnt the "perfect" armor set anywhere to be found, it's either it gives you some sort of protection, or none at all.
My question is, some of these sets , say for instance a VOG CUB set, was the essence of the Vog Monster Himself, and His loyal minions, So if this armor set is the pure essence of that monster, Should it not provide you with the same amount of resistance or protection?
At this point , it's almost pointless to get your " certification " for a specific star level. When you reach the hall of hero's they should instead congratulate you on spending the CE you bought to make that set. Thank-you Mcfly!

Conclusion,
yes, I do know there are those of you that always deny,deny,deny. But quite frankly, the evidence is quite overwhelming.