I hadn't even thought about how people could use AI to determine the best build almost immediately.

A few years ago, whenever a new hero was released in games like DotA or LoL (I’m not sure how it worked in others), a group of analysts would sit down to study and calculate the various abilities—determining which combo yielded the highest DPS or the longest stun, how to execute or disrupt a combo, how to initiate a fight, and so on.

Back in the days of Warcraft 3 and StarCraft 1, this was the sort of thing done by—at most—a single clan (and let’s be honest, hardly anyone was professional enough to do it after every patch; mostly, we’d just glance at the changes and give them a bit of thought), usually involving just one or two people. AI has taken that process and amplified it exponentially.

As for the rest of what you said—that’s exactly how it is. It’s a simple way to foster addiction. "Just one more item, I’ll get another legendary... wow, I’m going to crush my opponents—blah, blah, blah." A few months go by, and the player is in exactly the same spot because everyone else has progressed just as much. Older games worked on the same principle, too, but due to various limitations—like the cost of internet access or hardware—only the wealthy could afford it.