Path of Exile - upcoming F2P Daiablo clone

[frunk]

On the second day I dropped a Lycosidae and sold it for about almost 2 ex.

The crazy thing isn't that you got a Lycosidae on day 2, it's that someone had 2 ex that were willing to spend on it on day 2.

[FunkMonk]

Haha yeah, very true. I'm guessing there were people who played almost nonstop for like 48 hours, or maybe some guy who got lucky and dropped an exalt in like act 4 or something.

I was also lucky to drop a Goldrim and a Death's Harp (which I 5-linked with my only 2 fusings) and they helped my leveling immensely. Bought the Harp-to-Opus prophecy with a little of my juicy Lyco money and I'm pretty well set up for this Ice shot toon for early mapping.

[frunk]

I was also lucky to drop a Goldrim and a Death's Harp (which I 5-linked with my only 2 fusings) and they helped my leveling immensely. Bought the Harp-to-Opus prophecy with a little of my juicy Lyco money and I'm pretty well set up for this Ice shot toon for early mapping.

My biggest piece of luck this league was 6 socketing an Ashrend with one Jeweller.  Only 4 linked so far, but effective 5 link/3 link isn't so bad.

[crazy canuck]

Played a bit this weekend with a minion witch using the new phantom gem for both my srs and zombies.  That dramatically increases my clearing speed but it also means that getting traps out in time can be really frustrating.

I can't believe how much time people spend on this game and how far people have advanced in this new league in such a short period of time.

[frunk]

Played a bit this weekend with a minion witch using the new phantom gem for both my srs and zombies.  That dramatically increases my clearing speed but it also means that getting traps out in time can be really frustrating.

Based on the voting it looks like they'll add nets for dead beasts, although they'll be rare/expensive.  I think the better fix is to allow capture of dead beasts as long as the attempt was started before the beast died.

[crazy canuck]

It doesn't seem to have a ready fix, so I think I am going to go with a non minion build of some sort.  Been a while since I have played so I am not sure what that will be.  Are bow builds viable in 3.2?

[frunk]

It doesn't seem to have a ready fix, so I think I am going to go with a non minion build of some sort.  Been a while since I have played so I am not sure what that will be.  Are bow builds viable in 3.2?

Definitely.  Both Funkmonk and I have started with one.  Another good option is Frost Blades, which has a pseudo-bow feel to it and is easy to customize for different builds.

[FunkMonk]

Yeah I'm doing an ice shot deadeye as my starter. This is actually the first serious bow build I've ever played. I'm dying more often than I like, I think mainly because I'm so used to tanking stuff as a melee build. This thing breezes through maps though.

[frunk]

Yeah I'm doing an ice shot deadeye as my starter. This is actually the first serious bow build I've ever played. I'm dying more often than I like, I think mainly because I'm so used to tanking stuff as a melee build. This thing breezes through maps though.

The glass cannon trap is easy to fall into with bow builds.  Life is of course vital, Stibnite's flask is always good to have.  I've been using Blink Arrow with faster attacks and faster projectile for getting out of trouble.  I haven't with this build, but Acrobatics/Phase Acrobatics augmented with Quartz Flasks and any other dodge bumps you can get from equipment or enchants is good.

[crazy canuck]

I started playing an Ice shot - definitely a lot more gear dependent which is a bit more challenging with ssf.  But I think it will become fun.  Right now I am running with volley and the gem that gives me the extra archer when I hit something.

[crazy canuck]

I still find the capture mechanic too frustrating.  I think I will give this league a pass and see what comes after this one.

[frunk]

I still find the capture mechanic too frustrating.  I think I will give this league a pass and see what comes after this one.

Yeah, I've pretty much stopped too.  Much more complicated set of mechanisms to get rewards that are only rarely better than Essences.

[FunkMonk]

I was open to this league mechanic but as I've played on it's just become annoying and not actually fun. It doesn't feel fulfilling or rewarding enough. I can see how it may be good for SSF but for everyone else it's just kinda "meh" or outright gets in the way.

That said, I'm still have fun kitting out my character. Bought a Queen of the Forest and I'm just zoom-zooming around maps wrecking everything with Ice shot and Lightpoacher, which I picked up as a drop from an abyss lich. It's just such a fun build it keeps me coming back 

[crazy canuck]

If anything it was more frustrating as SSF because every special that wasn't captured in time was a lost opportunity.  I think I will enjoy the ice shot build with other mechanics in another league - perhaps in the fall.  The weather is really turning here so screen time would have been limited anyway. 

[frunk]

Skill Revamp

Vaal Skill Gems now grant the regular and the Vaal version of the skill. This is to remove the socket pressure that Vaal skills suffered from, so you no longer have to give up an Aura, Herald, Triggered Skill or a well-linked secondary skill, and you can justify using a Vaal gem in your best set of linked sockets.

Unique and Rare enemies now grant souls to Vaal Skills as they lose life. Longer fights will generate more Vaal souls for your skills. We'll reveal the exact mechanics once we're completely happy with them. Most Vaal skills couldn't be used more than a couple of times on bosses until this change, and couldn't be used at all on stand-alone encounters like Izaro. You won't be able to use them as frequently as in the past when killing lots of enemies, but they'll still play a part and have an impact on boss fights.

These are some nice changes.  I'd drifted away from using Vaal skills except for a couple of exceptions, so these are welcome changes.