Path of Exile - upcoming F2P Daiablo clone

[frunk]

I'm not planning to play this league, but I might end up trying a character or two anyway.

[Iormlund]

I'm starting with an Inquisitor as well. Don't quite know which spells yet, but Ice Spear looks like a fun way to complement my AoE-focussed friends.

[Syt]

I .... will stay away this time. I lost 400+ hours in a bit over 3 months last year to this, so .....

[crazy canuck]

I normally just binge a bit till I get to maps, then stop playing computer games for a few weeks.  Then try another build, don't quite get to maps, then realize another league is starting in a couple months so why bother with putting in more time in this league.

[Syt]

With a buff to handcasting I'd be tempted to try an arc witch build again.

[FunkMonk]

Leveling with the new spells feels superb.

I skipped last league so I feel like I'm getting a whole boatload of new mechanics in this game 

[Iormlund]

Unleash is pretty much mandatory unless you are the kind of caster that has his soles bolted to the floor.

[crazy canuck]

I had made up my mind not to play this league - I was just going to try out some of the new gems.  But I tried Purifying Fire, and now I am hooked all over again.  Got to hand it to the developers, they keep coming up with ways to make this game feel fresh and fun.

[FunkMonk]

GGG have a knack for creating new and fresh video game experiences from what is ultimately the same repetitive gameplay from 5 years ago.

My favorite experiences of PoE are less the combat mechanics (although they are the best in the genre now) but come more from character building and build theory-crafting.

[frunk]

Two Curse Bane combined with Soulrend/GMP/Unleash is monstrous.  I'm looking forward to when I get my third curse in play.

Yeah, I said I wasn't going to play.

[FunkMonk]

Yeah. All the new skills feel kind of overpowered 

Even the newly reworked Storm Burst is OP. It has great AoE and solid single-target damage.

[crazy canuck]

Two Curse Bane combined with Soulrend/GMP/Unleash is monstrous.  I'm looking forward to when I get my third curse in play.

Yeah, I said I wasn't going to play.

That looks like a lot of fun

[frunk]

Two Curse Bane combined with Soulrend/GMP/Unleash is monstrous.  I'm looking forward to when I get my third curse in play.

Yeah, I said I wasn't going to play.

That looks like a lot of fun

It's probably most similar in style to Frostbolt/Ice Nova, but more flexible.  Soulrend's DOT isn't affected by projectile damage change, which means GMP doesn't reduce it at all.  Bane is even more effective for cleaning up an area, but Soulrend is fantastic at running down long pathways.  I'll usually cast Soulrend, run along just behind it for 3-4 seconds casting Bane on anything still living, then recast Soulrend.  They combine so well on single target along with a Wither Totem that the transition is painless.

Considering how crappy my gear is it's surprising how easily I'm cruising right now.

[Iormlund]

I think I've finally found a minion build I'm really enjoying.  Last league I ran a Golem build that was neat but died in the endgame.  Now I'm doing a Dominating Blow/Herald of Purity Guardian with Auras out the wazoo (Haste, Discipline, Wrath, Hatred plus 2 Heralds and a War Banner) that is quite fun.

I'm leveling a Minion Guardian now.

I'm finding Dominating Blow really clunky. It's got almost no range and it is really hard to tag stuff before it dies. The attack itself does so little damage compared to the minions that I can't keep up my Herald of Purity sentinels unless I use some other skill to deal the final blow.

I was using Smite before, which was much more usable. However, the buff it gives has really poor scaling.   

[crazy canuck]

I think I've finally found a minion build I'm really enjoying.  Last league I ran a Golem build that was neat but died in the endgame.  Now I'm doing a Dominating Blow/Herald of Purity Guardian with Auras out the wazoo (Haste, Discipline, Wrath, Hatred plus 2 Heralds and a War Banner) that is quite fun.

I'm leveling a Minion Guardian now.

I'm finding Dominating Blow really clunky. It's got almost no range and it is really hard to tag stuff before it dies. The attack itself does so little damage compared to the minions that I can't keep up my Herald of Purity sentinels unless I use some other skill to deal the final blow.

I was using Smite before, which was much more usable. However, the buff it gives has really poor scaling.   

If you want to go Herald of Purity, I strongly recommend a Purifying Flame Templar build.  Purifying Flame does a "hit" even though it is a range spell which triggers the minions and you are close to all those minion skills.