Path of Exile - upcoming F2P Daiablo clone

[FunkMonk]

The Metamorph boss encounters every zone or map are extremely rippy.

[frunk]

The boss changes are really noticeable, though I still dislike how binary survivability is in this game.

Alive ... alive ... alive ... dead.

I think that's a function of how powerful Life/ES Leech and life regen is, and how easy it is to mitigate most DoT.  With a well built character the only death is a one shot death.

[Iormlund]

The boss changes are really noticeable, though I still dislike how binary survivability is in this game.

Alive ... alive ... alive ... dead.

I think that's a function of how powerful Life/ES Leech and life regen is, and how easy it is to mitigate most DoT.  With a well built character the only death is a one shot death.

Indeed it is.

But I suspect another factor might be the combination of the monetization system and having initially balanced the game around hardcore (Chris Wilson is a hardcore player).
When your way of promoting sales is showing off other players' mtx, you need to design your game in a client-server architecture. But that means a disconnect can kill your toon. And in hardcore that means lots of pissed off people. So GGG allowed people to log off and avoid death, which means death can never result from a thousand cuts. It must be sudden.

[FunkMonk]

Played some more and yeah, the bosses are much harder this league. If you don't build enough defense into your character then I can see you possibly not even getting to maps because you're just gonna die a hundred times at every boss, particularly the metamorphs.


It's cool the game is actually more difficult now.

[frunk]

Played some more and yeah, the bosses are much harder this league. If you don't build enough defense into your character then I can see you possibly not even getting to maps because you're just gonna die a hundred times at every boss, particularly the metamorphs.


It's cool the game is actually more difficult now.

I do like that it has reinforced the importance of single target, when we've had several leagues of area kill above all.

[crazy canuck]

Played some more and yeah, the bosses are much harder this league. If you don't build enough defense into your character then I can see you possibly not even getting to maps because you're just gonna die a hundred times at every boss, particularly the metamorphs.


It's cool the game is actually more difficult now.

Good to hear 

[Syt]

I think the new Atlas mechanic might not be for me just yet. It's mostly in how I approach the end game ... very casually. Usually when playing POE I watch something on the second screen or listen to a podcast or audio book. The old Atlas meant I could focus on that while absentmindedly crafting maps and running them.

I appreciate that they make the new Atlas more involved, but for "autopilot" players like me it's a bit confusing, because you need to track which corners of the Atlas maps are in, what stones you have, which areas you upgrade to higher tiers etc. That's already too much engagement required from me.

I did level 4 characters through the campaign this league:
- Blade Storm Gladiator with strong triggers (reckoning, riposte, vengeance, tempest shield). Very tanky, and almost an AFK build (most enemy groups die when they try to hurt me without me attacking them), but mapping speed is VERY slow.
- Frost Blades Assassin. Fun for mapping, but single target damage is very low.
- Contagion/Essence Drain: very strong with lots of damage, but the essence drain feels awkward (slow projectile/cast speed)
- Arc Witch (good clear speed, and decent boss damage with 4 meat shield golems and some flasks)

[Iormlund]

My Fireball Ignite CI Golemancer is mostly finished. Found it great so far in all content:

• Map clearing? 7 projectiles with GMP and flasks up. Urn provides more than enough sustain to keep energy shield and mana up. I crafted Pierce on my gloves for QoL.
• Boss? Betrayal? Drop Storm brand for Elemental Overload & Equilibrium and enjoy 500k+ Shaper DPS with a few casts. For end game bosses switch to Swift Affliction from GMP and you go to about 750k DPS.
  Plus over 10 million damage on a four-link Vaal Righteous Fire (most Metamorphs just melt before the effect fades).
  Though gear is harder to come by, CI's 100% chaos resistance seems to help a lot with survivability this league (even with just 8k shield).
• Legion monolith? Blight map? Breach? Hit Vaal Fireball and everything around you dies.
• Delve? Over 1k ES regen. 33% phys reduction via golem buffs and flasks.

Build is also group friendly, since I put a permanent 40% shock on target via Storm Brand (plus Malevolence for my bleed Glad buddy).

Most significant gear upgrades at this point are priced at several exalts. I might try to fossil or alt spam a few upgrades (Hunter's faster ignite on boots/weapon; Fire DoT on gloves; +3 Minion gem and - Fire resist on helm).



I'm pondering doing a Dom Blow Guardian as a second character. Boss DPS seems ridiculous with little investment, but can't see how to sustain with life flasks and regen alone (you do so little damage yourself leech will be limited). A Low Life version would be much better, but really pricey (white-socket six-link Shavronne's are listed at 5 ex).

[Syt]

Announcement trailer for new league:

https://youtu.be/fapKac1eA6Y

Biggest thing will be that the new league mechanics will allow you to add nodes and clusters to the passive tree map. Because character builds were apparently not complex enough yet.

[Iormlund]

Those notables will have to be truly amazing in order to justify the travel cost. The only one I've seen so far that meets the criteria is the Enemies killed by your hits explode one.

Haven't played for a month or more, so I'm ready to start a new league. I'm going for a bow bleed Glad unless it is significantly nerfed in the patch notes.

[FunkMonk]

A new support gem called Spellslinger...

They basically turned Poet's Pen into a support gem 

[Iormlund]

Damn. Almost makes me want to level another Frostbolt - Ice Nova dude.

[frunk]

I can tell there's a lot of people home today.  The PoE queue is the highest I've ever seen this early for a release.  I've been playing Hearthstone Battlegrounds today, and it's been erratic as well.

[Iormlund]

We're all self-quarantined this side of the Pond. 

[frunk]

Spellslinger seems pretty cool.  I'm still working out how best to leverage it, but even just supporting a bare Bladefall/Blade Blast works quite well.  I'm thinking I'll eventually go with a maxed out Bladefall/Spellslinger and move Blade Blast to a CoC setup.