Path of Exile

Blight maps are best done with friends. It feels less like a Tower Defense and more like a team gauntlet at that point. Of course the usual party problems exist such as lag, on kill effects, over-writing curses, etc etc, as well as the current issue where anyone can START a tower, but the map owner has to run by it physically to allow it to activate then be upgradable. Weird, but I guess I get it. Could just have 7 tower masters owning every map with l33t strats while you afk in a corner.

I think I've failed 1, maybe 2 blights in maps and failed 2-3 out of 10ish blighted maps. The biggest problem is rolling super fucked map mods (unique damage/health comes to mind) or portals spawning so close to the pump. A fun problem I had was a portal next to the pump which wasn't an issue because of the distance it traveled around TO the pump. Except that one of the bosses summoned skeletons and these skeletons could be summoned OFF the vines anywhere. So he came out, summoned like 6 skeletons next to him which my towers couldn't reach that just hit the pump 2-3x each and then I lost. Felt bad.

Blight loot is a notch below Legion, but that's okay. Legion was almost too much fucking loot. I'd get 2-3 raw ex for multiple days in a row just cycloning like an asshole in yellow/early red maps.

I have some thoughts on what 4.0 could and possibly SHOULD be. I almost guarantee one or two of these come out in 4.0

-Player Shop Trading: find item. Find player. Go to hideout. Buy item from "merchant" npc at listed price or bid on it if set for a bid. Boom. Hideouts still there. Player interaction still kind of there. Less AH hijinx from bots and shit.
-Mercs: I'm pretty certain this is coming. Gearable/MTXABLE/possibly speccable NPC pals. Probably just one. Would help squishy builds get a tank, tanky builds get some DPS/debuffs, etc. This lets you move even MORE gear on the AH and makes gear hunting less linear for certain people and builds. They could even have an offensive/defensive mode. Offensive takes full damage, does full damage/debuffs etc. Defense takes less damage does less damage. More for people who need mobs corraled or debuffed to be effective. The biggest issue here is whether they allowed "specs" and to what extent and how good the NPC AI is, but that's what I think they're demoing with the new minion gems (meatshield/frenzy/deathmark).
-Endless Content: Whether it's a Maelstrom (look it up) type zone where you plug in and just keep going until you can't or a gauntlet of wave after wave with some prep/loot time, I think this would be cool. The problem comes with how to balance exp/loot. You can't have exp and loot be better than maps/delve with a lesser cost to run. Unless of course they change how maps work in 4.0.

I'm pretty certain one of these is going to happen. If I were to guess the most likely candidate is a player shop type idea. It would help with the current language barriers with the Korean players (though I've never had a problem with any of them yet) and scammers preying on noobs and your drunk weekend gamers.

Having played this game for a bit now, my largest complaint by far is the lack of a viable auction house.

The game is great and a lot of fun. However, trading in this game is a pain in the ass and very time consuming. Why the programmers have chosen not to just outright copy Blizzard's system for trading is mind boggling. I understand how to do it but many many many times the people do not respond or the item is already sold. What is the point of having a trade system if the system really does not work. I have yet to successfully purchase something near the low point I frequently see but cannot seem to actually get.

Player interaction. People price things low to get people to try and undercut them so they can snatch it up and flip it.

Mahes said:

Having played this game for a bit now, my largest complaint by far is the lack of a viable auction house.

The game is great and a lot of fun. However, trading in this game is a pain in the ass and very time consuming. Why the programmers have chosen not to just outright copy Blizzard's system for trading is mind boggling. I understand how to do it but many many many times the people do not respond or the item is already sold. What is the point of having a trade system if the system really does not work. I have yet to successfully purchase something near the low point I frequently see but cannot seem to actually get.

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GGG have said a few times that they won't change the way trading is conducted, they just bring up the economy and social stuff when people moan. I live in hope they'll put a broker into the game in 4.0 but I doubt it.

Mahes said:

Having played this game for a bit now, my largest complaint by far is the lack of a viable auction house.

The game is great and a lot of fun. However, trading in this game is a pain in the ass and very time consuming. Why the programmers have chosen not to just outright copy Blizzard's system for trading is mind boggling. I understand how to do it but many many many times the people do not respond or the item is already sold. What is the point of having a trade system if the system really does not work. I have yet to successfully purchase something near the low point I frequently see but cannot seem to actually get.

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<open can of worms.gif>

It is a "discussion" that has been ongoing since trade was forum listing and dropping stuff on the ground in The Coast and a third party stepped in to try and improve the activity.

The original "Trade Manifesto" (puke) made it muddily clear that Chris Wilson thinks trade "increases player interaction".

In reality, this game functions on keeping you playing for as long as possible, and any artificial road blocks they can put in your way that don't make you outright quit is a positive in GGG/Tencent's book. The current Trade System is one of them.

People still request auto-pick-up of currency orbs. Or even hold down action key and all orbs in an area pick up (ala Borderlands). That will never happen because picking up every item slows you down.

People still complain about too much loot - and then GGG continues to dilute the affix list every major update, making more items more junk meaning without masses of loot you will never get shit. Hell, they even released their own in game loot filter because "that'll do" instead of streamlining the loot system.

I sound like I hate the game, and in some ways I do. I love it, but I hate it as well. I play every league, but seem to have less patience for "all the shit" the more time passes. I seem to be waiting for some major change that sucks me back in, but I think it isn't going to happen.

I understand GGG wanting to slow you down leveling and such. But on the other hand the game gets faster each league from the stuff they add. Just in the 2-1/2 years I've been playing the game has gotten faster.

Slaanesh69 said:

<open can of worms.gif>

I sound like I hate the game, and in some ways I do. I love it, but I hate it as well. I play every league, but seem to have less patience for "all the shit" the more time passes. I seem to be waiting for some major change that sucks me back in, but I think it isn't going to happen.

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I feel pretty much the same. It’s one of the best games I’ve ever played but the constant fucking with everything, while both good and bad ,eventually leaves a taste of annoyance overall. With as many changes as they make each new league here are just too many things to disagree with.

Borzak said:

I understand GGG wanting to slow you down leveling and such. But on the other hand the game gets faster each league from the stuff they add. Just in the 2-1/2 years I've been playing the game has gotten faster.

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The PACE of play has constantly increased with character power creep and rotating metas. The strata of things you have to do in the midst of all that PACE has increased dramatically. More RNG on loot. More master mechanics. Crafting linked to scavenger hunts and master mission RNG loot drops/RNG reveals. Crafting tied to Delve expeditions tied to master missions. Atlas progression tied a lot to Zana missions and RNG drops. All of this tied to trade if you want to try and bypass SOME RNG. End game encounters tied to RNG drops (4 x guardian maps, 4 x Atziri shards, Breach shards, Legion frags). Final Ascendancy tied to RNG lab trials. Breaches. Abysses. Monoliths. Essence mobs.

All trickled to you in a carefully restricted rate.

The game is a giant collection project every league. Fill in your essence tab, fill in your fragment tab, fill in your unique tab, fill in your currency tab, fill in your fossil tab, fill in your Map tab and Atlas, rinse, repeat.

And I love it. And hate it. The diverse FEEL of the various builds is the best. And I am a sucker for a well designed progression system so the list of Make Work project this game gives you appeals to me. But it is getting to be too much.

I have shelved my 90 cyclone: the build is still viable and powerful enough, but it does not feel good with the league mechanic. So I am following a necro build based around Spirit Offering on a level 1 CWDT to provide constant ES recharge; and, of course, a boat load of minions. Took me about an hour last night organizing my gear and gem requirements - I am used to one main skill, one secondary skill and a move skill and maybe an aura or two, easy peasy. Minions are a little more in depth, with gem links for EACH minion plus a primary skill plus some defense.

Anyway, at level 34 now and can see the power building. I engage with enemies because I am used to direct damage, but I am starting to see that I barely have to on this build.

The thing about "player interaction" is if you are trading currency your best experience will be if you find a bot to do it. Some player interaction there.

My necro is kind of a hodgepodge. And I’m just really starting red’s. (And filling in atlas)

I’m really not used to hitting more than 1-2 buttons plus flask. This build I’m keeping skeles up, hitting vaal skeles, desecrate, flesh offering, Armageddon brand for EE and coh/cond, and bone armor.

I’m running meat shield zombies and 6L spectres with only 4 spectres thus far. Also using skitter and carrion with wrath/gen. I have conv and spirit offering on cwdt.

Just a lot more clickies than I usually do. Keep desecrate down, flesh offering up, and Armageddon brand up. I’m considering dropping spirit offering and just relinking flesh and desecrate to cwdt.

Did you try the other gem setup for Heralds, I wanna say using GMP and Spell Echo, that makes them prioritize their ranged attack? Maybe it's been changed but I remember many moons (leagues) ago they'd focus on lobbing hellfire with that setup whereas if you used Multistrike and something else they'd prioritize leap slamming bitches into the ground.

Deathwing said:

"Trigger a socketed skill" enchant on your weapon is a pretty good place to stick your curse, desecrate, and offering.

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And that’s probably where I’m going once I get a wand worth multimodding with minion damage and that.