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Post by crashV👀d👀 on Oct 4, 2021 11:31:04 GMT
After my stint into Diablo 2 I'm feeling the need for a new ARPG. I've done D3 to death (circa 5-6000 hours) across multiple platforms and as much as I wanted it to, D2 isn't grabbing me as I never played it originally so the nostalgia hook isn't there. I've decided to drop back into PoE but I don't want to shit up that thread with talk of this. So with that pre-amble BS out of the way, I'm running around with Beerdo the necro-templar who smites things with a big ass club and commands a group of zombies. It also seems that I'm the EG guild so I'll have to do something about that. Love the skills mechanic in this, slot gems into gear and you now have the skill. If the gear slots are 'linked' then you can also slot support gems that augment how that skill works. e.g I have 'Smite' that brings down a beam of light to punish the unworthy but I've coupled that with 'Ancestral Call Support'. Now I will randomly get 2 additional ghostly bods that also smite and bring down additional beams. Or my zombies now have lightning damage via the lightning support gem. Or my flame wall now has totem supoort so it auto attacks from a totem instead. So. many. options. It looks quite good too running in supersampled 4k at 200+fps Did you know that PoE 2 is coming in a year or so and it tacks onto this so all your shit carries over. /mindblown oh hai! meet Beerdo  |
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Post by crashV👀d👀 on Oct 4, 2021 11:39:10 GMT
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Post by crashV👀d👀 on Oct 4, 2021 11:55:45 GMT
bit early but since its a live service and will eventually be part of PoE here is a gameplay walkthrough vid of 2
its always desert'y in these ARPGs :-) still, that rolling caravan looks awsome, like mortal engines
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Post by Phattso on Oct 4, 2021 12:44:19 GMT
You inspired me to install it on my Series X for a quick blast over lunchtime, Clunky, ugly, and shit, as I remember. Sell it to me. :-D
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Post by Danno on Oct 4, 2021 13:04:14 GMT
Treacherous swine!
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Post by crashV👀d👀 on Oct 4, 2021 13:59:50 GMT
You inspired me to install it on my Series X for a quick blast over lunchtime, Clunky, ugly, and shit, as I remember. Sell it to me. :-D I'm not selling it you silly puddin' I guess the beauty is in the eye of the beholder but these were me thoughts when I first played it a couple of years back, eww it's not d3 and the loot looks like shit. However I've played a few more things since then and after coming straight off d2r where all the loot looks like shit to it I'm now over that hangup. They seemed to have changed some mechanics around and buffed stuff up because I'm quite OP at the moment. It's not got the same dark gothic artistic finish that d2r has in its dungeons but it was still quite good looking and smooth as fuck running around the prison area. Also the lighting was quite lush as I brought down heavenly beams if angelic justice. It's not for everyone admittedly but it's free and if by the halfway point of act1 you haven't got some bombastic sparkly effects triggering your pleasure bits then Im guessing it's not for you. It's the shit looking loot that actually drawing me in this time oddly. Now I'm understanding the support gems I'm looking at all the shit loot that's dropping and trying to find odd socket combinations that will allow me to drop in a skill and then also marry it to 2 or 3 support gems to see the wacky outcomes. My smite has a larger aoe gem plus the extra ghosties that also smite with that larger aoe. I could add lightning as well if I can find another item that has an additional linked socket with the correct colour |
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Post by Phattso on Oct 4, 2021 14:01:11 GMT
Maybe it's my choice of character. I picked Witch, and I don't think I've ever felt more disconnected from the combat in a game.
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Post by crashV👀d👀 on Oct 4, 2021 14:07:42 GMT
Maybe it's my choice of character. I picked Witch, and I don't think I've ever felt more disconnected from the combat in a game. Hah, I did my first char as a witch and fell off so quickly. Go for one of the bug fuckers that hits people |
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Oct 4, 2021 14:15:32 GMT
I don't think I've ever noped out of a game so hard, as when I saw the skill tree in this.
I'm sure some people like that immense complexity, but I really don't. Personally I see the (relative) lack of choices in D2 and D3 as a positive.
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Post by crashV👀d👀 on Oct 4, 2021 14:34:24 GMT
its a passive tree, the skills are in the gems but god yeah, it does look oppressive when it first opens up and again that is another thing that wrote me off it. then you realise that its essentially divided into 6 areas with starting points on it for each of the chars and then its up to you to build out how you like. you will most likely spend points in your area but can in theory take one char right to the opposite side and make a very mixed build. loads of the nodes are basic and just add an attribute stat (STR, INT or DEX) that i'm using to enable use of gear but then you have more larger nodes that are more notable with bigger buffs. There are even slots to put in gems, not go that far yet though. I'm currently spec'ing into minions and elemental. it'll probably be shit but its quite fun so far and i want to see if i can blind my way through to the end. iirc this is what i've done so far and i'm not wanting for life or mana at all yet  |
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Post by quadfather on Oct 4, 2021 14:45:22 GMT
What the *fuck* is all that about? It looks like a bloody nightmare
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Post by crashV👀d👀 on Oct 4, 2021 15:22:10 GMT
What the *fuck* is all that about? It looks like a bloody nightmare i started at the ring with the 3 nodes of red, blue green (str, int, dex respectively) and with each point bought another passive along the lines. this one got me 8% extra dmg for minions and 10% phys dmg  this one added 10 str  this one added a bunch of shit  |
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Post by quadfather on Oct 4, 2021 15:27:42 GMT
Just looks like too much
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Post by crashV👀d👀 on Oct 4, 2021 15:29:57 GMT
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Post by crashV👀d👀 on Oct 4, 2021 15:35:35 GMT
are you gonna shit yourself when D4 lands then ?  |
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Post by Aunt Alison on Oct 4, 2021 15:52:23 GMT
are you gonna shit yourself when D4 lands then ? Probably only take you a few days to unlock all that with xp boosters |
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Post by quadfather on Oct 4, 2021 16:10:33 GMT
Jesus christ
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zagibu
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Post by zagibu on Oct 6, 2021 10:37:15 GMT
PoE is amazing. I stopped playing a while ago when they were bought by Tencent, but I had a blast before that. The combinations you can do with passives, skills and item attributes are mind-boggling. In the end, I actually spent more time in the PoE planning metagame (external tools used to plan a character) than actually playing it. I just had my set of high level toons in standard league, and then whenever a new league came along, I respecced a few of them and tried to make new builds with the stuff that was merged back into standard. Then just checked how well my build worked. I was also banned repeatedly for very long times from general chat for spamming toucan ascii art executing my human right on religious freedom. But I see they still haven't added a toucan pet. SUCH BLASPHEMY.
The coolest thing about PoE is that it's so deep. You can just fuck around in the regular acts as a newbie and have some fun with random characters (and get absolutely stuck somewhere in the later acts), or you can follow a character guide and try to reach late game mapping and maximize your potential by hunting all the best items, or you can learn all the arcane little details about it and try to make your own builds.
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Post by crashV👀d👀 on Oct 7, 2021 18:15:59 GMT
I've just got to act 3. The story is so-so but I like the setting and the ideas of arcane machinery and the giant underground pyramid etc.
I'm about level 29 or so now and I'm practically a walking weatherfront of ice, lightning and heavenly beams of justice.
I've just unlocked a hideout along with a bench so I can add mods to my gear.
Along with navali and the prophecies, einhart(?) and a beastiary, divination cards have started dropping and essences? Wtf I'm only act 3 and there's just loads of 'stuff'
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zagibu
Junior Member
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Post by zagibu on Oct 7, 2021 18:34:12 GMT
Gonna be interesting to see how hard you find Dominus. A lot of new players actually get stuck in the later areas of act 3, because they don't spec for life and instead focus on damage. So they get wrecked in the gardens or the tower. And then Dominus is absolutely relentless if you don't know what you're doing.
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Post by crashV👀d👀 on Oct 8, 2021 14:22:47 GMT
Gonna be interesting to see how hard you find Dominus. A lot of new players actually get stuck in the later areas of act 3, because they don't spec for life and instead focus on damage. So they get wrecked in the gardens or the tower. And then Dominus is absolutely relentless if you don't know what you're doing. Really? Well I've not followed any guide and my skills are not exactly 'focussed' so I guess we'll see how well I fair. I have just finished the last ascendency thing and unlocked a secret door under a statue in the sarn encampment. Starting to get get 4 socket items now and have cold, electric and fire brands all on my helm with brand support gem. Rawr |
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zagibu
Junior Member
Posts: 1,946
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Post by zagibu on Oct 8, 2021 14:39:16 GMT
Yeah, I probably wouldn't go through that secret door yet. It's a very large sprawling labyrinth with tons of traps similar to the trials, but harder, and one of the hardest hitting PoE bosses at the end. Maybe do it after you have finished act 3, or even later.
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Post by crashV👀d👀 on Oct 8, 2021 17:31:00 GMT
I've already completed it and ...
I. HAVE. ASCENDED !
I've specced into brands cos I'm enjoying the playstyle
That was some of the best arpg stuff I think I've ever played. Loved that environment where it's all bronzed and crumbling so you can see the machinery working behind it all.
Ended up with 5 keys for the ending chests and also went through 2 areas near the end with silver doors.
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zagibu
Junior Member
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Post by zagibu on Oct 8, 2021 18:51:07 GMT
You seem to be a natural. I doubt you'll have a lot of trouble with Act 3 boss, if you already completed the labyrinth. Although, maybe they changed balancing a bit, after all, it has been some time since I last played. Just keep some lightning resist gear in your stash.
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Post by crashV👀d👀 on Oct 8, 2021 19:29:08 GMT
No he hits like a truck. I'd saved about 5 or so upgrade points and just went a dumped them into life and swapped out my gem for a life one. He hardly touched me after that
All my resists are currently between 80 and 100 in brackets but all seem to be at 75 so assuming thats the cap?
I have a large selection of grog with various different resists on them so I'm sure they'll come in handy.
There is just so much content here it's nuts
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zagibu
Junior Member
Posts: 1,946
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Post by zagibu on Oct 8, 2021 20:22:24 GMT
Yeah, 75% is the standard max, but there is stuff that can raise this max. There was a build that relied on near 100% fire resistance, because it used a skill that sets both yourself and enemies around you on fire. Quirky builds like this is what PoE excels at. It has so many different mechanics that you can try to exploit when designing a build. For example, there was a build that revolved around a support gem that triggers spells when your character is damaged, and it used a flask that damages yourself when you drink from it. So it was basically a sort of alcoholic wizard type of build that farts spells when taking a sip. And then some unique items introduce complete new mechanics that you can try to build around. Same with some of the larger passive keystones, they can really change the way you play the game or equip your char (for example blood magic removes all mana, and you cast skills with health instead, or chaos inoculation makes you immune to chaos damage, but sets max HP to 1). It's a huge puzzle game wrapped into a nice hack and slash fantasy action RPG.
It's a bit of a shame that the theme of the first act is basically "you are shipwrecked and must fight your way through your enemies with crap you find that was washed ashore". Personally, I like it, but I know a lot of people who turned away from the game forever, just because they couldn't stand swinging driftwood cudgels and wielding plank wood shields.
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Post by awimbawe on Oct 8, 2021 20:47:22 GMT
Well after a read through of this thread, I'm going to have to give this what must be my 6th or 7th try. There was always something about the feel of the combat that just put me off but it's worth another spin.
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zagibu
Junior Member
Posts: 1,946
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Post by zagibu on Oct 9, 2021 3:27:40 GMT
Well after a read through of this thread, I'm going to have to give this what must be my 6th or 7th try. There was always something about the feel of the combat that just put me off but it's worth another spin. Not sure what you mean. Gameplay when you have ascended from noob to regular player is basically all about AoE attacks and zooming through areas with movement skills, meanwhile keeping an eye on visual danger cues and reacting to them with a flask hotkey press. Some builds also have to refresh buffs from time to time. You never really use single target attack skills/spells outside of bosses once you are past the very start and have access to some decent leveling AoE skill gems. And basic attacks (those that don't use mana) you should graduate from after maybe 30 minutes of play time at the latest. There are some areas which require lots of dodging and learning attack patterns of bosses or rythms of traps, etc., but mostly it's just breezing through large hordes of monsters, killing clusters of them with a single press of your mouse button.
I have heard this complaint about the combat from multiple new players before, but never really understood it. Maybe it's an audiovisual thing, or maybe it has to do with networking mode (I always played on deterministic lockstep, btw., because predictive quite often leads to desync when you go back and forth through narrow passages, and desync is deadly in HC mode, which is what I usually played). Or they don't know you can press shift to stand still while attacking?
But yeah, there is a lot to learn, and my first few characters were pretty shitty. It's understandable if you bounce off it, I think a lot of ARPG players do. You have to either be prepared to restart a few times till you get the hang of it, or ask someone for advice on how to improve your borked character (it can be linked to, if you are logged in on the PoE site), and then respec it according to those suggestions. At least there is now a pretty good tutorial system built into the start of the game that actually explains the most essential gameplay elements, like the currency system, and skill gems, etc. But you still have to consult the wiki often, because a lot of information can not be obtained ingame.
crashvoodoo actually made a good choice to start with Templar imo. In general, when it comes to defenses, a character branching out towards the left side of the passives screen is probably better for new players, because life, life regen, life leech and armor are solid, and easy to understand, while evasion and energy shield are harder to work with (Templar can ignore energy shield if desired). Templar has that, but he also has easy access to spell nodes, for players who prefer "wizards" with cool special fx over boring "warriors" that whack stuff with sticks.
What most new players do wrong is they don't spec enough life nodes, don't get enough resistances on gear, or try to do too many things at once. It's fun for a while to summon minions, cast lightning and ice and fire and also whack stuff with big sticks, but in the later areas the game punishes you for not specializing.
What most intermediate players do wrong is they are afraid to travel in the passives screen. Some of the big keystones or clusters of smaller nodes are worth spending a few points for along the way to reach them. Also, they don't get enough +life mods on their gear. Most passive nodes only give you % increased life, which does almost nothing if your base life is low. Finally, most don't know their way around the PoE specific meanings of general words like melee vs. ranged, attack vs. spell, increased vs. more, evasion vs. dodge, etc., and because of that they create combinations that don't really work or are not optimized.
What most experienced players do wrong, or at least, what mostly killed my HC chars, is dropping your guard and letting yourself be lulled in by the rythmic nature of general gameplay, and then BAM suddenly a rare monster with an attribute combination that hits exactly into your weak spots pops up. All characters have weak spots, and if you are not aware of them or forget them or are not ready to cover them manually, you WILL die in the blink of an eye, no matter how good you are otherwise.
All in all I think you could found a university that only studies this game and you would have enough material to support multiple doctorates. I'm still a bit sad I can't play it anymore, but also a bit relieved, because it was such a huge time sink when I did. Easily one of my top 10 games when ranked by amount of hours poured into, probably even top 3.
Sorry for the wall of text, but I read some of my old forum posts over there and it all came back...
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Post by crashV👀d👀 on Oct 9, 2021 11:03:32 GMT
Personally, I like it, but I know a lot of people who turned away from the game forever, just because they couldn't stand swinging driftwood cudgels and wielding plank wood shields. [/div][/quote] Never thought of that angle before |
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Post by crashV👀d👀 on Oct 9, 2021 11:21:01 GMT
Great post zagibuThe life thing in particular is actually something I've been guilty of in other games and what I did a bit wrong in this. Adding 10% life sounds great in your head until you do the maths and realise you actually added fuck all. I don't intend this character to be endgame viable at all it's more of a learning exercise in prep for the next league (season for diablo fans) that's starting later this month. I am very much a DoT fan so I think I'll roll another for the new league and fully spec into branding so I can kite around like a tanky Usain bolt |
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