The New Vanilla Experience that is 1.2.3

Message to Grinding Gear Games. I have started playing Exile a little over a month ago. This is when Forsaken Masters had it's debut. I was very pleased with how immersed I became in the game and all of these side quests and side areas added a great deal to the sense of exploration. I was so impressed with the overall quality of the game that it reignited my appreciation for ARPGS. This considering how dreadfully disappointed I was with Diablo 3. In Path of Exile the atmosphere, side quests, lockboxes, crafting, skill gems etc were all prominent factors in what made it such a wonderfully fresh experience in a stale genre.

So why is it now that after a few patches the game feels like some Vanilla ARPG?? What on earth are you guys thinking? Masters Quests are rarer than ever. Corrupt Zones are so scarce you can almost forget they exist in the game at all. Lockboxes are much more difficult to come by.

What is left?? A Vanilla Experience which makes this game feel like it's back in some Beta Form. If the only thing left separating this from Diablo 2 and other ARPGS are the skill gems then what is the point?? Especially considering all of the new Vaal Gems are a pipe dream unless you scour the trade rooms. It's not like you'll find them out in the open. Perhaps once every 10 hours when you are so very blessed to come across a Corrupted Zone?

Most of the unique aspects of this game have been gutted. Why on earth would you even bother developing all this wonderful exciting content if we are rarely going to experience it?? When I started during Forsaken Masters the amount of side quests and corrupted zones added a sense of wonder and made you feel a sense of accomplishment for exploring these large maps to their fullest. Meanwhile my 2nd character on a different league after a patch hit would not experience the same pleasures. What awaited me was a mostly Vanilla experience.


You are committing a huge disservice to your own product when you make it harder for your user base to experience it. Why hide the content? A miniscule percentage of users have ran some exploits I hear? So we must punish everyone?

Furthermore any new players who are looking to hop in will struggle to see what sets this game apart from other ARPGs because of these actions.

If you want the user base for Path Of Exile to grow then Please.... please let us experience what sets this game apart from the same old same old Vanilla tripe ARPG experiences in this genre. I have had friends try out Path of Exile just recently due to my positive word of mouth only for them to turn away disappointed. A few of them never even came across a corrupted zone or a Master Quest.

You must understand that considering this is a Free To Play game that first impressions are absolutely paramount. All of the content which makes Exile so special is just too Rare. You are slowing the growth of the game and you aren't even realizing it. What's to stop someone from being bored within the first few hours and hopping onto the next title? You cannot hold the attention of the majority of average gamers when they struggle to see what makes your product special. If it seems like a Vanilla Diablo 2 clone.. then they often will assume as such.


I used to recommend this game to almost any PC gamer friend I knew but in it's current state I would feel quite hesitant. I'm not sure I can. Surely changes are in order but in it's current state this feels like such a huge waste of potential. You had a remarkable, incredible experience... and you tucked it all away in one of those elusive lock boxes.

Yes, I may be coming off a little bit harsh here but please understand how passionate I am about Path of Exile. This is a remarkable game still in it's totality and I feel it is in all of our best interest to be able to provide more of what makes this game special to encourage growth. It defeats the purpose of creating new content if that content is just too difficult to come by.





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Level 69 Witch on Rampage
Level 52 Scion on Beyond

"

IcyMist27 wrote:

Message to Grinding Gear Games. I have started playing Exile a little over a month ago. This is when Forsaken Masters had it's debut. I was very pleased with how immersed I became in the game and all of these side quests and side areas added a great deal to the sense of exploration. I was so impressed with the overall quality of the game that it reignited my appreciation for ARPGS. This considering how dreadfully disappointed I was with Diablo 3. In Path of Exile the atmosphere, side quests, lockboxes, crafting, skill gems etc were all prominent factors in what made it such a wonderfully fresh experience in a stale genre.

So why is it now that after a few patches the game feels like some Vanilla ARPG?? What on earth are you guys thinking? Masters Quests are rarer than ever. Corrupt Zones are so scarce you can almost forget they exist in the game at all. Lockboxes are much more difficult to come by.

What is left?? A Vanilla Experience which makes this game feel like it's back in some Beta Form. If the only thing left separating this from Diablo 2 and other ARPGS is the skill gems then what is the point?? Especially considering all of the new Vaal Gems are a pipe dream unless you scour the trade rooms. It's not like you'll find them out in the open. Perhaps once every 10 hours?

Most of the unique aspects of this game have been gutted. Why on earth would you even bother developing all this wonderful exciting content if we are rarely going to experience it??

When I started during Forsaken Masters the amount of side quests and corrupted zones added a sense of wonder and made you feel a sense of accomplishment for exploring these large maps to their fullest.

Meanwhile my 2nd character on a different league after a patch hit would not experience the same pleasures. What awaited me was a mostly Vanilla experience.


You are committing a huge disservice to your own product when you make it harder for your user base to experience it. Why hide the content? A miniscule percentage of users have ran some exploits I hear? So we must punish everyone?

Furthermore any new players who are looking to hop in will struggle to see what sets this game apart from other ARPGs because of these actions.

If you want the user base for Path Of Exile to grow then Please.... please let us experience what sets this game apart from the same old same old Vanilla ARPG experiences in this genre. I have had friends try out Path of Exile just recently due to my positive word of mouth only for them to turn away disappointed. A few of them never even came across a corrupted zone or a Master Quest.

You must understand that considering this is a Free To Play game that first impressions are absolutely paramount. All of the content which makes Exile so special is just too Rare. You are slowing the growth of the game and you aren't even realizing it. What's to stop someone from being bored within the first few hours and hopping onto the next title? You cannot hold the attention of the majority of average gamers when they struggle to see what makes your product special. If it seems like a Vanilla Diablo 2 clone.. then they often will assume as such.


I used to recommend this game to almost any PC gamer friend I knew but in it's current state I would feel absolutely foolish to recommend it. I just cannot.

I have witnessed this game turn from a 9.5 to an 8. And you know what? Life is just too short. You had a remarkable, incredible experience... and you threw it all away.

Keep calm and post under the right section.

You can leave your feedback and be heard or act like immature random kiddo.

Also some might argue vanilla D2 was better expierience.

And anyway,nothing when comes to spawning changed.Once you are in maps there is 50% chance on finding them.

I doubt you expierience any kind of end game maps

"

elwindakos wrote:

"

IcyMist27 wrote:

Message to Grinding Gear Games. I have started playing Exile a little over a month ago. This is when Forsaken Masters had it's debut. I was very pleased with how immersed I became in the game and all of these side quests and side areas added a great deal to the sense of exploration. I was so impressed with the overall quality of the game that it reignited my appreciation for ARPGS. This considering how dreadfully disappointed I was with Diablo 3. In Path of Exile the atmosphere, side quests, lockboxes, crafting, skill gems etc were all prominent factors in what made it such a wonderfully fresh experience in a stale genre.

So why is it now that after a few patches the game feels like some Vanilla ARPG?? What on earth are you guys thinking? Masters Quests are rarer than ever. Corrupt Zones are so scarce you can almost forget they exist in the game at all. Lockboxes are much more difficult to come by.

What is left?? A Vanilla Experience which makes this game feel like it's back in some Beta Form. If the only thing left separating this from Diablo 2 and other ARPGS is the skill gems then what is the point?? Especially considering all of the new Vaal Gems are a pipe dream unless you scour the trade rooms. It's not like you'll find them out in the open. Perhaps once every 10 hours?

Most of the unique aspects of this game have been gutted. Why on earth would you even bother developing all this wonderful exciting content if we are rarely going to experience it??

When I started during Forsaken Masters the amount of side quests and corrupted zones added a sense of wonder and made you feel a sense of accomplishment for exploring these large maps to their fullest.

Meanwhile my 2nd character on a different league after a patch hit would not experience the same pleasures. What awaited me was a mostly Vanilla experience.


You are committing a huge disservice to your own product when you make it harder for your user base to experience it. Why hide the content? A miniscule percentage of users have ran some exploits I hear? So we must punish everyone?

Furthermore any new players who are looking to hop in will struggle to see what sets this game apart from other ARPGs because of these actions.

If you want the user base for Path Of Exile to grow then Please.... please let us experience what sets this game apart from the same old same old Vanilla ARPG experiences in this genre. I have had friends try out Path of Exile just recently due to my positive word of mouth only for them to turn away disappointed. A few of them never even came across a corrupted zone or a Master Quest.

You must understand that considering this is a Free To Play game that first impressions are absolutely paramount. All of the content which makes Exile so special is just too Rare. You are slowing the growth of the game and you aren't even realizing it. What's to stop someone from being bored within the first few hours and hopping onto the next title? You cannot hold the attention of the majority of average gamers when they struggle to see what makes your product special. If it seems like a Vanilla Diablo 2 clone.. then they often will assume as such.


I used to recommend this game to almost any PC gamer friend I knew but in it's current state I would feel absolutely foolish to recommend it. I just cannot.

I have witnessed this game turn from a 9.5 to an 8. And you know what? Life is just too short. You had a remarkable, incredible experience... and you threw it all away.

Keep calm and post under the right section.

You can leave your feedback and be heard or act like immature random kiddo.

Also some might argue vanilla D2 was better expierience.

And anyway,nothing when comes to spawning changed.Once you are in maps there is 50% chance on finding them.

I doubt you expierience any kind of end game maps

I am calm. I am just passionate because I see how much potential there is in this product. To call me some Diablo 2 kiddo is quite ironic.

Yes I have experienced the end game content. I have ran several maps. We are not talking about maps though are we? If you bothered to fully read my posting you would see that my issue is that a lot of people who try out this game will not end up experiencing the end game content because they have to make it there first. Will the game hold their attention long enough? Will the experience be good enough? Considering Masters Quests, Strongboxes, and corrupt zones are now quite more scarce it's obvious that we are left with a less compelling experience.

I brought up various points and we can address those or you can just try to insult me. This isn't a message for you though anyway. I hope the developers can take something away from this.

I agree with the point that the first-hand experience is key.

An easy way for GGG to do this would be to make some kind of script that guarenties you encounter a master/corrupted area within the first 3-5 areas or something, as a kind of taste on whats to come if you play on ...

But they haven't really nerfed the spawn rates. Not that I know of, at least.

"

I agree with the point that the first-hand experience is key.

An easy way for GGG to do this would be to make some kind of script that guarenties you encounter a master/corrupted area within the first 3-5 areas or something, as a kind of taste on whats to come if you play on ...

But they haven't really nerfed the spawn rates. Not that I know of, at least.

I think that something in the code enabling a Master Quest within the first 3-5 areas would be a great idea. With a corrupt zone guaranteed in the zone after or a similar measure.

A solid first impression is too crucial for a FTP product such as this.

Additionally guarantee a strongbox in one of the starting areas to give people a greater taste of what is available in the game.

The biggest criticisms I keep hearing on people who hated Path of Exile is that they felt it was just some bad Diablo 2 clone. Many of these players likely did not experience much previously mentioned content.

The Masters Quests and Corrupt Zones add so much to the game. It really breaks away from the Vanilla mold that many games in this genre encompass. There is a greater sense of wonder and more incentive to explore areas to their fullest. Greater sense of reward and accomplishment. When I first started playing I was so amazed and impressed that kept thinking ''what else there?'' because of the remarkable initial impression that was bestowed upon me.

If new gamers got to experience more of the Masters/Corrupt zones and to a lesser extend the strongboxes I think we'd see the user base climbing much more rapidly.

"

IcyMist27 wrote:

"

I agree with the point that the first-hand experience is key.

An easy way for GGG to do this would be to make some kind of script that guarenties you encounter a master/corrupted area within the first 3-5 areas or something, as a kind of taste on whats to come if you play on ...

But they haven't really nerfed the spawn rates. Not that I know of, at least.

I think that something in the code enabling a Master Quest within the first 3-5 areas would be a great idea. With a corrupt zone guaranteed in the zone after or a similar measure.

A solid first impression is too crucial for a FTP product such as this.

Additionally guarantee a strongbox in one of the starting areas to give people a greater taste of what is available in the game.

The biggest criticisms I keep hearing on people who hated Path of Exile is that they felt it was just some bad Diablo 2 clone. Many of these players likely did not experience much previously mentioned content.

The Masters Quests and Corrupt Zones add so much to the game. It really breaks away from the Vanilla mold that many games in this genre encompass. There is a greater sense of wonder and more incentive to explore areas to their fullest. Greater sense of reward and accomplishment. When I first started playing I was so amazed and impressed that kept thinking ''what else there?'' because of the remarkable initial impression that was bestowed upon me.

If new gamers got to experience more of the Masters/Corrupt zones and to a lesser extend the strongboxes I think we'd see the user base climbing much more rapidly.

I don't think the players should experience the content in rapid succession, but that at least one feature is shown within the first 3-5 areas, and then it continues, that you maybe encounter another feature some areas later etc.

Would create a good experience if you just installed the game, and then sit down an evening trying it out. But the feature shown in which order should not be the same every time, but it chooses from a given (hopefully very sizeable) pool ...

EDIT:
After the guarentied pools purpose has been fulfilled, everything returns to normal ...

I mean you probably are going to hit a master and a box by the ledge which is under a hour of gameplay, even at a leisurely pace. As for CZs it's true they're pretty rare, but not THAT rare, it seems they show up at a rate of about 1/10 areas, while masters outside of maps seems to be about 1/4 in most areas(smaller ones get less masters) the problem you're experiencing is likely from bigger areas causing you to miss things.

The design you're talking about is something that GGG doesn't like implementing. They just don't like giving people guaranteed things.

they didnt nerf the spawn rate of boxes and corrupted zones etc, im not sure they changed the spawnr ate of anything in 1.2.3? Its just rng mate, you got a bad spell of randomness, or you are not exploring the zones as much as before now that you know where you are going.

I agree though that masters should spawn a lot more in lower difficulties, it took me till lvl59 in act3 merciless before i first found eleron on my last level up... thats just stupid.

Not only do the masters and corrupted zones feel like barely-there features IMO, but on a whole, they can be better done IMO. When you get to master level 5-6, their missions feel next to pointless (let alone the grind to 8), some of them are notoriously dangerous (Haku and the invincible totems, anyone?), some of them are poorly designed (every single timed mission), and regarding the corrupted zones, how often is it that there's a good reward from them, anyway? Midnights are what, a 5% drop chance? And then if Atziri has the same spawn rate for the mortal series (hopefully she's guaranteed to drop a mortal piece every kill), then you need to clear 200 corrupted areas just to do 1 uber atziri run?

But as to the OP's first impression, see, here's the thing--this game isn't even a Diablo 2 experience. Notice how the rune words, sets, and horadric cube crafting (aka the process of turning utter trash into treasure) are missing? Furthermore, as you might have quickly come to know, it's a game about maximizing the efficiency of one or two skills, and gearing up in the best way to passively support them. So, no this game isn't even Diablo 2.

Let us know when you found another ARPG that isn't D3 or TL2 (heard that one's really cartoony).

"

When I started during Forsaken Masters the amount of side quests and corrupted zones added a sense of wonder and made you feel a sense of accomplishment for exploring these large maps to their fullest.

None of those spawn rates got nerfed since then. This entire topic is written under a false premise.