Merciless more like Senseless

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Cilicis wrote:

I lured it to exit where it has less room to move and I have time to get out if it doesn't go right. Used totems to keep it in the hallway but nothing it drops is worth all that work, now I see it's that bugger I just go out. I'll just play and leave the work for work.

Thx for your help.

There are no boss in this game that drops anything valuable :)
Btw, you know that in each vaal area there is one vaal vessel with vaal fragment/gem, right?

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Cilicis wrote:

Game was fun first 2 runs started Merciless and all fun is gone. Monsters only need to hit you once and you're death. Fail to see what is supposed to be fun about constantly dying when ever a monster gets 1 hit in. Okay it the next difficulty level so the monsters have a higher level but that isn't it, they are the same as they were at end of act 3 of cruel but at end of act 3 cruel I didn't die. You didn't make the monsters harder you made the characters weaker, took away the defenses, normally game would compensate with better gear. But gear is the same, all the same max values as they have when you start at lvl 1.

Yeah having so much fun now, NOT

 Your PoE experience is very common and is a major reason why new players quit. A few thought here:

1. GGG negates more resistances with each difficulty level so gear and rings/amulet with multiple
    resists is even more important. New players have a tougher time of getting a build up to 75% on
    all resists than the veterans do. It takes many playthroughs to gain knowledge of the different bosses
    and what resist you need to have maxed to battle it. For example, in the Merciless Act 3 Crematorium
    you need 75% fire resist and then when you get to the Piety battle you then need to switch over to
    75% lightning resist. Some players also switch out resist flasks for specific areas and bosses.
    Swapping gear to get a specific max resist took me a while to get used to doing it.

2. It's annoying to have to grab a lot of % life nodes in the passive tree but unfortunately that is what
    GGG wants us to do, waste precious passive points on 5% life nodes (GGG nerfed the % life nodes
    on the last passive tree overhaul so it's even worse now). By Merciless you should be well above 2000
    life and most agree that 3500 to 4000 is needed by the time you get to act 3.

3. Get gear/passives that give life regen per second. Life regen is extremely important.
    My current Scion ST build that I just killed Merciless Dominus with has 161.4 life/sec regen.

4. Find/craft flasks that have the "of staunching" on it. Also make sure 1 life flask will remove bleeding,
    another has remove curses (chaos curses are especially annoying), and a 3rd that removes freezing.

5. Never let your life drop below 50% (some say 70%). Sounds like a no brainer but keeping your life
    at max is the best way to prevent a one shot death. Still can't stop desync deaths.

6. Speed is your friend, Find 30% 4L boots and other gear to go fast. Yes, faster speed = more desync
    but running away from a bad creature sure beats another death and 10% xp loss.
    Either use leapslam, lightning warp, whirling blades, etc. (rangers can use blink arrow) to be able to
    move fast out of a bad situation. Quicksilver flasks can be a life saver at times too. Never stand still
    for too long when in battles. Developing good kiting skills is a must to survive in Wraeclast.

7. I hate the comments "learn to play to the server". That is mostly BS but knowing not to battle mobs
    in doorways, tight passages, or other narrow spots to reduce the chance of another desync is wise.
    Be very careful with Necromancers as they are a creature resurrecting pain in the ass.

8. Yes, finding better gear slows down by Merciless act 2 and stops by act 3 (must be a blue moon
    month to get better gear after that or some great luck or play the commodity flipping game).
    GGG has needed an item progression rebalance at the high levels like forever (I started in CB PoE).

Agree with all posted above except (partially) this:

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Arrowneous wrote:

3. Get gear/passives that give life regen per second. Life regen is extremely important.

All regen from gear is flat so imho it can be useful only in first difficulty. On Cruel and merciless that lousy 5hp/sec regen is nothing.

It is not senseless. It just seems like it. :@
I'd like to (again) say that this game needs some kind of in-game knowledge base. Thank you.

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Charanjaydemyr wrote:

One of the best threads I've ever read.

That merciless wall. My god. I imagine there are a LOT of players out there that hit it and just quit without a single post. Forum usage isn't for everyone, after all.

there wouldn't be a wall, if the game had actual gear progression.
but GGG want people to hit walls head-first, until they learn to go to the market and buy some TNT.

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silumit wrote:

Agree with all posted above except (partially) this:

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Arrowneous wrote:

3. Get gear/passives that give life regen per second. Life regen is extremely important.

All regen from gear is flat so imho it can be useful only in first difficulty. On Cruel and merciless that lousy 5hp/sec regen is nothing.

True, the % of total life regen/sec passive nodes are much better than life regen on gear but it all adds up to the total % regen/sec. I do agree that I'd never craft added life regen on gear or make it a high priority but I'd also not completely ignore it if I had 2 of the same gear and one had +5 life more life regen and the other didn't.

I'm so glad to see you hit the wall (which is very very real), fight through it, and finish the main game. It'll get easier each character you make.

I trashed my first character in A3N and my second character couldn't do level 66 maps.

Thx for all the tips. Had figured some of the things you all wrote out as well. Started a Scion for the position in the tree. Now to see if what I planned in my head also works in game, so far so good.

Will end with 8% of life per second, 90 resist on all 3 elements, 37 resist on chaos, about 200% armor and 150% on HP, Just from passives.

Got that Thorny bastard, char is faster than old one, could keep up with it.

Is it possible to get more than 4 sockets connected, read on forum/internet that people have that but never get more than 4 connected?

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Cilicis wrote:

Is it possible to get more than 4 sockets connected, read on forum/internet that people have that but never get more than 4 connected?

First, it depends on itemlevel.
Second, chance to 5l is small (6-socketed item is easier to 5l than 5-socketed item though), and chance to 6l is ethereal. Be warned: to craft a 5l you may need hundreds of fusings, to craft a 6l... just don't try it :) you may need thousands of fusings (literally).

Just finished act 1 of merciless without incident. Thx, all the advise and tips have paid of.