Difficulty, or lack thereof

The game's difficulty is mostly reserved for late endgame, where leveling up becomes a tedious bore and you don't want to play just because you didn't get into this game just for it to turn into some Korean grind MMO. I didn't start playing until Torment league, but I wouldn't mind a difficulty increase (but then they really need to stop nerfing defense so much) provided the game didn't become so unenjoyable somewhere between 80 and 90. There's basically nothing to do but the same 2 maps over and over and over again and there's almost nothing to get out of it. Even Atziri gets tiresome pretty quickly.

If you're halfway through merciless already then just hold out a little longer and you'll be able to start running maps. When you're mapping, you can roll them about as challenging as you want. Also as you roll them harder the loot quantity goes up so there's some risk vs reward action you might enjoy.

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Asmodeoos wrote:

It's hard not to feel disappointed, when I've finally found a hack'n'slash (arpg, lol) that catered to my needs and then it crashed and burned like everything else. And I was sure that this was the main selling point - a lot of challenging, hardcore content.
But here's hoping, if they are actually going to restore the game to its previous state. I have to wait and see, I guess.

I feel for ya. But it's reality in games and everything else. I don't like most of the clothes being sold, but they are going after the large market which isn't the same as what I want.

There's been a regular pattern with POE. They throw in something more difficult, then after a while they nerf it. They know how people are ripping and I'm sure they keep a very close eye on the numbers.

They have said over and over that they want to maintain a sense of danger (how many devourer threads have there been?). But how do you define danger? Danger to who, at what player level? They not only have to balance between classes and builds, but also find a balance between player skill levels and player retention.

They probably have a few million a year payroll they have to meet, along with all kind of other expenses. The days of tiny shareware companies making cool games that cater to a specific genre are in the past. With massive development costs of modern games, it's all about finding the right compromise to bring in the bucks.

Try the ruckus league. In a few more days will be the all mods again. Lots of the top players were ripping in the HC league. Or just gimp yourself, play in higher level zones, or without a chest, or self found. Or play PvP - I think those guys would love more players.

@OP: Game does get very difficult once you reach maps/high level characters. I think your assumptions about difficulty are premature. However, I agree that you shouldn't have to "hang on" through three playthroughs in order to finally reach the challenge.

And, no, you don't need to do things like gimp yourself in order to have a challenging time. It's just a matter of reaching the endgame.

Yeah the game has been nerfed I feel. I've been playing since beta. It use to take people near a month + to get to 85 let alone 95 now you have people getting to 95 in 1 week in new leagues which is ridiculous. Act 2 discharge mobs use to 1 shot people, brutus use to be scary. The only hard things in the game at the moment are Uber Atziri attempted that twice and died twice and a few map bosses; depending on map mods. Other than that it's pretty much steam roll and I play HC.

To all that think the game has been nerfed...do you give no value to your experience development over time? I at least find for any activity that I have pursued over time that I do it more quickly and with less difficulty than I did when I started.

I suggest that it is not the game that has been nerfed but that your skills have developed. It should seem much easier when you are experienced. Only those with cognitive and kinesthetic limitations would not find it much easier once one has played for a while.

Your statement makes sense, but no doubt game difficulty has dropped hard, it's pretty obvious.

Game became so easy, that a skilled player will find no challenge up to the maps, where he could eventually die to some weird damage spike, or to a deadly sequence of random events. Or he may not. Surviving in maps has become a function of luck, but not of challenging events and mechanics.

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If you want challenge play hardcore

Yeah, but that only amplifies that 'deadly seqence of random events' that Torturo mentioned, it doesn't really make the game harder. Hell, if anything, it makes it easier because you build extra tanky and take less risks, unless it's also a race and you have to rush.

softcore players want a challenge too, they dont want to play hardcore and have a piss easy game thats a complete joke until they hit lvl92 and them randomly die from some sort of bullshit lag spike and lose their character from the league. Thats not hard, its the same game and just as easy or hard in hardcore and softcore, only the repercussions of dying are different, not what actually kills you.

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PraetorDei wrote:

I suggest that it is not the game that has been nerfed but that your skills have developed. It should seem much easier when you are experienced. Only those with cognitive and kinesthetic limitations would not find it much easier once one has played for a while.

Standing next to Merveil/Piety/Brutus/almost everything and holding right button until they die has nothing to do with experience... :D