Why are some builds and creators so popular?

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1533986
My build

Hi guys, this is a silly question but it's one that I've been pondering. I made a Dual Striker build and he's been very successful, where so far he has killed every boss in the entire game except the shaper who undoubtedly is about to die very soon LOL but I don't understand why some people who create builds for Path of Exile just seem to get all the fame and attention. They seem to stream and get thousands upon thousands of views along with active discussions on their YouTube channels too and oftentimes their builds aren't that great. I was curious if anyone knew how it is they get so much praise and attention? I spent 2 years and 10 months on my dual Striker perfecting him and he's amazing but it's as if he doesn't exist at times.

Any encouragement welcome.

~Umbra_the_Wolf
Dual Striker Leech Tank, creator since 11/2014
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1533986/page/1Umbra_the_Wolf
Last bumped on Oct 2, 2016, 5:04:19 PM
1. Formatting

Your guide is a big wall of text. Nothing stands out. The reader has to skim through all of the text to see the relevant points and the average reader in this day and age has the attention span of a horsefly on amphetamines. Look at KorgothBG's guides to get an idea of guide formatting, he also includes a ton of info in his guides but he makes them much more user-friendly. Also, spoiler tags are your friend.

2. Skill choice

You're using dual strike with melee splash. Dual strike BoR builds have been done for three years now, so it's nothing new (to put it mildly), and it has bad AOE by definition, meaning its clear speed is capped regardless of your damage. The experienced players know this and they know clear speed is king, so they see 'dual strike' and automatically skip it.

3. Gear

You're using a double legacy BoR and a mirror weapon. This means temp league players, who are a majority, will automatically skip your guide. The time of 'item showcase' guides was, well, 2013 - just as dual strike BoR builds. Nowadays most popular builds boast they can clear endgame content with as little gear as possible. This is what will attract the most viewers. Look at Mathil's build videos: he regularly demonstrates his builds clearing high-tier content in 1c leveling items. He showed his kinetic blast wander clearing a Courtyard with white wands from A1 normal: this brings the people in as sure as day. My advice here would be to focus on videos of your build's capabilities with budget gear and to make the budget gear section the most obvious, while 'my items' to be just an afterthought, an example of the full gearing potential of the build - not a 'what I used to make the videos', which is what it looks like now even if it isn't. Putting in the budget gear as items you can see is also helpful. Most players want to be able to actually see what you're talking about, they want pics, item links and video, not dry text.

Which leads me to the fourth point: marketing. Most guide authors hype their builds HARD. Like it or not, this is the reality of it. Look at the most popular build guides: they are usually written by streamers or they have caps locked titles including words like INSANE, DEATHLESS CORE/UBER, CHEAP, etc. This is because their authors know the build guide section is like a shopping mall and the visitors are strolling along hundreds of articles vying for their attention, so they make their builds scream "NOTICE ME! HERE! CHEAP! FREE! POWERFUL! TASTY, DELICIOUS DEEPS!".


To sum it up, if you want to have a popular guide, it needs to be well formatted, well advertised, it needs to have high clear speed (achieved through a combination of mobility and AOE) OR to trivialize everything with next to no gear (like the bladefall miners from a few patches ago) and to be viable on a tight budget.


In conclusion, I don't see your build as having the potential to become highly popular simply because of the inherent limitations of dual strike - however, it has space for improvement in the formatting and marketing department.
The Wheel of Nerfs turns, and builds come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the build that gave it birth comes again.
Last edited by Bars on Sep 30, 2016, 2:13:20 AM
Hey there,

if you aim at streamers, don't even bother to worry about it. They have their community.
And a good Guide/Build doesn't mean you'll get all the attention tho.

To be honest, I don't like Dual Strike, therefore I wouldn't even consider to take a look at it. But my case is a bit different tho, since I manage the duellist builds I take a look at everything just out of curiosity.


I see that you put a good amout of effort into your guide, but the first thing that come up, all your links to vids aren't with the url tag, so I have to copy/paste them. That is a unpleasant thing. Also is your guide a damn huge wall of text. You should consider about the usage of the spoiler tag function to shorten it and increase the readability by a ton.

Remember if your build is pleasent to the eyes and the content is proven and strong your build will get a way more attention.


I hope my feedback is helpful for you :)
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eviL_Bison wrote:
...links to vids aren't with the url tag, so I have to copy/paste them. That is a unpleasant thing...


A quick way to deal with that if you're using a modern browser is to just highlight>right click and select "open link in new tab" (Firefox, Chrome and Opera all function simularly). :)
Spoiler
Just a lowly standard player. May RNGesus be with you.
Last edited by Shovelcut on Oct 14, 2016, 5:23:11 PM
@Shovelcut, I know. But thank you anyway. And for the lazy peeps this is still unpleasant. :D
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Bars wrote:
1. Formatting
Your guide is a big wall of text. Nothing stands out. The reader has to skim through all of the text to see the relevant points and the average reader in this day and age has the attention span of a horsefly on amphetamines. Look at KorgothBG's guides to get an idea of guide formatting, he also includes a ton of info in his guides but he makes them much more user-friendly. Also, spoiler tags are your friend.


^This.

I visited your guide, left 5 seconds later, once i scrolled down.

One of my mates was showcased in the beginner friendly builds GGG posted some weeks ago, go have a look at how he presents his guide.

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1460817/page/1

That's how you make beginner friendly and informative guides. Summing up a wall of text in a few slides of visual material etc.

Obviously you still have to read, but imagine if he left out the visual stuff and what kind of text that represents.
Entirely overwhelming for people to start reading.

You can get away with that after your established and have a following.

Peace,

-Boem-
Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1533986

So I heavily rewrote my dual striker page, what do you think?
Dual Striker Leech Tank, creator since 11/2014
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1533986/page/1Umbra_the_Wolf
"
eviL_Bison wrote:
Hey there,

if you aim at streamers, don't even bother to worry about it. They have their community.
And a good Guide/Build doesn't mean you'll get all the attention tho.

To be honest, I don't like Dual Strike, therefore I wouldn't even consider to take a look at it. But my case is a bit different tho, since I manage the duellist builds I take a look at everything just out of curiosity.


I see that you put a good amout of effort into your guide, but the first thing that come up, all your links to vids aren't with the url tag, so I have to copy/paste them. That is a unpleasant thing. Also is your guide a damn huge wall of text. You should consider about the usage of the spoiler tag function to shorten it and increase the readability by a ton.

Remember if your build is pleasent to the eyes and the content is proven and strong your build will get a way more attention.


I hope my feedback is helpful for you :)




https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1533986

So I heavily rewrote my dual striker page, what do you think?
Dual Striker Leech Tank, creator since 11/2014
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1533986/page/1Umbra_the_Wolf
The reason why people aren't going bonkers over this build is because these types of builds have been around for many years. Most players that are experienced and have been around for a while would just see your build as a pretty generic build.

I mean, I even made a block ds rt marauder during a 1 week race in... January 2014, and those builds were already played out at that point.

People also pay more attention to builds that are proven in temp leagues, not perm leagues because any build will work if you slap enough gear on it
anything is everything
Last edited by Manocean on Oct 1, 2016, 8:53:40 AM
I would comment, but Bars is here :(
Twitch: twitch.tv/slayertip

Helping people with their builds, its somewhat a hobby, and a passion of mine, so don't be shy!

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1715639 <--- Build help forums thread thingy.

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