Development Manifesto: Changes to the Labyrinth

I don't like to complain or to say shit about other's work when I did nothing to improve it but... I also don't enjoy the labyrinth even a bit. I do it just for the ascendancy points which are a must if you want to make your build work, at least the 6 first points maybe the last ones are an exquisitness ok. But I agree that the need to do this lab to unlock that leveling feature is a pain in the ass, but only because how the lab is designed. The fact that if you die to a stupid trap, you failed to dodge 1 Izaro ability or you failed to remove every single buff on the previous 2 boss encounters, or you get dced forces you to re run the lab is annoying as fuck. Too many things can make you fail instantly and most of them are not related to player skill. I don't even think no one ever thinks of killing Argus for that extra key... let's be realistic, we all do it for the points because even on uber lab the chests are trash most times except when you get the currency ones which may contain 1 or 2 chaos. The enchantment... if you get the specific one for your build from the hundreds of posibilities it's a huge power boost ok, but you would need to be extremely lucky or run it hundreds of times to get it being it really difficult hundreds of times and needing to farm the "keys" to that uber lab (if you are going for the enchantment better go for the better one). Just for that enchantment such a boring lab where you can fail so easily even with the most powerful character doesn't seem worth the time it takes.
And I don't see reducing the time it takes to complete it make it worth still, even if they remove the need of the offering of the goddess (which it seems) for the uber lab.

I like some suggestions some other players made like leaving only 1 uber lab, and end game lab, for those who enjoy it and want the treasures and enchantments, and give the ascendancy points through storyline like after boss fights. If you want to keep them 2 points at a time you can still do it and start giving the points only with the new act bosses.

I hope you take into consideration what most of the community really wants, after all the beta didn't still came out there is still time to change that I guess or maybe on another future patch.

In OP:

"

The decision to remove the Cruel and Merciless difficulties with the launch of Path of Exile: The Fall of Oriath has a lot of tangentially-related changes associated with it. One of the largest is how the Labyrinth ties into gameplay and the new layout of the world. We've written a Development Manifesto that outlines the upcoming changes.

I don't see how one of the largest changes is Labyrinth, at least from a player perspective. A waypoint was added which slightly speeds things up, when compared using to the Sarn waypoint. Trials were adjusted and the first labyrinth was slightly shortened. The UI became less unintuitive (ie: there actually is a UI now) by letting you track your progress. That's it.

These are all small bandaids and minor pain medication handed out to treat the same open wound that shows no sign of healing on its own.

It's the gameplay in labyrinth that's the core of the problem and none of these changes does a thing to fix the fundamental, underlying problem that labyrinth provides a boring and frustrating in-game experience.

GGG,

Can you please do something to increase finding the Uber Lab trials... In SSF I still stuck on trying to find the last trial at level 88. Even when not SSF I hate having to look in channels to try and find someone and join their party to do the trials.

If trial spawns in a map it should be 100% one that you don't have.

"

Astealoth wrote:

The lab is extremely problematic and shortening the trivial early ones is not helpful or wanted.

The content is broadly hated, but the rewards are so insanely powerful that you have very little choice but to participate in it. You can't just ignore them and go on with your life and have a competitive character, considering that the other content is tuned with the expectation that you have done the lab. The problem is, the rest of the game is much more diverse and inclusive. Every tier of map up to T17 has something for just about every kind of build and every skill level of player to tackle.

The lab is extremely specific in what is required to finish it. The traps and boss require precise twitch movement beyond what the majority of the game requires or extreme physical resistance beyond what the majority of the game requires. This makes the lab itself very build and/or player dexterity exclusive. This is not in line with the majority of the game's content, yet much of the game's content benefits significantly from the rewards of the lab. There is a terribly abusive design problem going on here just in the core mechanics of combat and traps in the lab.

Then there is the reward structure beyond the basic skill point progression. You simply can not expect to enchant your own helmet with something relevant to your primary skill within the time spans of a league. It is not possible, you would have to devote 100% of your time to the lab for the entire league to even dream of a hint of a chance. So, no SSF enchanting, period. Not going to happen, maybe 1 in 1000 SSF players might get a relevant enchant on the timescale of a league. So we're forced to trade for our helmets and sell the helmets we enchant. That's fine for most people perhaps, but what if you use an uncommon helmet? Oh my goodness, someone dares to play a suboptimal self designed build in this game? String them up by the heels and flog them in the eye until they vomit blood! That scrub wears a T2 helmet, HA! Is this really what the game needs? Who at GGG genuinely believes that this enchant system makes sense?

This is spot on

I am not as eloquent or sober as the chap i'm quoting but the lab just doesn't fit in with the rest of the game
I'm old, an alcoholic and my reactions are to put it mildly not what they used to be. I also choose to play HC because any challenges I manage mean something - and believe me I struggle to get out of bed some days so even a small totem at the end of a league is an achievement

The argument that the lab is optional is not valid as from what I can see, GGG assume the lab will be done and have adjusted the content accordingly.

I've been playing since the original closed beta and generally feel Chris and the team have succeeded in creating a game they (and we) want to play. The lab is the only major thing I feel they have got wrong

Can you please listen to your players on this one Chris?????