[Poll] What is the most important aspect of an ARPG for you?

I'm just curious, frankly. There are many different aspects to ARPG's, any of which can be tailored towards from a game development standpoint, but usually at the cost of something else.

So I was just wondering, what people tended to prefer from their ARPG's (Then also have a look at how PoE fits in against the majority opinion, just for fun)

Poll is here

So, what's it to be?

Do you like gathering loot? Does it fill you with a sense of satisfaction to leave an instance with every little knick-knack and trinket that's shiny you can, ready for you to sell/deconstruct back in town before filling your inventory up again in the next area?

Do you prefer to become OP? Is the driving force behind your interest the pursuit of trivialising much of the content of the game by virtue of becoming a deity amongst mere mortals using a combination of high end gear and a well planned build?

Do you instead like to just have a lot of interesting fights? Lots of stuff to kill, but even when full build you still can be at risk if you mess up? Something akin to Dark Souls (Where even when you're full build and have the muscle memory to deal with content, one mistake can still cost your life)

Perhaps competition is your jam? Be it comparing GR scores, fighting for leaderboard spots, or simply the thrill of showing off all the stuff you've done on a Hardcore character.

Maybe you want to create builds? Instead of farming end-game, you instead prefer to experiment with lots of crazy or interesting builds using a variety of unique items in order to facilitate these?

Something else mayhaps?

Of course, there will be some overlap in what you like, but I'm curious as to what you might put as the most important aspect.

For me, it's a sense of progress. That's why I typically start over before I get to high end maps. I lose that sense of progress.

A corollary of that is the hunt for items. Item drops have to remain interesting, or I start over.

Also, your choices have to matter. There have to be good choices, and bad ones. D3 fails here. There's no real choice in that game that makes a difference after you pick your character.

Then comes "skill". Good play should be rewarded and bad play should be penalized. This is the spot where PoE grabs me. It's what the other games out lack.

For me, it's the opportunity to meet all the fine ladies of PoE ;-)


/sarcasm

Trying new builds is what drives me. If I can come up with something whacky that still works somewhat I'm happy. Taking a bit of a break from PoE now, but I have around 10 different build, or variants thereof that im eager to try out in the beta as soon as i go on holiday!

Slogging through content is less fun for me than facerolling with OP builds. My brain is hard wired to lose interest quickly with tedious tasks. I don't have the attention span for it.

I'm usually the person in PoE who goes for a budget-meta. Because I don't need to spend exalts to gear up to run up to T11+ maps. The bone I got to pick with GGG, is those are usually the types of builds that get nerfed the hardest, while the supermeta needs 30ex+ for gear gets untouched.

Aside from the general build diversity, loot, trade that an arpg is expected to have I really appreciate PoE's ability to reward you for your knowledge of the game. Crafting, various methods of farming, corrupting, masters, league specific uniques, fishing, the list goes on.

What is the most important aspect of a ARPG to me....well, I can tell you it sure as shit isn't the economy. Where GGG goes wrong is they value the economy more than the gameplay. BUYING gear is not as fun as farming for it.

"

MrSmiley21 wrote:

Slogging through content is less fun for me than facerolling with OP builds. My brain is hard wired to lose interest quickly with tedious tasks. I don't have the attention span for it.

Ironically, for me I consider the opposite!

I can't stand OP builds because it means I'm barely playing, I get bored because I may as well just get a calculator and mash +1= and it would simulate 1 button spam clear-the-next-5-screens type OP builds.

While "Slogging" through content even when going somewhat auto-pilot, still at least needs a modicum of attention (Though, I prefer more a balance of difficulty vs reward, so there's easier, less demanding stuff that can be half arsed for when I'm knackered and just want to make SOME progress, but also more difficult stuff that's more efficient to run but requires more concentration/focus)

But each to their own I guess, I mean that's literally the driving force behind this poll, which so far is giving some interesting results.

If it's not obvious from many of my posts on the forum, I'm a die-hard theorycrafter. I love trying to come up with builds I haven't done and trying to make unusual stuff work out. I think I've got near a dozen or so builds for 2.6 built in PoB just waiting to be tried out (pity I have a full-time job, so not enough hours in the day)

All these options arent a goal hierarchy


They are mostly a Goal progression

first you want "Killing lots of stuff"

then you aim to "Collecting Loot"

then with that loot you aspire of "Becoming OP"

once you became OP and trivialized the game you seek for new ways of doing so by "Making new builds"

when you realize that GGG advertise their get with diversity but in fact they force certain builds you try "Competing against otherss"