GGG Meta-Game

TL;DR What is GGG's plan to bring back players?

So everyone knows GGG likes to switch things up every new league. I wanna see what everyone thinks GGG will do next. I've only played the HC leagues so I'll only leave my comments for those.

Open Beta:
Still very fresh, most 90+ builds are Kaoms + Auras (Inner force, elemental adaptation anyone?) + Blood Magic Gem builds (RoA, EK) or Dual Totem builds.

Life is nerfed from 8% to 6% to go with monster damage nerfs. Physical damage gets some love on passive tree + rustic sash buff.

Onslaught:
No Kaoms, CI/low life spork league

Big big aura nerfs after the league is over. Soul Taker builds start to exist but aren't mainstream anymore. Alpha howl is also useless to everyone at this point.

Nemesis:
No more CI/lowlife spork. Any CI build using hatred/grace is dead.

Scion wheel + ST gets added. Melee builds rejoice, everyone is using BoR. End of league BM Summoner and RF become widely popular.

BoR and Aegis get the next nerfbat.

Invasion:
The rush to atziri is on. Soul Taker and Buzzsaw builds galore. Summoner and RF not far behind. Player base is as low as it's ever been.

It seems like GGG is going to stick to their plan to update the game every ~2 weeks. I don't feel like that will be enough with the current state of the leagues. The players that have already left won't come back to Invasion unless they get what they want (better balancing? buffing less used skills?).

I feel like the next league will definitely feature the new ball lightning skill, and the echoing support gem will be delayed until then. It's safe to assume at least 1-2 more OP build enabling uniques will be released until then. Add some new flavor to the passive tree and the next league should be a lot more enjoyable with all the new mechanics to explore.

They missed out on a opportunity with Invasion, that's right. I always thought that a invasion boss should be a event, not just some random variation of something that's already in the game with increased damage output. Like out of nowhere a portal opens and the invasion boss steps out. It doesn't happen on every map so when it happens you actually feel caught off-guard instead of "oh yeah there is the invasion boss that spawns on every map".

The other problem is that invasion bosses don't feel engaging mechanically. As I said, they are usually just (in some cases overtuned) versions of what already exists in the game.

Unrelated to the new HC league but still relevant: PoE has been known as Path of Lifenodes for ages. People who played a year ago (in my case for example, I only came back a couple of weeks ago to check out the new content) feel very familiar with the way HC-builds work. You stack health or ES, get a few nodes here and there that are relevant to the damage type you are dealing and then use currency to get the right gear. I am not exactly sure how they can make it less stale. I would suggest more skillgems that revolve around giving the player survivability that doesn't revolve around life (some form of activated "block" skill that needs to be timed for example).

"

Aleys wrote:

1) I always thought that a invasion boss should be a event

2) I would suggest more skillgems that revolve around giving the player survivability that doesn't revolve around life.

1) This, this, and this. I have finally managed a build that I could make it into maps with. I am level 77 now and I'm not sure if I'll go on much longer with Invasion. It's actually such a burden knowing that every single map I am in has an invasion boss in it that I either have to kite and run away from, or spend a LOAD of time trying to kill for a few blues. It's tedious, its boring, and just a month into the league it's stale. Having the invasion bosses appear randomly would have actually fit the "we want this league to kill you" theme even better as many players would let their guard down after several zones of not seeing an invasion boss.

2) This too! Maybe a short ranged dash with a cooldown for ranger-type classes (where our only choices are to use gimpy lightning warps or weapon swap for the other movement skills).

Too bad none of these suggestions will be noted as we are not on Reddit.

"

Jamezuh wrote:

"

Aleys wrote:

1) I always thought that a invasion boss should be a event

2) I would suggest more skillgems that revolve around giving the player survivability that doesn't revolve around life.

1) This, this, and this. I have finally managed a build that I could make it into maps with. I am level 77 now and I'm not sure if I'll go on much longer with Invasion. It's actually such a burden knowing that every single map I am in has an invasion boss in it that I either have to kite and run away from, or spend a LOAD of time trying to kill for a few blues. It's tedious, its boring, and just a month into the league it's stale. Having the invasion bosses appear randomly would have actually fit the "we want this league to kill you" theme even better as many players would let their guard down after several zones of not seeing an invasion boss.

2) This too! Maybe a short ranged dash with a cooldown for ranger-type classes (where our only choices are to use gimpy lightning warps or weapon swap for the other movement skills).

Too bad none of these suggestions will be noted as we are not on Reddit.

yeah well...having the invasion boss step through a portal as an event sounds cool until you freeze for 2 seconds and youve already been 1, 2, or 3-shot without being able to take any action yourself, since to make it an event hes spawning in while on screen(?) and not off screen a couple rooms over like the way it is currently. its one of those ideas that i agree, sounds really good...on paper.

"

awave wrote:

yeah well...having the invasion boss step through a portal as an event sounds cool until you freeze for 2 seconds and youve already been 1, 2, or 3-shot without being able to take any action yourself, since to make it an event hes spawning in while on screen(?) and not off screen a couple rooms over like the way it is currently. its one of those ideas that i agree, sounds really good...on paper.

I'm fine without the need for an event, but I am trying to advocate having invasion bosses only spawn on x% of zone instances.

People are fatigued. Invasion is very frustrating and people who are fatigued are more likely to quit rather than push through that frustration for the reward at the end.

They need to make the next leagues less fatiguing and more "fun". They can always come back to a more rigorous model for the leagues after that. But players need a bit of down time from the constant pressure of HC play.

if you are level 77 and need to tiptoe around the majority of the bosses (after they were nerfed) then you might need to rework your build a bit and/or get better gear.

Yes some of the bosses counter certain builds but most builds should be able to handle the majority of the invasion bosses in a reasonable amount of time without a huge risk as long as you are paying attention.

More timed-based defences is a good idea though. God knows ranger needs a defence other then off hand leap slam/multi socket needing warp.