CASUAL PLAY: how I do it

This game, even the 'softcore' leagues Standard and Ambush are supposedly aimed at the hardcore player rather than the casual crowd. I consider myself a casual player rather than hardcore, yet I manage to get my kicks just fine. So how do I do it?

Mindset
You could make it your goal to gain exalted orbs, and have the best gear and strongest build, so you can kick ass in the toughest areas... that's an option.
But it's also a scaled up version of something that's far easier and faster to obtain. If you want to feel like a god owning the place:

simply play an area with monsters far below your character-level.

Should you get bored with that, there are still tougher places for you to visit... places that might bore the shit out of someone who traded their way through an online build-guide.
So don't worry about becoming the strongest highest level character too much

Mindset chapter 2, there's more to leveling up, than leveling up
Apart from gaining xp points, you as a person also gain experience as you learn to deal with certain enemies better. Also: your gems don't suffer the xp penalties you do. Once a skillgem hits lvl 20, one gemcutter's prism extra and a trip to the vendor will give that gem a real nice, +20% quality, second life.
By the time you just can't find better gear anymore, you'll have whetstones and armorscraps coming out of your nose. Time to use those suckers. Boom. Instant upgrade.

The tree isn't as scary as it looks, as long as you prioretise
Value life and defensive stuff over offensive stuff like attack-speed and damage-dealing. And fleshing out a specialized bag of tricks, over getting all wishy washy. Do that, and you'll do fine.

As you may have guessed you won't find me in hardcore groups, or on the trade-channel, but you may find me in the game of course. I'll be the one with the kinda meh gear, and the skiltree I did wrong wrong wrong, happily wading through the merry tarpit of maps far below my character level. My name will be JutterDomDuellist, currently at lvl 80, and I'll galdly cyclone along, sharing my endurance and frenzycharges, should you want me along for the ride.

Hello, and consider this my intro.
JutterDomDuellist
p.s.
Permastun-facetanking the Blacksmith is fun.

You're doing it right.

Very glad I've read this, it is actually motivating far more than a lot of other posts.

Great post, i enjoyed the game in a similar fasion for over a year of fun. Hope to enjoy it again. I'm sure GGG can peak my interests again.

I personally believe that 99.9% of PoE players are casuals.
Firstly,the difference between a casual player and hardcore in any game is quit simple - casual player will manage his gaming time around his life,a hardcore player will manage his life around his gaming time .
Secondly I personally at times play anywhere from 1 hour to 16 hours a day,but only if i got nothing else to do,so while those 16 hours might seem like a huge chunk of time,in reality it's just time that i could of either spent watching TV alone,or play PoE.
Besides there is so much RNG in Path of Exile that it doesn't really matter that much if you manage your IRL around PoE or PoE around irl - if you get a mirror,you most likely just became rich enough to gear your self for the end-game with above average loot,which is why i never liked the idea behind mirror,because if you get one,that's it,unless your planning to minmax,you're set for the very top end-game.

"

Jutter wrote:

If you want to feel like a god owning the place:

simply play an area with monsters far below your character-level.

first, just +1 to this, nearly impossible to explain it better.

some extended thoughts:
0. if you dont like to be excessive stressed by (a) game(s), see you as a casual. (you can still spend a lot of your (spare-)time, but it should not dictate the 'important' parts of your life)
1. If you accept yourself as casual: play these games for fun. (you can still set yourself goals, you may even be competetive in some aspects, but stay realistic!)
2. Find out what means the most fun for you: dont let others dictate how YOU have to play... (beside, to some degree, your friends you want to party with)
2a) if you want to 'dominate' the game: see OP (whats the real difference, gameplaywise, between rushing through fellshrine/normal, ledge/cruel and sarn/merciless? Just that you can get higher drops, what not even imply any kind of 'better'...)
2b) You get a lot more build options, if you dont demand them to reach level 70...80...90 ^^
2c) You can even participate in some race events (with realistic expectations) to collect some of the rewards (maybe just for their unique design, but some - even low placed - rewards are of very good uses)
2d) casual trading can offer you very nice deals on easy terms, just be patient and keep calm.

Good points.

MINDSET chapter three; there's more reward than loot alone

Imagine abandoning Pac Man, once you realize he doesn't get an upgrade after finishing a maze.
I understand loot=potential upgrade, but I can't help but feel that gamers got a little spoiled along the way.

The loot system is supposed to augment the game, but it's not the whole game. Don't let a poor lootdrop ruin your enjoyment of what otherwise would be a gratifying victory over a tough opponent.

"

Jutter wrote:

Don't let a poor lootdrop ruin your enjoyment of what otherwise would be a gratifying victory over a tough opponent.

I personally get excited for even the lowliest of Currency drops. That's just the mindset you have to have, to have fun. ~.^

Just because I've got probably a Mirror's worth of gear, doesn't mean I can't be excited like a child over a Fusing drop.. :P

"

Sheriff_K wrote:

I personally get excited for even the lowliest of Currency drops.

well... its kinda 'nice' (at least for things like fusings or alchemys) - and often astonishing how many of the lower stuff 'still' drops with that much penalty I usually have from overlevelling - but sometimes it would be really nice to catch a rarer one (or to maybe get a regal instead of an alchemy, a divine, exalt or... instead of regret/scouring) I'm really curious about how long it may take until my first eternal ever, not even to speak of a mirror...

"

Sheriff_K wrote:

"

Jutter wrote:

Don't let a poor lootdrop ruin your enjoyment of what otherwise would be a gratifying victory over a tough opponent.

I personally get excited for even the lowliest of Currency drops. That's just the mindset you have to have, to have fun. ~.^

Just because I've got probably a Mirror's worth of gear, doesn't mean I can't be excited like a child over a Fusing drop.. :P

I've seen Atziri go down and me and my friends still fight over RBG linked items that drop, haha.

"

Mr_Cee wrote:

I'm really curious about how long it may take until my first eternal ever

Orb's name is the answer. Eternity. Not saying it's a bad thing :)

I'd like GGG to reveal ratio of eternals drop to eternals picked up :)
I picked up 0. But how many did I miss? :)