The main source of frustation, especially for new players

Hello GGG. I wanted to address the major problem that any player encounters in this game.

Linked sockets!

Any player will start playing, learn the ropes and eventually make their first good character. they will keep playing, clear the normal with a 4link item which has their main attack.

Then they get to cruel and they are most likelly going to still be doing it with a 4link.

then they get to mercyless and they are still on a 4link. They just can't get a 5link or a 6link which are absolutly essencial to have a properly developed character.

Meanwhile the means to get a 5link and a 6link, especially with the colours you need is not just hard, it can be a major source of frustation, especially if you want to build something that is a little different.

While I can appreciate the random nature of this kind of games, there is only so much random a person will tolerate.

A frend of mine who has been playing for a fw days with me (little over a week) just quit becuase we were near the end of the first act on mercyless and he still had no 5link armor. In fact he had only 4links on things that weren't armor. He was starting to feel the dificulty of the game in it's full brute force by the simple fact that the very essecial things that are the core of the game not droping and everyone knows how stupidly expensive it is to try and buy 5/6 links on the market. Usually never less than an exalt.

I would like to propose that at very least this be changed. The sockets and links are 100% essencial to be able to play the game, let alone enjoy it. The masters are no help here. Vorici requires an exorbitante amount of orbs and favor to get your armour (possibly weapon if you also use a two handed weapon) up to scratch and even then he can only be so useful in getting the armour to the required number of sockets and links. He can help with the colours but again, very expensive, too much for a player who hasn't spent several hundreds if not thousands of hours.

So how could we change that? Vorici would have to give otehr bonus, be useful for something else and then we can change the orbs funtion.

Jeweller's orbs should have a way to increase the number of sockets on the item, not just re-roll. Maybe you need to spend a whole stack of 20 but it will guarantee an increase in number of sockets to what the armor had previously. This way you can get a 5 or 6 link with a certain degree of reliabillity and not spend too much. Alternatively just make a special orb that you can buy with 20 jeweller's if making the stack usage is too hard.

Following this the same would happen to the fusing. Having a way to make sure it will increase the number of the highest link on the armor so getting the 5 or 6 links would be reliable. Again, if necessary make a new orb that does that and costs 20 fusing.

Last but not least a way to get the right colour on the right socket. This one would be tricker as we are adding more variables but a simple way would be that the Chromatics could be traded in stacks for an orb that will add a specific colour to the socket. Since this won't say which socket is changed then the orb would create an exception which would say that the socket it changed in colour cannot be changed in colour again (this leads to a new rare orb being created that just erases the cannot re-colour but it's a rare orb, thus can't be bought, it has to drop). Buy having these specific coloured orbs costing 20 chromatics each you can get 120 and make sure that the armour will have the specific 6 coloured sockets that you want.

Now what is the down side of all of this? The market will take a hit in values of items since the socket market is extremely expensive, however it is something that has to be measured by GGG in the long term. What is preferable. That the market takes a hit in values and possibly (I doubt but I might as well add this)lose some old players who don't like seeying their stuff devalued in the market. Or do they prefer to make the game better for the new players and potentially get a larger player base.

As for me, I'm going to stop playing just as my friend did. While it is not as frustating for me as it was for my friend (I got really lucking with a 5 socket I found and managed to get the fusing with 30 orbs), it is still imensly frustating. Even the build that I had in mind for a mage with full block, spell block, evasion + dodge is down the drain. It is because not only it's way too hard to get a single armour with 5 or 6 links, let alone an evasion only armour with 6 links, 4 being blue and 2 being red... I'll leave it up to GGG to decide whether or not this much randomness helps the gameplay or hurts it.

if u cant clear merciless with a 4L then ur bad at the game. mathil tornado shot clears 75 maps with a 4L.

What do you think of Vorici, then?

I think this is made worse by the fact that there currently exist 2 kinds of support gems:
- those which add Raw Power (like WED, Melee Phys, Added Lightning, Faster Casting, etc) - these are usually very efficient but overall boring and
- those which change how the skill behave or add an aditional bonus (GMP, Fork, Melee Splash, Stun, Knockback, Blind) - these are cool but sometimes less efficient

The problem, I believe, lies with the fact that someone can come up with a brilliant setup where you change how the skill works through interesting skill gems but you will lack the damage because you are not adding enough of the raw dps gems into the mix.

A way of separating these would be great.

Even though the op argued for changing what Vorici sells/crafts and adding new orbs, it really only requires a change to how Vorici's crafting works and his costs.

Instead of, for example, "At least 2 Red Sockets" have it be "2 Red Sockets".
Instead of "At least 2 red and one green" have it be "2 red and 1 blue/green".
Have things like "3 Green and 2 Red" and price them appropriately... and I mean appropriately, not what GGG tends to feel is appropriate.

Include every combination for every socket amount, and price appropriately (there still needs to be an item sink).


The ability for the Master to offer a respite from the intense RNT and trading aspects of the game do not go far enough. Of course, how dare I not agree with the sacrifices made at the alter of rng and trading!

Great points Charan. I think one of the best times I've had in this game is when I got a Tabula Rasa (the only 6 link I have). Just messing around with 6 links and trying different combinations. That kind of freedom is something that the number of skills, support gems, and uniques should provide but only does to the wealthy players.

Good times with Melee Physical Damage, Knockback, Shield Charge, Cast on Melee Kill, Lightning Warp, Reduced Duration. Still think it will work with Bronn's Lith but one may never know....

That isn't the only problem BINARYGOD. Sure Vorici could be changed to have decent prices and be able to even put up to any combination of 6 colours that you want in the said piece. That would only work if he could give you 6 sockets, 6 links, and 6 colours as you want at both reasonable prices AND at level 3 of favor... Getting to level 2 is easly done. Going upwards of that takes a really long time and by the time it's level 7 at least, you're probably already level 90+ in several characters which would defeat the point.

An alternate idea:

Replace the gems with "tomes" - really just an art change (you can use whatever name and art you want, really). They function just the same (quest rewards/item drops, grant an ability, modify an ability, color coded, have stat requirements and perks per level, level up as you gain experience, etc), but are equipped in some other way that on equipment/armor/weapons.

Perhaps characters can have chain/leather sash's and under coats (or whatever number of whatever wearable's you think will fit) that do nothing but grant sockets (sort of like the rockets rings we have now, but different types can hold 3 or sockets).

You still use all of the same orbs to change number, color and connection. However, once you get a hold of that 6-link sash with the right color combination, your set and do not need to worry about if your next chest of dagger/sword/staff has the right sockets/colors/links.

To balance this, equipment would need a few more rarities to slow in-between the current four (something between magic and normal, and something between magic and rare). You wouldn't even need new orbs, necessarily, you would just need to expand what rarities the current orbs can affect. Or new orbs!

*** OR ***

A new or that switched the orb-layout of two objects or something... but knowing GGG, this would be too rare to be useful as a solution.


EDIT:

*** OR ***

Take what I said in the first alternate idea at the top of this post, and change it so that there is no equipment and no sockets. You drag the tomes down to your action bar, and there they sit for as long as you want them to. They earn xp as you do, and all the rest of the similarities with orbs, but at certain levels, they unlock links to allow for support tomes to be added.

So, a level one Reave is just a level one reave. At level 5, for example, right clicking reave in the action bar would reveal a sub windows that opens up, expanding rom the reeve tome that allows the placement for a support tome to be applied. At higher levels, you get additional placements.

Or you could imagine that support tomes just stay as orbs, but you fit these orbs onto the covers of the skill tomes. Really, any in-universe explanation and associated is fine.

You would lose the ability to have one support work on two more skills, but I think I would be cool with that. If you really want the same supports for two different skills... time to grind and/or trade!

Links and item sockets should have been tied to character level.

lvl 75 = 5 links

lvl 85 = 6 links

This should have been sufficient. It would be a boon to keep playing the char and it would reward you for doing so.

It would also balance out speed rushing with a tabula etc.

But alas, not gonna happen :). Maybe in PoE2 huh?

Peace,

-Boem-