Worried about new leagues: What to build?

Both work really well and are fun to play.

Fireball:
* higher damage potential and can easily transition into crit at a higher level
* Requires either Prolif or LMP/GMP to get good AoE coverage
* high single target DpS due to shotgunning of multiple projectiles

Arc:
* less damage potential, harder to go crit but has implicit shock
* really strong targeting mechanic
* can work well in only a 4L when going non-crit
* not that great for single target/bosses

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vargorn wrote:

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SponTen wrote:

But my guess is you won't be able to tell until the patch notes are fully known and the leagues have begun, as there could be general, sweeping changes to the meta game.

Agreed, there will most likely be some noticeable balancing changes as well as new skills and a ton of new content. At this point, my guess is as good as anyone elses.
When these changes are announced, there will be a lot of hype and praise and even more whining and there will probably be adjustments based on feedback and ongoing internal testing.
I have a few builds planned that i wanted to test for a while but didn't find enough time to do but it's too early to speculate on what will be.

I would assume that there will be around a month between the announcement of the new content and the start of the new leagues. So at this point it is pretty safe to assume that the current leagues will go on for a couple more weeks so why not start a new build now?

What I would personally love to see is GGG release the new tree (way) ahead of time so it gives the community lots of time to start theorycrafting. Even if we don't know all the changes to gems/mechanics/drops/etc that might be coming, just knowing what the tree will be like should be a huge boost for everyone who loves tinkering.


Presuming the tree is already set in stone, even if many things still need a touchup for Act4, that should be feasible right?

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Peripherally wrote:

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vargorn wrote:

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SponTen wrote:

But my guess is you won't be able to tell until the patch notes are fully known and the leagues have begun, as there could be general, sweeping changes to the meta game.

Agreed, there will most likely be some noticeable balancing changes as well as new skills and a ton of new content. At this point, my guess is as good as anyone elses.
When these changes are announced, there will be a lot of hype and praise and even more whining and there will probably be adjustments based on feedback and ongoing internal testing.
I have a few builds planned that i wanted to test for a while but didn't find enough time to do but it's too early to speculate on what will be.

I would assume that there will be around a month between the announcement of the new content and the start of the new leagues. So at this point it is pretty safe to assume that the current leagues will go on for a couple more weeks so why not start a new build now?

What I would personally love to see is GGG release the new tree (way) ahead of time so it gives the community lots of time to start theorycrafting. Even if we don't know all the changes to gems/mechanics/drops/etc that might be coming, just knowing what the tree will be like should be a huge boost for everyone who loves tinkering.


Presuming the tree is already set in stone, even if many things still need a touchup for Act4, that should be feasible right?

There's really no need for the tree to be shown early. All it does, at least to PoE, is reduce the lifespan of the game by a few hours, days, or weeks (depending on how quickly or slowly you plan builds).

I also really don't see why some people would want it. It only takes me a few minutes to get a rough tree for each build, and only an hour or so to fully optimize it. Not to mention people who spend weeks can post in Gameplay Help and get a lot of pointers.

If I were you I wouldn't bother trying to figure what to play after act 4 is released. It's not even about any possible changes in the tree, PoE will be simply a semi-new game after 1.4. There will be plenty new active skills, a new skill category, some commonly played setups will no longer work, there will be new zones, monsters and bosses that will probably require a new approach as well. Act 4 can't be compared with SotV or Forsaken Masters, it won't simply add some new content. It'll totally change the game.

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Natharias wrote:

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Peripherally wrote:

What I would personally love to see is GGG release the new tree (way) ahead of time so it gives the community lots of time to start theorycrafting. Even if we don't know all the changes to gems/mechanics/drops/etc that might be coming, just knowing what the tree will be like should be a huge boost for everyone who loves tinkering.


Presuming the tree is already set in stone, even if many things still need a touchup for Act4, that should be feasible right?

There's really no need for the tree to be shown early. All it does, at least to PoE, is reduce the lifespan of the game by a few hours, days, or weeks (depending on how quickly or slowly you plan builds).

I also really don't see why some people would want it. It only takes me a few minutes to get a rough tree for each build, and only an hour or so to fully optimize it. Not to mention people who spend weeks can post in Gameplay Help and get a lot of pointers.

Not a matter of need, just it gives more time for creativity in exploring what options next patch may or may not open up. The thing about theorycrafting is you don't do it in the middle of actually playing the game (thus not affecting the lifespan as you indicate), you do it outside of the game, putting together ideas like in a workshop. Main things for this are the offline planner and forums, seeing what other people may have posted on an idea and seeing where it can be varied.

Granted this is from my POV, I don't see the sense in starting a char and then theorycrafting it into something, but rather for me it would be to have an idea and refine it into something before starting a char. Of course it doesn't have be 100% finalized before starting, but it should start to flesh out the problems or deficiencies the original idea might have. That's the point of giving out the tree early, to diagnose and get a handle on these things earlier so the art of perfecting it can begin sooner too. Don't see any downsides to this whatsoever.

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Peripherally wrote:

Not a matter of need, just it gives more time for creativity in exploring what options next patch may or may not open up.

Yes, and that's exactly how it cuts the lifespan.

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Peripherally wrote:

The thing about theorycrafting is you don't do it in the middle of actually playing the game (thus not affecting the lifespan as you indicate),

Yes, it does affect the lifespan of the game. Playing the game doesn't just mean killing monsters, it includes everything that leads up to killing those monsters. Planning a build is just the same as playing that build in a map.

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Peripherally wrote:

Granted this is from my POV, I don't see the sense in starting a char and then theorycrafting it into something,

You're not supposed to. Successful builds are planned far in advance of them being played. Some players can mold the build as they play, others can't. But not planning to some extent will result in your build failing.

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Natharias wrote:

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Peripherally wrote:

Not a matter of need, just it gives more time for creativity in exploring what options next patch may or may not open up.

Yes, and that's exactly how it cuts the lifespan.

Yes, it does affect the lifespan of the game. Playing the game doesn't just mean killing monsters, it includes everything that leads up to killing those monsters. Planning a build is just the same as playing that build in a map.

You're not supposed to. Successful builds are planned far in advance of them being played. Some players can mold the build as they play, others can't. But not planning to some extent will result in your build failing.

<Removed by support>. Planning something is not at ALL like actually putting that something into practice. What you're saying is essentially that something is in theory = how it is in practice, which is scientifically absurd and incorrect. I won't bother with carrying this any further.

My take on it is just be ready for anything that might change.

Have a list of builds you want to play and don't commit to any of them until you know patch notes ect.

What you can do is rule some builds out but then again that might change with patch note changes.


I personally have like 5 builds I'm willing to play in the 1 month race and the only thing i'v done is rule some of them out for hardcore version.


Builds I'm considering

Ele cyclone
Ele Ice shot
Mirror summoner
Wander
Leap Slammer
Chaos Flameblast

The one I haven't done before ele cyclone is what I'm leaning towards but it means I'd have to play standard version cause I wan't to lvl as the spec and that would be instant rip in bloodlines hc league.

A cheap fun build is lightning tendrils + spell echo + faster casting + knockback. The knockback can proc with every hit, so you get at least 30 attempts at AoE knockbacks per second, and with high enough increased area of effect (~80%) the AoE can go even off-screen, in an almost 180° arc.

With low damage there is little than can touch you (since they never get to you) and once the damage is high enough you can consider dropping the knockback and putting something else in the slot.

A downside is small tight spaces with lots of corners and pillars and stuff. LT does not work very well there, but it's still usable.
You also have to watch out for ranged and very fast mobs. The former are not really a problem because they always try to get within range only to be pushed back again. For the latter a good reaction time and paying attention helps a lot.

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Peripherally wrote:

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Natharias wrote:

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Peripherally wrote:

Not a matter of need, just it gives more time for creativity in exploring what options next patch may or may not open up.

Yes, and that's exactly how it cuts the lifespan.

Yes, it does affect the lifespan of the game. Playing the game doesn't just mean killing monsters, it includes everything that leads up to killing those monsters. Planning a build is just the same as playing that build in a map.

You're not supposed to. Successful builds are planned far in advance of them being played. Some players can mold the build as they play, others can't. But not planning to some extent will result in your build failing.

<Removed by support>. Planning something is not at ALL like actually putting that something into practice. What you're saying is essentially that something is in theory = how it is in practice, which is scientifically absurd and incorrect. I won't bother with carrying this any further.

Try reading what I said instead of attacking me.