Idea for PoE2 Passive Tree

This assumes there is a sequel.

1. Add an additional attribute. Since Strength, Dexterity and Intelligence give this Fighter/Rogue/Wizard vibe, I'd recommend something which feels "cleric-y." Wisdom, perhaps?

2. Design a "sphere globe" which is easy to navigate two-dimensionally.

By sphere globe I mean it has the property of: if you travel far enough west, eventually you end up right back where you started, approaching from the east... and so on, with any direction. Each of the four attributes is represented by a color in the image below (the new attribute is yellow).



Each hexagon would be a little smaller than the current passive tree, making the sequel passive tree about two or three times the area of the current one.

3. Populate globe with eight classes and four keystone hubs.

Out of the eight classes, four would be designed around focus on a single attribute (starting in the middle of an attribute hexagon, with starting attributes a multiple of 4/2/2/2), while the other four would be designed around a lack of focus on a particular attribute (starting at the intersection of three hexagons, with starting attributes a multiple of 3/3/3/1). At the other intersections of three hexagons, keystone would be placed on the edges of what is otherwise an impassible hole in the tree.

Here is a nonrepeating image of the tree with the eight classes (gray) and four hubs (black).



Here is what it looks like when that pattern is repeated and massively zoomed out.



Your thoughts?

seems like something you would need to rebuild the game around, to an extent.

in a new game built for it; yes.

change this one to suit that? no, not right now at the least, if ever.

I think this is a great idea (I had similar thoughts), but may require too much work to be worth implementing into the current game.

This is definitely something I'd like to see in another game though.

If you wanted to get super crazy you could even add layers to the system so that players can weave in and out of a layered sphere at certain points. Or perhaps all the classes start at the center with a specific node and powerful nodes require backtracking through another classes tree. Imagine this with the new jewel systems area of effects nodes in place too. The complexity would be pretty awesome (I personally don't find the current system overwhelming at all though).

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svnhddbst wrote:

seems like something you would need to rebuild the game around, to an extent.

in a new game built for it; yes.

change this one to suit that? no, not right now at the least, if ever.

I agree, far too late for something like this.


Also, Wisdom feels a bit redundant when you have Intelligence. Faith, maybe?

@ScrotieMcB still talking about PoE 2.0 zzz

You'd be better off calling your sequel something else because its quite clear that the release version of Awakening will be 2.0

1. You're saying it's for a sequel. Right now, it doesn't look like there's going to be a sequel. Awakening is coming soon and the game won't be finished after this. I also don't see any reason why GGG would do a sequel if PoE still offers so much potential.

2. I don't think a 4th stat is required. What would wisdom do anyway? I think the 3 stas cover the most important roles in a game already. If you go pure str, int or dex it feels like fighter, wizard and archer, yes. But if you mix things up, you can get all the classes between those 3 classes. That's why dualist, shadow and templar are there.

2. They had to develop the game from ground up if they would implement this in the current PoE. A 4th stat and new passive nodes would change everything. ALL items need to be changed (especially uniques) and there need to be many additional items to cover the new stat. It would even be harder to balance things out.




Not saying your idea is bad, but this idea can't be implemented in the current PoE and it doesn't look like a sequel is coming in the next years.

I am confused. Do the 8 classes have 1 starting point per non-repeating image (4 hexagons)? According to the pic, I am counting 10 starting places per class. Or are you just drawing it that way to show how you can scroll from hex to hex, but there's actually only 4 populated hexagons, the rest is all repeats?

Too much choice before the game starts can be daunting. The player doesn't know anything about the game yet, just the choice they are being asked to make, and it's a pretty involved choice with obviously great importance. 10 starting nodes is not a great situation for retaining new players.

I think it might be better to just let you pick your (one) starting point anywhere in that grid you drew, and do away with the notion of classes (Some minor restrictions like only starting on a travel node may be in place). Thus, you can pick your avatar however you like. If the avatar choice is too meaningless, considering the immersion factor they offer, inherent properties can be assigned to the avatars like determining your starting gear and skill gems (maybe quest rewards too). Some permanent characteristics could also be considered.

Another problem I foresee is you've got the same mechanical identities repeated throughout the tree. The junction of red and green has a certain kind of mechanical identity to it concerning what things will go there. In the POE1 tree this junction occurs only once (along a line). Repeating that red-green interface with a bunch of different rotations and a bunch of different positions around the passive grid doesn't add much, because the rotations and positions have no particular significance. It's the interface where red and green touch that has significance, and that is spread out all over the place. If that's what you want for your character's identity you can't really do it because too many points are spent traveling around trying to reach disconnected pieces of the same interface.

Actually, now that I think about it the second problem is probably bigger than the first one. The illusion of choice increases dramatically with your proposal, but the realized choice is likely to shrink because the similar alternatives are further away, and thus less practical as actual alternatives.

What you've done is you've made mechanically pure classes (eg. all red) and expressed them in an equally as hybridized fashion as mechanically impure classes (eg. red/green mix). Good job on that, but how is it useful?

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PolarisOrbit wrote:

there's actually only 4 populated hexagons, the rest is all repeats

This. Every red hexagon is identical, etc. There are exactly two places where the Str and Dex parts of the tree meet.

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Maceless wrote:

If you wanted to get super crazy you could even add layers to the system so that players can weave in and out of a layered sphere at certain points. Or perhaps all the classes start at the center with a specific node and powerful nodes require backtracking through another classes tree. Imagine this with the new jewel systems area of effects nodes in place too. The complexity would be pretty awesome (I personally don't find the current system overwhelming at all though).

Navigating in 3 actual dimensions is too much of a mindfuck.

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AceNightfire wrote:

2. I don't think a 4th stat is required. What would wisdom do anyway?

My inclination would be to give the new attribute Minions and Auras (the "summoner" and "aurabot" playstyles), as well as healing, while keeping the bulk of the "caster" playstyle with Intelligence.

So you want an extra stat just for summoners? Not sure... I think most people still think that a summoner is kind of a wizard who just uses his magic to summon stuff. Maybe not the most classic mage out there, but still very similiar. And what would wisdom do exactly then? We have STR for tanks/fighters, INT for Mages/Summoners and DEX for Archers/Thiefs. If you implement wisdom, you just split the INT part into two different things.

Or maybe the 4th attribute could do something else. I just figured the general concept of breaking up the triad would be a good way to spice up a sequel.