Should map bosses be able to deal critical hits?

If a crit makes the difference between 'no big deal' and 'insta dead' then I have an issue with crit. Temple piety is a great example of this. Normally i can pop a flask and move out of lighting with something like a flameblaster. If crit it is first bolt half my life or more, shock stacked, second bolt dead. I maybe old and slow but it is a very quick death!

Though I agree with op, I dont think this can be "fixed" because it is a design choice.

I both agree and disagree with all, who say this game would be "dull" or "boring" if you remove crit, because if crit is removed without changes to those mechanics, this game would be actually very dull. But If you redesign those fights, this could turn very interesting.

There are many games following the design choice "If you were the best player in existence, you could beat the game naked" or "There is an active counter possiblity for any move your opponent has to offer". Those games may be very, very difficult. But as long you are still better, you will win.

PoE does not choose this design and I doubt the devs will ever go in this direction.

^Yes it would definitely require an intensive overhaul of boss fights if ever implemented.

Peace,

-Boem-

this thread completely fails to take party play into consideration. if you throw a multicurse support in a group with whispering ice for the chilled ground you really deserve to die if you get hit by a slow-wind up boss hit when they are that gimped. you can also bring a block character for the ride if you need someone to stay in the boss face so that won't get hit by that omfg crit. or you can all take decoy totems to grab aggro. if we balance around making the bosses easier for solo players, we make the game a snoozefest for parties. if we are talking about HC play here i would hope that high end content has an incentive for some sort of cooperation to make it so you don't take that 1% risk of death from a crit. ofc if you play alone you will have to stack your own defenses. that can't be disputed under the current system.

lastly keep in mind that fighting the boss is entirely your choice. if your character isn't sturdy enough to take a crit maybe you shouldn't fight him alone. there are plenty of people doing high maps that still skip bosses for that very reason (risk vs reward).

to sum it up, there are plenty of choices you can make when you reach the map boss. if you insist on fighting the boss alone then i hope your defenses are adequate. but i really hope boss crit doesn't get nerfed because some builds are better at bosses than others.

Just to add to the discussion: the moments I'm running away from a boss with <30% life and no pots left are the most tense and fun moments, trying to find some mobs hoping to regain a flask charge. The moments I just instantly die to unlucky hits from a pack (playing an evasion char atm) are simply lame and uninspiring.

The Malachai fight (second fase) is wonderful IMO. It's a long and hard fight, but not unfair since everything is telegraphed and you can (but you won't) dodge everything.

I don't really think crit of bosses are the issue though. It's simply the general design of what should kill you that is off IMO. The suggestions you gave (Boem) for map boss design, I'd like. They already have mechanics in place to not make you leave out of the front door for some bosses. But a better placed portal is allowed.