A Casual's Critique

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Bomhab wrote:

The fact that there are multiple challenges associated with identifying uniques is frustrating coupled with the necessity of crafting numerous unique items turns these challenges into a wealth accumulation game just to buy your way to the end. I wish the challenges were more closely tied with in game accomplishments instead of purchasing power.

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Bomhab wrote:

With the talisman leagues winding down I thought I'd share my thoughts on the state of the game and some potential enhancements from the perspective of a casual player.

Background:
I started playing PoE back in August of 2012 and have generally taken the approach of one ladder on, one ladder off to refresh from burnout and give the game some time to add new and exciting features. I almost exclusively play scrubcore but have tried a season as hardcore with medium success. I do enjoy watching high skill players on hardcore but know that for my gaming habits that I will only make one or maybe two characters in a given league and an untimely RIP will cause me to quit the rest of a perfectly good season. My spending habits are that I buy stash tabs when I feel I need more and have a few skill skins that look pretty sweet. I've also played D3, Torchlight 1&2, Van Helsing, and Victor Vran and consider PoE the best arpg hands down. Enough about me, now onto the game chat!

Pros:
Currency system - The currency system is a double edge sword in that it is one of the most rewarding and frustrating parts of the game. New players usually come into the game and gasp at the passive skill tree but those can be copied from build guides with relative ease. It's the 15+ currency types and management of those currencies that adds loads of depth to the game.

Gear balance - Gearing and leveling both feel really smooth to me up into mapping levels. I do appreciate being able to level almost exclusively with self found gear deep into merciless and then the joy of min/maxxing gear within a budget is something I find fun. The gear variety is both frustrating and extremely rewarding in that my end game gear is largely purchased via poe trade but finding sweet drops to sell is exciting as well. I also appreciate how no 2 people will have the exact same gear. Uniques may be the same for a particular build but this is nowhere near the fully planned out gear sets like in D3.

End Game - I like that there is more to do than simply grind out levels via maps which also feels rewarding to the player. I am reminded of World of Warcraft where people had the freedom to do loads of things besides end game raiding to find enjoyment with the game. My girlfriend at the time used to spend hours searching the continent for rare spawns just for the joy of killing a unique monster. In PoE I feel these "side activities" are being introduced at an appropriate rate. Atziri, MF'ing (greatly enhanced via loot filters), unique maps, the new thunder boss, and Rigwald are all interesting additions to the game and provide cool things above and beyond pushing maps. I am interested in seeing what comes of this new system being introduced in Ascendancy. Also a note regarding limited loot tables for these encounter bosses, I really like having these bosses drop specific items. This is my personal preference and I think it is done on a limited enough scale to preserve the "loot hunt" aspect for the arpg genre. Last side note for this section, I hope Rigwald is preserved and implemented in leagues moving forward.

Cons:
Trade system - I believe this is the largest factor in driving away players and drying up temporary league economies. The necessity of the buyer and seller both being online at the same time and trading in real time is cumbersome and awkward. General customs for players have developed but the entire transaction just feels unnecessary and not ideal. I would say the best part about the current trade system and the customs around it are I've had the chance to see many people's hideouts. The process of setting up a shop via a 3rd party application in addition to needing to utilize a third party website to search for and purchase items is not ideal and I have a number of friends who do not engage in trade because they feel there are too many security risks involved. The argument of "but you don't need those sites to run a shop" at this point is a bit of a hollow argument. I cannot remember the last time I visited an actual forum shop and again, leaving the actual game client to look up gear to buy on a website is not ideal. I realize the term "auction house" carries some significant baggage but here are some ideas on how to implement an in game system:
1) Throw the poe trade guy(s) some cash and put their system directly into the game.
2) Create a Currency "Exchange" where players can buy and trade currencies asynchronously. A possible theme could be similar Wall Street and placed in an Act's hub town. Keeping this limited to currency only will not remove the need for third party sites and apps but at least it could alleviate the problem of converting currencies beyond what the vendors provide.
3) Have an entire zone dedicated as a "Bazaar" where many vendors sell player goods. I'm thinking there could be a chest piece merchant, a helm merchant, a map merchant, etc. but they sell player goods.
I'm sure you guys have something in the works but this is definitely a pain point with the game.

Mini-Map - It's doo doo and so much more can be done with this! I thought it was ugly back in open beta but it's never gotten better!! The ability to see important items designated by your loot filter (that yolo exalt that you just walk past for example) on the mini-map would be fantastic. A visual update is in order so it no longer looks like some bad ascii art.

Challenges - Before the Talisman league began I had illusions that I'd be able to finish enough challenges to complete the armor set. I now intend of finishing my zana level and reaching 90 to get up to 21 challenges complete and obtain 3/4 of the armor pieces. The fact that there are multiple challenges associated with identifying uniques is frustrating coupled with the necessity of crafting numerous unique items turns these challenges into a wealth accumulation game just to buy your way to the end. I wish the challenges were more closely tied with in game accomplishments instead of purchasing power. Challenges such as "Start a new Character and defeat Brutus in under 20 minutes" or "Run from one end of The Ledge to the other without killing a single monster" or "kill 50 monsters in 5 seconds" are just some silly ideas.

Suggestions:
Update /help commands - the claim crafting benches and hideout commands are not in help but are very useful to know.

Have merciless all be one level or a dynamic level with your character - I know this was considered if not implemented long ago but I think this could encourage farming of different zones besides dried lake. I know people will find the most efficient zone to farm but with broader adoption of Divination Cards this could be a viable alternative to mapping up to a certain level.

Reduce number of difficulty levels - I recall from a State of Exile Podcast long ago that Chris Wilson expressed an interest to have a single difficulty with something like 10 acts. I believe when the number of acts reaches 5 that the number of difficulties could be reduced to two with the second difficulty all being a dynamic level as described above. Running through the game three times before opening up into end game type content is a bit repetitive.


tl;dr
I'm a filthy casual. PoE is the best ARPG in town. Gear/leveling/skills mostly feel pretty good right now. Currency system is unique and a boon to the game. Trade is my biggest gripe.