... Snail Time ...

30%...that's about all I can do tonight. Got some lucky map drops...and got this with my last T12:



Time to call it a night...:D

Great to see everyone posting and encouraging each other.
Atm apart from map pool probs, I'm getting end lvl angst, relieved to hear theres' the same lvling speed at 96, as at 95.

So mapping very slowly (the bombs some mobs leave when they die are my main concern.)
Hope to go to Lab after this lvl to get last 2 ascendancy points.
Not racing my gorges.

Prob play white lakes now lol.

Let's go guys!!!

95 93%

Turnip

honestly I feel the way maps are set up its either they are so rare that the map system doesnt work for a large number of players, or maps drop enough that the vast majority of people dont have too many issues at the cost people basically realising you are better off running plateau maps blue all day. The difference between a blue map and a yellow map is not enough to justify the risk + the expense of rolling it. Where you notice it most is yellow item drops which just slow you down and amount to a few extra alterations after you vendor them all, and you will vendor them all, lets be honest.

I wish there was a reason in the game to run the hard high maps beyond simply enjoying it, honestly I dont feel like there is. But at least we can map now, the map system feels like its in a better spot for the community as a whole than it has been in the past so its got a lot better and Im not looking to knock it.



Personally I do find it fun to run harsh high maps so thats what I do. In standard I map like you guys, solo, clawing through the 90s on limited means, have been doing so forever really. I do anything but that in temp leagues which is where I mostly play, and thats how I keep it fresh.

I have a marauder whos lvl95, over 1000 hours /played, been mapping with that char since open beta 3 years ago. Have a lvl95 ci melee witch, same deal. theyre currently parked at 95 because I have 10+ characters in the lower 90s who ideally I want to get to 94 before I take any of them to 96.

Thing is, I dont care at all about clearspeeds, I dont think I even want to get to lvl100, despite that being the goal I guess? Thats the end and for me its about enjoying the journey, thats why I level 15+ characters at once, to make it take 15x longer. I just want to feel like Im progressing and challenging the build, thats why I play high maps where I can get some decent xp and I roll them into nightmares where it makes sense to, which is about t11+ atm.

I dont buy maps, I dont trade for currency for maps. I get given maps by friends and Ill sell an item for chaos/chisels then use them on maps, but I would never take an exalt out of my stash and spend it on either maps or currency to roll maps. Thats my exalts to spend in trade to get gratuitous gear or to gamble on items for the same purpose. I didnt grind for them in order to buy xp, I dislike that notion.

I pick up almost all the yellow items, scrolls etc. Weve recently ditched staves for life, seriously, 10k hours played and I havent found a single rare staff I would consider using on an endgame build? Were not dealing with those 8 slot shitsticks any more, fuck staves. And 2h mauls honestly, just because I dont like them. Im still picking up almost everything else.

I agree about the point of not running tough maps, that's why I run blues. I would have progressed much slower on 95 if I ran yellow maps.
Would have ripped tons more.

And since most drops are worth nothing, I'd prefer to trade, as it saves time. I don't pick up anything, apart from currency/belts/jewelry.
I literally fly past clusters of rares as id-ing them would cut into my clear speed time.
It's faster to trade and map, and not pick anything up.
I don't open most chests, as that too would slow clearspeed.
The only prob I have is map drops, as I run blues. But I have currency (atm)

Turnip

I like how this thread title changes every day. :D

If you watch my video you can see I tend to rush through maps pretty fast. But I only pick up certain things...good currency...but I ignore some (like Portals - only grab them when I get low). Since I like to sell things to buy really good items - I focus on picking up small rares that could be sold or used in future builds - Gloves, Boots, Helms, Daggers, Wands, some Shields and others if I have time and room to snag them. Of course, belts/rings/amulets I always grab to sell/use or do recipes when I don't feel like grinding.

I avoid most 2 Handed weapons and Armour...Amour is such a pain...if you find a good piece, then you have to get sockets AND links. Major PITA...6 Links are so cheap now it's better to just grind, save and buy. But Gloves, Boots, Helms and Shields are so easy to socket and link and some are worth a lot of money. I have tabs of good ones now so that most of the time I can just use my own instead of buying. And the ones I don't want/need I sell...works well for me. With my Pathfinder, about half of my gear is self found...which is nice.

I have a bad habit of grabbing all maps...even the lowest Tiers. I have tabs full so now and then I sell pairs of 3 to Zana from each tier that gives me a few more at the highest tiers. And I like to keep good ones for new chars (Strand, etc).

Hmm, but I think Turnip is right...it would be faster if ignored more things...but then I'd miss out on self found goodies like these:



Plus selling the rares keeps my alt stash up (around 750 atm) which I need for running blues...hmm...anyway, that's what I like about this game...many roads to Rome. :D

I'm saving up for an acuity's at the moment, so every bit of currency goes towards its funding, i.e. converted to exalteds. Maps are self-found and I alch each one and my build can do any mod so I don't spend chaos on them. I pick up practically everything, which is why my map clearing speed isn't the fastest. (Well, also my toon isn't exactly top heavy on the dps.)

Okay I'm there thank god.

Last 9% was hideous - was running white gorges and lakes.

Last 1% like took forever - musta done four lakes to get one percent. At least that what it felt like.
Really anxious on gorge. Concentration was very intense as was the angst. I was playing much slower so it took much longer to do the
Last 7% and I kept thinking, bing damn you bing! But no another f***ing lake. More stress as I kept getting the blue crawly things that come up form the
Ground and I can rip to them, so had to abandon two gorges because of those evil things.

I had bad luck with the mobs tbh as I kept getting those mobs popping up.

Terrifying moment at 99% when I was surrounded by three of them and ran out of mana. Close to ripping there.
Then I did a dumb map with two bosses in gorge and because I was no nervous, ran out of mana again - thank god for my life leech.
After that it was whites all the way.

Big relief as I was going though a lot of gorges and lakes, with no drops.

I should prob pick up more rares. But so many of them are bad. When I was picking them up I id-Ed a 1000 swords daggers and not one had more than 220
Pdps. So I kinda gave up.

Anyhoo

Will be breaking for a while to do lab runs and relax, as I need a break from mapping for a few days.
Sas glad you like the thead title changes. I change it every now and again. Was wondering if someone would pick up on that.
Thought it was fun though.

TLDR: 96 - oh yea baby! Off for whisky and drunken lab runs lol.

Congrats Turnip!!! :D

I'm not sure what the Blue Crawly Things are...do you mean the Congealed Blood unique foe? Or something else?

Yeah the last few % is always a nailbiter...I was so stressed after getting to 95 that I wanted to quit for a while...but you guys are all inspiring me to keep going. My map pool is pretty steady so I'm going to keep at it...and like a few people have said, same exp penalty for 97 so that's good to know. :)

Whiskey and drunken lab runs sounds like fun! I did a bunch of Atziri runs when I hit 94...one of my guildies and I used to do Friday night drunken POE mapping...lol...good times!

Dang...you changed it again! LOL

Let's see if I can make it to 40% tonight...that T14 is calling my name...8)

I always add if I level to the thread title - will remove the 96 glee tomorrow.

It's the 96 not the 97 that's the 'free' level.

97 is where things get nasty.

I think they're called devourers: the creatures that come up form the ground. They are buried then pop up and whack you.

Good luck in getting to 96.

Turnip

"

Turniphead2 wrote:

I agree about the point of not running tough maps, that's why I run blues. I would have progressed much slower on 95 if I ran yellow maps.
Would have ripped tons more.

And since most drops are worth nothing, I'd prefer to trade, as it saves time. I don't pick up anything, apart from currency/belts/jewelry.
I literally fly past clusters of rares as id-ing them would cut into my clear speed time.
It's faster to trade and map, and not pick anything up.
I don't open most chests, as that too would slow clearspeed.
The only prob I have is map drops, as I run blues. But I have currency (atm)

Turnip

:D

I would open chests though, its the 1 thing Id say, if theyre close. the amount of maps and exalts that come from chests is completely disproportionate to other sources of drops I find.

I run the higher maps with savage mod combos, but because I have so many characters I can cherry pick the right maps for the right build and it means Im never putting myself in a situation where im likely to rip. Theres no point running content where theres a good chance of death. You want a chance of death if you mess up, otherwise it doesnt have that sweaty palm tension as has been mentioned, you need that but theres a line between challenging yourself and just being an idiot. Wasting 10% xp when you knew you were probably going to rip, with the amount of time it took to get that xp, its too demoralizing for me. Content like cores and uber atziri I just ignore on characters Im actively leveling in the 90s. Essentially I still play the game like its hardcore in high maps, a given character might die once or twice a year to extreme circumstances but the amount of caution I take and the amount of defense I stack is probably excessive.


If you die now and then running the maps you run then to me thats saying youre playing on that characters limit, you def dont want to be inviting more trouble into those maps with high % rare rolls. As long as it still feels exciting and dangerous thats what its all about, you dont want inevitable death and you dont want sleepmode faceroll.




I just love items man, I cant stop looting them even though it probably makes more sense to skip em. I find it amusing that doeboy also picks up all the things, were getting fat and greedy in our old age. What could someone with everything actually want? Moar, moar items please, give me all the things.




I really must take the time to edit my loot filter and get only the bases Im enthusiastic about showing up though, Im definitely wasting time now days looting stuff like lower level es chest bases etc that just cant be good by the standards Im looking for. Something like a ring or a boot can be very valuable on any base, much smaller item to carry around, Id be finding more of these if I spent less time picking up reqlvl 52 swords etc. Even from a looting perspective Im not being efficient atm given the power of filters.