Veteran Casual Player Path of Exile Rating

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Docbp87 wrote:

I think most of your assessment here is fair. The reality is that PoE has always been intended for the more "obsessive" "hardcore" arpg audience, not the casual audience. It is the appeal of the complexity, the frustrating difficulty, and the ultimate payoff when that one amazing drop in a million finally happens that draws many of us to this game. Players seeking a more "gifty", casual experience where everything layed out simply in plain (English) for them, should look elsewhere.

Except that there's nothing hardcore about the game at all, it's just a time sink and a meta choice.

As a gamer I feel I'm the target audience of POE: I've played every game from skyrim to xcom and tons of stuff in between on the hardest difficulty and with a running quicksave or in hardcore mode, and I've completed all of these challenges. I've also played in tons of MMO leagues at a top tier and have held world records for extended periods of time in certain games.

Yet when I come play POE, I can't progress through endgame in most leagues because I:
a. dont play meta builds and thus wind up with slow clearspeeds in HC leagues (or try to push faster and die)
b. get extremely bored by lack of map drops/progression
c. get tired of having to portal out for every single 1c transaction and/or leaving currency on the floor because it's just too fucking tiresome to pick it all up (wisdom scrolls transmutes or even just chaos recipes, etc)
d. don't play in parties so get fucked by exp system as well as map drop system as well as trade system all at the same time

Why is it that I'm able to complete every hardcore mode in every other game but I just can't ever be fucking bothered to progress much past 80 in POE? Despite POE being one of the potentially most enjoyable games there is?

I'll give you a hint: it's not because the game is too fucking hard, when there are videos of people wearing white gear in slots doing the hardest possible content, it's because the game is not fun enough to be bothered with past 80 unless you play in a highly specific manner

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johnKeys wrote:

haven't tried Van Helsing yet, but Torchlight is a very fun game, Titan Quest and Immortal Throne are classics, and I consider Torchlight 2 and Grim Dawn "must play" masterpieces.

@Docbp87, most people playing this game are not "casual" in the gaming sense. they are "casual" in the PoE sense only.
I'm pretty sure the vast majority of people who joined in Closed Beta, Open Beta and shortly after 1.0, have played an average of 5-6 hours a day, at least at some point.
while that's not the 12+ hours/day no-life-Streamer amount, it is not casual.

PoE is currently balanced around the Streamers, the boost-to-100 teams, and the no-lifers who didn't start streaming yet.
that's understandable. Twitch and Youtube are great publicity for GGG, not to mention doing a great job at hiding all the screams of "casuals" who get fucked over by layered RNG on a daily basis. grinding sand hoping a diamond pops up.

me? I'd be glad if there wasn't a Ladder at this point. not for me at least.
Mathil, Ziz and the others can compete on their own Ladder, and I_NO can join them to hunt for bullshit RNG-and-massive-trade "challenges".

I don't have to compete with Korean champions to enjoy Starcraft.
I shouldn't compete or be influenced by GGG tuning their game towards the no-life dinosaur.

I agree totally

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de99ial wrote:

It seems to i me i just dont care enought. PoE yoused to be fun because exploring all the ideas behind world. New content, now places to look up, new items to see new enemies to challange. But at one point it becomes frustration generator. And this is the point when i drop out.

I prefer to listen to music instead to play in PoE.

I usually get frustrated after an hour of playing, either from dying to lag, not having the right gear, trading crafting or whatever. I usually end up surfing youtube or searching for a better game.

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sofocle10000 wrote:

I sold for shards a pair of gloves that could have been priced for a couple Exalted Orbs - my bad as I wasn't paying attention enough - the worst part was that it was the pair that I was currently using and also the only one with an Uber Enchant...

I dont know on what i should look to avoid such actions. I really dont know. Seriously i dont know what item should have to consider it expensive.

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sofocle10000 wrote:

By the way, Tabula Rasa divination cards could be farmed in Aqueduct on every difficulty, in Channel and Waterways maps also, if you feel like needing Divine Orbs...

This is usefull advice.

I play. When i find better gear i switch it. Problem is - finding it.

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krunchor wrote:

I usually get frustrated after an hour of playing, either from dying to lag, not having the right gear, trading crafting or whatever. I usually end up surfing youtube or searching for a better game.

The problem is that it is hard to me find something that makes me interested. Im very demanding when it comes to games. I have several i like to back to them, most of them i know too well (like Fallout 1 and 2, Mass Effect saga or Witcher series) so i keep myself from them for a time and i go back. I have tried many different games but non could get me enought. I prefer music, movies or reading than playing. But sometimes i like to play. And i like PoE, but... Yeah.

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krunchor wrote:

Trade: 0/10
Trade Learning Curve: Too complex, 3rd party tools required, huge investment of time to research values, manage inventory and meet people to sell/buy. Worst and least enjoyable part of the game.

I would like to see on poe.trade when somebody is afk and most accurate information, like if player is in lab or in party. With such info we wont have to ping xy people to buy item we need. "Note" on poe.trade are gone too, and that was good tool. Players could press some button to make on poe.trade visible that they are not going to trade "now".

I would suggest that you consider the build that you play, and center yourself around something that you wouldn't want to change - I chosed a dual wielding Resolute Technique marauder and then I centered around a weapon class, like maces - and my end game options became Doryiani's Catalayst and since the introduction of the Pale Council, Breath of the Council as unique maces, rare versions are still out of my reach, as to improve on those two types I'll need lots of Exalted Orbs...

I also found Bleeding to be an annoying mechanic so I was always interested in ways to get it mitigated, and not long ago, Death's Door boots appeared...

Because of chosing dual wielding, I needed a 6 Linked armour, so I chosed an Astral plate to synergise with Juggernaut Ascendancy. I settled for Static Strike as main skill on the 6 link, so I needed a helmet with an Uber Enchant for it, and because I wanted to run Blood Rage for Frenzy charge generation, a reduced duration on the Static Strike explosions on a Devoto's Devotion was best in slot.

I wanted to not waste passive points on the tree so an Astramentis Amulet was needed, and when I got the chance I upgraded to a +1 Frenzy charge Astramentis.

To complement my resistance stats I needed a belt that went high on life rolls, armour and damage, so a well rolled Rustic Stash was the obvious answer.

I then proceeded to target the most annoying part, reaching higher damage still, via rings not forgeting to reach the threshold for resistance, so I settled for high damage and HP rolls and then boost the resistances via skill tree (for a while) or via the 8 endurance charges generated with Enduring Cry.

The gloves were the slot were I could then opt to go either bonkers on damage, attack speed and HP, and the new spiked gloves did not dissapoint, as I prefer their 20% increased instead of even Uber Enchants, or a high HP and missing resistances, although a corrupted Curse on Hit with Vulnerability/Temporal Chains/Elemental Weakness unique pair is always welcomed...

I also decided that utility potions will better serve my build until reaching high end content, and I have been right, as I managed all my targeted content with that layout. I also used Hatred and Herald of Ash to boost my dps and due to a nice synergy of Innervate with Lightning Strike as secondary attack and Fortify on Sunder on the other ranged attack, I'm also most of the time rushing towards the boss with Onslaught and Fortify on...

All these things were more or less in my plan since the beginning, and I started playing PoE a bit before 1.3.0, and for a large amount of time I had no trouble managing my targeted content with only 5K HP and a focus on damage, now as I want to push for higher than tier 12 maps I prefered an additional 1.4K HP and still resonable damage (all obtained via a passive respec before Essence league started)...

In the >2800 hours that I played PoE I've seen drop about 12 Exalted Orbs, 15 Divine Orbs, 2 6 linked items, and managed to convert about 35-40 other Exalted, from fusing or chaos, doing the chaos recipe and daily Elreon + Vorici, and bought/hoarded continously more stuff then I will ever need...

This is why I still have fun and chill playing, because even when I died today due to a bit of lag and huge damage spikes, I try to remember that even with all the EXP penalty and death EXP penalty, I still get closer to reaching a new level, just by playing an hour or two on that character every day...

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Legatus1982 wrote:

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Docbp87 wrote:

I think most of your assessment here is fair. The reality is that PoE has always been intended for the more "obsessive" "hardcore" arpg audience, not the casual audience. It is the appeal of the complexity, the frustrating difficulty, and the ultimate payoff when that one amazing drop in a million finally happens that draws many of us to this game. Players seeking a more "gifty", casual experience where everything layed out simply in plain (English) for them, should look elsewhere.

Except that there's nothing hardcore about the game at all, it's just a time sink and a meta choice.

As a gamer I feel I'm the target audience of POE: I've played every game from skyrim to xcom and tons of stuff in between on the hardest difficulty and with a running quicksave or in hardcore mode, and I've completed all of these challenges. I've also played in tons of MMO leagues at a top tier and have held world records for extended periods of time in certain games.

Yet when I come play POE, I can't progress through endgame in most leagues because I:
a. dont play meta builds and thus wind up with slow clearspeeds in HC leagues (or try to push faster and die)
b. get extremely bored by lack of map drops/progression
c. get tired of having to portal out for every single 1c transaction and/or leaving currency on the floor because it's just too fucking tiresome to pick it all up (wisdom scrolls transmutes or even just chaos recipes, etc)
d. don't play in parties so get fucked by exp system as well as map drop system as well as trade system all at the same time

Why is it that I'm able to complete every hardcore mode in every other game but I just can't ever be fucking bothered to progress much past 80 in POE? Despite POE being one of the potentially most enjoyable games there is?

I'll give you a hint: it's not because the game is too fucking hard, when there are videos of people wearing white gear in slots doing the hardest possible content, it's because the game is not fun enough to be bothered with past 80 unless you play in a highly specific manner

So many of these points are true for me.

I just hit 80 and have run out of excuses to launch the game.

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sofocle10000 wrote:

I would suggest that you consider the build that you play, and center yourself around something that you wouldn't want to change - I chosed a dual wielding Resolute Technique marauder and then I centered around a weapon class, like maces - and my end game options became Doryiani's Catalayst and since the introduction of the Pale Council, Breath of the Council as unique maces, rare versions are still out of my reach, as to improve on those two types I'll need lots of Exalted Orbs...

I play this build: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1739089
I am focusing on items according to directions of LiftingNerd. On gear i look for ES and elem resists. On weapon spell dmg, cast speed and crit chance/multi. Rest according to his advices. The problem is i find something usefull so rarely that it is kinda.... frustrating.

I am thinking to switch on dagger but still considering.

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sofocle10000 wrote:

I also found Bleeding to be an annoying mechanic so I was always interested in ways to get it mitigated, and not long ago, Death's Door boots appeared...

I have flasks for stopping those effects - fire, bleed, freeze (this i have from ring).

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sofocle10000 wrote:

To complement my resistance stats I needed a belt that went high on life rolls, armour and damage, so a well rolled Rustic Stash was the obvious answer.

I need belt for strenght.

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sofocle10000 wrote:

In the >2800 hours that I played PoE I've seen drop about 12 Exalted Orbs, 15 Divine Orbs, 2 6 linked items, and managed to convert about 35-40 other Exalted, from fusing or chaos, doing the chaos recipe and daily Elreon + Vorici, and bought/hoarded continously more stuff then I will ever need...

This is why I still have fun and chill playing, because even when I died today due to a bit of lag and huge damage spikes, I try to remember that even with all the EXP penalty and death EXP penalty, I still get closer to reaching a new level, just by playing an hour or two on that character every day...

Thats great.

I have much worst drop sicne i play this game. Seriously.

I play casually, which means that I have weeks or months without any gametime and I still felt I get along just fine.

Sure, I might never kill the Shaper, I might never finish uber maps or breach lords, but I guess that´s the price I have to pay.

I managed to get to 89 this season and killed Atziri once, before she completely destroyed me on my second try... not sure how, as I did her without any deaths on the first encounter. Anyways,

my issue with the game as a Casual is clearly the lack of trading and that we can not gain stash space. I would love to trade all my mtx effects for a single stash stab, as I do not care about those cosmetic things.

I would also love to list my items without third party tools or premium tabs, like in an AH or shop system. This is, what breaks a casuals neck if you ask me. To be locked out from further stash space and trading, as this becomes an issue as longer you play.

It´s my third league now, I played up to cruel in my first, my second in merciless and t11 and now I am at t13 and completely out of stash space and I find items that I would love to trade, but it´s not possible. It kills my fun and the motivation to go on, similar to D3 when they removed the AH, the game became pointless.

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Ygidua wrote:

I would also love to list my items without third party tools or premium tabs, like in an AH or shop system. This is, what breaks a casuals neck if you ask me. To be locked out from further stash space and trading, as this becomes an issue as longer you play.

It´s my third league now, I played up to cruel in my first, my second in merciless and t11 and now I am at t13 and completely out of stash space and I find items that I would love to trade, but it´s not possible. It kills my fun and the motivation to go on, similar to D3 when they removed the AH, the game became pointless.

I promise you that with a TINY bit of effort, like literally TEN MINUTES, you can setup a shop, and start selling items on PoE.trade. Yes, at a glance it LOOKS overly complicated, but the actual reality is that trading, especially listing items to sell is VERY easy. I feel like the difficulty of this process is often greatly exaggerated.