Finally got a level 90 build... Diminishing Returns is an appropriate name

 I finally got my BF Assassin to level 90. The Achievement "Diminshing Returns" is very fitting considering the additional XP nerfs that take effect at level 90 and 95. It was bad enough just getting to level 90 I can't fathom wanting to play this build much more. Yet many do as evidence by the level 100 builds on the ladders only after a month of Breach League.

The frustrating thing about playing any build to level 90 is several-fold including but not limited to:

1. The reduction in XP per level from 80 to 90 requires more and more maps be run.
2. Must roll increased pack size on all maps to not take forever.
3. Must speed clear each map and thus only the meta-builds that can do that are played.
4. Learn (the hard way) that some content has to be skipped.
5. The need for higher tier maps becomes more painful with each level as the higher tier
    map drops aren't in sustainable quantities thus increasing the level grind pain. Yes,
    I know this is a deliberate choice by GGG to force trading for higher tier maps.
    

#4 was/is a hard lesson to learn as I always want to kill the end map boss but there are times when a build isn't able to do that (wrong build for that specific boss). I've died way too many times because of my wanting to kill an end map boss (just felt incomplete to skip the boss) after the first time to check it off the Atlas.

Then there are the stupid balance issues that plague PoE (and always will) that can get me one-shotted out of the blue. On my BF Assassin I opted to go with a shield for more defense than using 2 knives but that just gets me into a complacency mode where I'm deliberately Whirling Blades into a pack to activate my Fortify and obliterate the pack and in all the visual mess where I can't see any specific incoming damage so I just WB fast and BF everything to death and not die and then this happened this morning:


The unique Storm Bearers looked like a no-brainer to kill and they were (shaped Jungle Valley map) as I was 99.99% to level 90 and was playing a tier 6 map to be very safe but when they die they drop a shocking type of orb that I wasn't paying attention to and without Fortify active I got hit by one and died. Totally pissed me off to lose 10% xp being so close to leveling but hey, this is PoE so I guess it's supposed to be a very unbalanced arpg (not really but 3 months is an impossibly short time for the QA team to debug and do any balance testing).

#5 is a pure pain in the neck/ass as at level 90 I have:

4 tier 12 maps + 3 very old T12/T13 maps I never ran. The red map drop rate deficiency has been talked about many times so no need for a rehash here and until there is a better trade function buying is also painful (really sucks) so progressing this build other than uber Izaro or Atziri runs of maybe Zana dailies is all that is left.

Anyway GGG calling the achievement DIMINISHING RETURNS is very appropriate as xp from 90+ is really little for a non-grinder casual like myself and thus other than working to fill out the Atlas I'll need to switch to another build to work on.

Happy New Year! Let's hope Act 5 will bring new hope and GGG will finally give us something to do endgame wise besides grinding maps forever (wishful thinking but hey, it's what us PoE never say quit Loyalists do amidst the frustration/whine posts).

totally agree

Thanks for the fun read. I just came back to the game last night and judging by the one surviving character on my account, level 81 is about where I gave up last time. Hoping to find a super fun build to get re-addicted.

Happy new year!

I think the XP nerf was too harsh as well. 90 is still easily obtainable, 92 too slow, beyond that? Ugh

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frenzul wrote:

Thanks for the fun read. I just came back to the game last night and judging by the one surviving character on my account, level 81 is about where I gave up last time. Hoping to find a super fun build to get re-addicted.

Happy new year!

As a closed beta starting player the best thing to do now with the way PoE 2.5.x plays is to make a build off of a top 2% player build guide that has level 90s and 100 builds completed. Any attempt to go it alone and roll your own build without expert wisdom is destined to be a frustrating failure (or at least a build that won't get you much past level 80). Only reason I took the Mathil crit phys/poison BF Assassin route was after nearly 4 years of SSF playing I finally got this to drop last October:

You pretty much need a T1 weapon to advance a build without taking a year or be a no-lifer play 18+ hours a day player (I can already hear players saying it ain't so but for the 98% or 99% it's true). It is also true that Wraeclast today is mostly less dangerous than back in POE:The Desync Edition times of the past but still the average player (according to Chris it's about 90% of total players) will never reach level 90 on a build.

Thank the 0.1%.

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I_NO wrote:

Thank the 0.1%.

I thank the RNG gods (usually I'm cursing them for all the garbage drops) for the Bino's Kitchen Knife drop (well somebody somewhere in the world is getting a great drop so finally it was my turn) and of course we all should thank the top 0.1% players that take the time to share their PoE playing wisdom with the rest of us. For this build that got me to level 90 a major thanks go out to Mathil. He's a frick'n PoE build genious. Much appreciated.

To me progression before level 80 feels way too fast and that might be a/the reason why some players think it's too hard to get to 90.

OP what's your gaming background?

I would think D2 or MMORPGs probably aren't in there?

i feel it's fine . past level 90 should be a very difficult task desined for the few players who want a massive chalange / time sink .

Persdonaly i feel the problem is less with the game and more with peoples preseption these days that they should hit 100 . I blame MMO's that force you to max level before any of the good shit is avalible . Diablo 2 how many level 100 characters did you make thare i wonder ;) im assuming none .

i wonder if perhaps GGG could do something better to convay this to new players to the game or this style of game. Perhaps they should give the player some kind of visual thing or message at level 90 showing


" hey your at max level bud , the last 10 levels are for masicistics only enter at your own risk "

It's amazing that you're from closed beta and still at the game knowledge level of a 1-week newbie.