the fall of oriath LABYRINTH

Second played season here.

I quitted my first frustrated because with my caster build (running at least T13 not smoothly but satisfactory enough for my noobish needs) Izaro was undoable.
Altough besides trading I generally don´t party at all I humiliated myself to pay for a carry - just to be left behind because my former PC was too slow to follow the group.

No. Fun. At all.

I don´t know how to solve the problem this time with my tiny, too uniquish build to build up much ES. My low-range caster is even worse to get through than my last toon.
In my opinion I shouldn´t be able to do 79er maps but to be smashed disgracefully by a 68er Boss. I would like to solve the problem per overleveling, but there are not too many levels left.
I have the patience for the traps, but solving them for half an hour to be basically onehitted by the boss between feels disgraceful.


I admire the hardcore Lab-Grinders, might they get their heroic achievements and their shiny golden crown of masochistic thornepicness, but mandatory quests allowing character development should orient to the difficulty of the other content on the given level and be accordingly accesible.

It would help to either shorten the way to the boss or shorten the boss.

All but UberLab should be do-able for every build, even scrub builds. It is an interesting test, as much as I despise it.

Uberlab is another story. The increased complexity of the traps leading through the zones, let alone the postage stamp arena to fight Izaro at the end, can be punishing. I found totem builds were easy because you could kill those temp chain totems from afar, but I tried taking my Molten Strike character through an Uberlab last night and died on regular traps like a chump.

Mind you, it was one of those patches of traps combining seemingly endless switch-back narrow halls with spikes and floor blades that has no obvious pattern. I guess I could sit there and figure it out over a couple of minutes, but, yeah, not likely. I actually yelled at my computer: "HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO GET THROUGH THAT ENDLESS SHIT" when I died.

RIP Offering lol

Ironically about twenty minutes after my rant I finally did it.
Obviosly the high praised "git gud" concerning Izi means "git generic cyclosunderbuild or run in circles very fast".

I feel enlightened.

Just kidding, I still hate it and the only positive thing is, that I don´t have to do it again for at least 2 months.

clearly remember my first uberlab finish, after many failed attempts i finally did it with a tornado shot archer, hands sweating and shaking, pulse like i've been running 100 meters in record time.

if some game challenge achieves that before i give up, they're considered a good addition by me.

Had to quit playing HC because of the lab. I tried going back, but my instincts were destroyed by the time spent playing SC. Fall into the SC mindset and HC is over with no going back.

Lab fucked that up for me.

For what its worth I'm another Lab hater. I dread doing it and don't enjoy a single thing about it.

It is pure stress and that kills it for me. Please can you allow another way to fully ascend without having to go through this torture every league.

There are many good suggestions in this thread and hopefully the devs will see it.

Most of us here are lab haters. Unfortunately we are the vocal minority and since the lab will always be mandatory no matter what GGG can pull out run numbers and pat themselves on the backs.

The lab is shit, always will be. The Lab is by far the #1 reason people don't come back to PoE once they take a break.

Once I get a char to the point where I should do the lab, I find no desire to keep playing. And if I force myself to slog through it, I still don't feel like continuing after "Ascending" - so anti climatic yet necessary for character development.

Speaking purely HC of course, SC who gives a shit if you die to a blade car.

I came back to play in new league and try out some cool new stuff in this remarkable game, end i almost forgot everything about that nightmare called "labyrinth".

Unfortunately I can see that ascendancies are still locked behind that POS, so i gotta do it all over again...

That s... seriously spoils my gaming experience in this game. I just can't comperhand why one vital thing like ascendancies are locked behind labyrinth.

Some players like labyrinth, love that kind of gameplay, fine, let them have it. Give them some great unique loot, enchants etc. i don't mind at all. They deserve it.

But FFS don't gate ascendancies behind it.

They have to gate ascendancies behind it, they have no choice. If they were not achieved through lab runs the amount of people labbing will plummet down significantly, hit rock bottom and they don't want that considering how much effort/hype they spent on it.