This game's curve is seriously out of whack...

In my experience, 80% of this game is a game of rock-paper-scissors between your build and the monsters within the area you are trying to clear. How you plan and build your character is everything.

Using a cookie-cutter build kind of feels bad, but it's the easiest way to get to end-game content and they're kind of what the game is balanced around. Custom builds that are viable are generally at a disadvantage compared to the cookie-cutter builds, but they're do-able with good gear and patience. Builds that simply go through the tree without planning over-arching synergies are not going to make it through merciless solo.

So yeah, as others have said, shelve your character and start anew. If it makes you feel any better, I have two shelved characters and one character I got bored with because using Enduring Cry is like pulling teeth. So starting fresh definitely isn't all that bad.

"

Glorn2 wrote:

trade trade trade. I attempted to play for as long as I could solo. I made it to act 2 merciless on my own; and was stone walled.

Im a self found solo player, and im level 81 doing level 71 maps(i dont do the higher level maps couse they doesnt drop) but the point is, OPs build is probably screwd, couse without any kind of trade, i got where i am.

"

Deux wrote:

tldr

Hi im bad QQ

Translate to: Hello! I have a very small attention span and cannot be bothered to use my tiny brain as much as expected so I shall leave you with some witty AND original remarks I learned on the internet.

I didn't read any post after #1 so most have probably already covered this stuff.

The game really isn't about building towards a single set of variables that will make you OP. There are many different situations where swapping gear, weapons, and skill gems will benefit more than utilizing your standard farm build. Understanding the mods and how they impact gameplay will really open up the immense possibilities this game offers for the player.

Which brings me to my next point, content. Content is by design difficult. I only play hardcore and I can tell you that your stats you listed at level 50 I achieve on every new toon I level without purchasing or using anything from my stash around level 20. Right now my current fom is a 28 Marauder that is resist capped (at 80 all resist with passive), has 900 armor, and 1600 hp. Granted my dps is only 150 with poison arrow but it's more than enough to mow through A1 Cruel and start farming levels. I'm not sure if you are playing your first toon or if this is a reroll but as you play more you'll get a better understanding of what works and what doesn't. I can say that I typically do not push Lunaris on Cruel until I ding 51, and I kill Piety at 52 on hardcore (with stats MUCH higher than your own. Probably something like 2.5k hp, 2k armor, and resist capped). The reason is outleveling content can really simplify gameplay. This is a big reason why gamers that play for 12+ hours a day can level a character to 70 so quickly. They basically farm dense areas until the xp loss is significant enough to warrant moving to the next zone, at which point they can easily mow through the content necessary to reach that zone because they are so far ahead in levels.

This game, as fun as it may be, will be frustrating if you don't set aside time to research. This doesn't necessarily mean spending hours reading forums and such but can include heading into an encounter expecting to die (SC). I spent a lot of time in groups on my first toon staying as far back as I could watching how encounters would unfold. The early difficulties are more than just required gameplay to level but also a great tool for learning how strong mechanics can be. Take Vaal Normal for example, taking a hit from his different abilities and seeing which hits harder than others can really give you insight as to what is going to destroy you in Cruel or even Merc (pretty much everything lol at Merc but you get my point). One thing I did on my first two toons was keep a spreadsheet log of my stats at certain points in the game. If something hit harder than normal I'd make a note so I'd know to stack more defensives towards it on the next go around.

Which brings me to my final point, when the game does get boring, frustrating, or repetitive, reroll! The passive skill tree is HUGE and trying out different approaches to the game might yield some excitement for you. If playing a melee is getting frustrating as the difficulty ramps up, try a ranged. If you want to feel OP try a "broken" build like LA and see if it's a nice release. Typically when I get tired of farming maps I'll reroll and try some other skill to see if I can break it somehow.

Anyway, I hope you can find some fun in the game because I do believe it's the best out right now in its genre and possible overall. In the end, if it isn't fun, moving on to something else or taking a break is also a perfectly reasonable option. The new SC campaign is pretty damn fun if you like RTS games.

EDIT: My suggestion regarding stats is to invest in the defensive passives first and then work towards increasing dps in the latter stages of the game. Obviously you aren't playing hardcore but the content is just as difficult and the xp loss upon death still provides consequence for glass cannon or dps focused builds.

I agree for the most part. Act I and II progress as an ARPG should. Act III's difficulty, on the other hand, feels too artificial. Doesn't help that the difficulty is all over the place either in Act III; ranging from easy to keyboard smashing. /opinion

"

ShadyC wrote:

Why am I a level 50 Shadow that's unable to solo Cruel Lunaris Temple?

How am I supposed to somehow balance dodge chance, armor reduction percentage, AND elemental resistances? We're not even going to TALK about chaos right now.




No matter what I do, I'm boned. I have ~600 health with ~900 Energy Shield, maximum fire resist, 30% block with 20% dodge, and I pop Molten Shell and/or Granite Flask when I get swarmed, and still I get instantly killed by a Righteous Flame mob who double crits me. And I PROBABLY desynced somewhere in there, as well.

This game started off fun, but it's reaching the point of obnoxious the further I get into it. I can't even purchase upgrades at this point because everything costs some amount of EXALTED ORBS once you hit 50+. Sure, I could farm shitty bosses and vendor enough rares so that I can sell some guy 200 Alterations just for a single piece of gear upgrade - then repeat this 9 more times for a complete set. And hey, I'm sure I'd gain a couple levels in doing that!

But you know what, that's not fun.






So tell me. Am I MISSING something? Or is this game's actual design supposed to appeal to the same crowd as Runescape?

I WANT to like the game. But I'm beginning to have a hard time doing so when I get quick-popped (half the time from a desync) and lose whatever experience I gained over the last hour.

level 50 with 600 health LOL I had 600 health at level 14

Oh I forgot to add: Desync is a pain and my biggest complaint as well. Typically I only find it alarming (pre maps) when encountering Rhoas or working through the Act III zones. Going slowly in areas where desync can be problematic is the best option. I've also never played a melee past A1 Cruel so I have no idea how truly frustrating it can be.

"

fortyb4five wrote:

level 50 with 600 health LOL I had 600 health at level 14

To be fair he has 900 ES. They are by no means equal but it does provide a larger buffer than a straight 600. For chaos damage though I'd be freaking out.

"

ShadyC wrote:

Bna, here's my issue though. My combined health + ES is actually NOT low, realistically.

Internet classic. Take a word, put it in caps, add "actually" before, and it somehow becomes true.
Bad news for you bro: your combined HP and ES are low. I went act 3 cruel with my CI witch with over 3000 ES, all maxed resists, reliable life leech, 100% chaos res (obviously) and I thought I was still incredibly squishy.

It's funny how you're like "MY Es and HP are NOT low!!1one" and yet... you are facing the results yourself: you keep on dying, you can't face mobs, you can't even progress.
You're like a little kid who's in denial because he so dearly doesn't want it to be true.

"

Daxtreme wrote:

"

ShadyC wrote:

Bna, here's my issue though. My combined health + ES is actually NOT low, realistically.

Internet classic. Take a word, put it in caps, add "actually" before, and it somehow becomes true.
Bad news for you bro: your combined HP and ES are low. I went act 3 cruel with my CI witch with over 3000 ES, all maxed resists, reliable life leech, 100% chaos res (obviously) and I thought I was still incredibly squishy.

It's funny how you're like "MY Es and HP are NOT low!!1one" and yet... you are facing the results yourself: you keep on dying, you can't face mobs, you can't even progress.
You're like a little kid who's in denial because he so dearly doesn't want it to be true.

No - whats funny is this games stack hit point model... Bad AI is bad AI. Lets just buff their damage.