Being a mediocre player gets you nowhere in POE

Another league, another try. I love Arpgs, I played them all. However POE is the first game I admit defeat. The problem? Being a mediocre player.

It starts around level mid 80 - I only play softcore, I know my limits - when I map and map, trying to farm currency, trying to level. My goal: seeing the "endgame". The T16 bosses, maybe beating the shaper.
Problem: I make mistakes. Many. Not, too many, but enough to prevent any progress. Sometimes I missjudge the situation, sometimes my reaction time is too slow (by a lot, I am 40+), sometimes I simply forgot the mechanic or the threat a particular enemy poses.
Well here goes another 10% exp. 2 hours down the drain. My highest char is 91. 10% here is like 4 hours of mapping for me and I try to play maps I know are somewhat safe. I know most of the "nope" bosses in the maps etc. However being a slow player also has another disadvantage: in the time you farm x currency for item y, the inflation already made item y two times x and so on.
Watching POE streamer on twitch is like watching someone playing another game. Seeing those super corrupted amazing "fluff" items on reddit is a parallel universe. I never had enough currency to make enough attempts crafting something good let alone find something.
At the beginning of a league I might snatch some nice items with a patient trading approach but usually after week 3 this over because inflation. I have no idea how these people do it. I can't

it's super frustrating because there is no way around. Can't overgear/overlevel or any other solution.

I tried playing the beefiest, sturdiest, tankiest classes. Those classes their gameplay make chess look like an action game. Problem: you die too because of the afforementioned reasons. Difficult fight take too long usually.

What kind of maps are you tackling? Could just be not knowing builds well and their limits.

Big thing is keep your head up, do content that suits you. I looked at your char in Incursion you got the right idea so it certainly isn't a lack of understanding on the build.

^ is asking the right question, many builds just cap out before they can clear all content especially in a rippy league like this one.

Most people who kill shaper/guardians etc will do it on characters that crush the content so badly it isn't really possible to make mistakes, and you can too it probably just takes some refinement.

Post your build on the gameplay forum and ask for some help if you need it, someone will usually chip in with some tips to squeeze a bit extra out.

This game requires a lot of learning and training for each dangerous boss. And each try cost currency, usually a lot of it. Game is tied up to trading, probably you should try it too...

most of the twatch streemers probably obtain their swimming pools of exalts with real currency for PoE currency trades and/or most likely bots. This game is almost purely server-sided so hacks are out of the question, leaving botting the only real answer. any game that cannot be reasonably hacked WILL have bots if the demand is there.

On the other hand, is time. I don't have 20 hours a day to play PoE and I don't think I could to be honest. After about a month of playing I burnout and come back when the next league starts. They say trading is the key to success (mostly). I would agree with a first party trading system such as an auction house (as opposed to poe.trade). It would make trading SO MUCH easier for new players. welp thats my 2 cents

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_Saranghaeyo_ wrote:

What kind of maps are you tackling? Could just be not knowing builds well and their limits.

Big thing is keep your head up, do content that suits you. I looked at your char in Incursion you got the right idea so it certainly isn't a lack of understanding on the build.

I also looked at that char and I came to a different conclusion. Mine being that the char doesnt fit the player. A player who makes mistakes and dies a lot to "nothing" should play something with layered defenses.

Also the build doesnt seem to have any proper anti curse mechanics and it uses Soul Mantle. So any player screwups can be multiplied in severity due to that. (And there is lots more I would change.)

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krizzexile wrote:

I tried playing the beefiest, sturdiest, tankiest classes. Those classes their gameplay make chess look like an action game. Problem: you die too because of the afforementioned reasons. Difficult fight take too long usually.

I dont see any Juggers amongst your chars. If you make a RF/SR Jugger (with the aforementioned layered defenses) and dont screw up the build then the game will play much easier.

Hierophant works too but you have to build/gear differently.

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Aoikazega wrote:

most of the twatch streemers probably obtain their swimming pools of exalts with real currency for PoE currency trades and/or most likely bots.

Ok tinfoil hat off please.

I think the biggest issue here is you're trying to compare yourself to people who play the game in a vastly different way than you do.

For one, you should never have the mindset of deserving the same as a streamer. If your livelihood doesn't rely on donations from people watching you play a video game, you're not gonna play the same, and you're not going to have the same motivations.

With that said, think of it like this. Basketball for example, is a universal sport that even people in wheelchairs can play. But to be able to play at the highest level (NBA), you've got to be able to perform at such a high level to even have a shot at being considered.

In other words, out of thousands, so many will aspire to play at the level of the streamer folk, but most will never get there.

What you really should be asking is where exactly you expect to go? It's a video game that functions primarily as entertainment. The only time I've personally ever considered giving money to people playing games on stream were all voice actors improvising while playing DnD, like an improv show but with a narrative to drive it along.

Oh, and lastly - you'll notice that the majority of the people with the 36+ in league have at least a decent support system of friends and allies to help each other get through a lot of the tedious repetition.

As a fellow mediocre player you may want to change your focus and just enjoy the game for what it is. Maybe work on getting a big better each league or trying different styles to see what suites you and allows you to progress further. As someone who often dies because I run into a big pack and bite off more than I can chew, I actually found a totem build great because it forced me to lay down totems in front of me before I got into the fray. It was the quad totem Heirophant build by WaffleT that is super easy to gear up with cheap uniques and was my smoothest mapping experience yet.

Anyone with a little practice and knowledge can reliably beat end game content (t16 guardians and maybe shaper) with 30-40 hours of time investment if you are using a competitive build.