Does anyone else strictly do their own builds?

I started playing this game knowing little. I was only aware that I will have to bash my head into a wall over and over again until I understand enough of the game to get through it. Until the next wall. Getting a grip on the game mechanics, the language and gameplay was what kept me going. Still does. It's my source of satisfaction. Without it, there is just grind. The only thing limiting my progress now are my rather casual game time and reluctance to engage in trading.

I do.

Yeah, I always do. It's a big chunk of what's entertaining to me, to make a working build with my bare hands.

Also, I'm neither playing the trading game nor am particularly interested in endgame boss fights so lots of items are not available to me, and because of that my builds usually needs to be different.

i always play my own build

When I began playing I had no idea what a league was or what SSF actually meant. I played standard and slowly, painfully completed all three acts. Then I was delivered back to the beginning to do it again. Ah, no thanks.

I came back the game half way through Betrayal. I tripped over Enki's arc guide. What helped me was the detailed description of how to level and developed an understanding of how gems interacted with each other.

I then became an altiholic. I chose guides that featured different archetypes and types of play. I rarely repeated a main gem. Today I have a greater appreciation of all the various types of mechanics (that does not include unique items) the game has to offer.

I always play SSF therefore most guides are only guidelines as SSF seems to be a rarer breed. This league I am playing my own designed build using my experience from above. I am now more invested and having a blast. My confidence in creating my own builds is such that I will now always play my own SSF builds from now on.

I've been playing almost six years. I've only done my own builds. Using someone else's build guide feels like skipping half the game. I do look at guides sometimes, just to see what they are doing. If something is significantly different than how I would do it, then I try to figure out why.

For quite a while now, I don't even plan builds ahead of time. I don't even know which class I'm going to pick until I actually click on one of them. Then I play everything by ear. I usually start leveling several skill gems, then decide later which one I'll use. I rarely open a passive tree planner like PoB until I've already got the core build well under way.

I plan my builds from previous league and before patch notes, strictly made to fit my own speed, goals, time, budget and fun. Or play same old build. Some overnerfs or surprises in mechanics can lead to situations where i do several chars or waste time in PoB until i fix or change my build to what i want and enjoy to play, still based on my playstyle and needs.

You kinda have to SSF...Play with what you have at least but you can build someone elses build by like 95 if you focus on chancing, cards and whatnot.

I love the chaotic nature of SSF. Like I started ice shot then found a bow that works better with ele hit or explosive arrows and switched. Only thing I don't like is lack of respec orbs early.

Usually playing ssf so i see if something is meta and enjoyable to play and try it (except last Minion league, but it was so quick to get 95 that i could swap to another character in 4days ^^")

I don't like the templar skin and bows so nevers tried those.
I don't like BV or WorB mechanics so never tried them too, either totems.

I usually use "good skills" but doing the build/gear myself or according to what drop in ssf with the first character.

Just love taking hours/days on PoB to optimise some builds with no unique enabling mechanics.

If I find time to build one, yes, but not always.