How do SSF players find the motivation to continue playing 4-6 hrs+/day?

At this point, for me, I feel like I'm in SSF to a large extent even though I'm in SC because this game is, for the most part, incredibly solo-based. Without some sort of elitist greedy cohort that wants to group farm juiced maps for HHs, exalts, etc--solo play is the only option for progression in the game in terms of farming currency and crafting as well as completing the atlas.

From time to time, you can "group" to run pure breach stones to level up. You can also do certain challenges with other people. In the early stages of leagues, there's a ton of lab trials.

Besides grouping for these things, PoE generally feels like a single player game. I guess, for me, it's not as unexciting in the beginning because players are all progressing together at a decently rapid pace. At some point, perhaps by week 3-4, progress (levels, currency, items, challenges) seems to slow down due to the way the game is designed. This is when co-op starts to die. After this, what remains for those who are further along in the league than others is to trade.


The aforementioned observations are, of course, subjective. However, they lead me to my title's question.

So, I'm curious: What do you do (aside from making a new char) to keep the excitement high enough to continue playing through the entire league? If standard league is frustrating and boring, I would like to know what incites players to persevere through SSF.

I don't play 4-6 hours per day (I try and get in 2h per work day) and I don't play SSF. So my answer may not matter but I like making alts and tackling A8 with new skills (even if those skills are no where near as efficient as other).

That said I don't think you should force yourself to play the duration. That leads to burnout so just stop when your bored and come back for the new league refresh and excited.

Goals. In SSF, it takes a lot of effort to achieve a single goal that is set.

Items don't come easily and you pretty much have to target farm for gears that your build requires.

E.g. Just a simple 36/40 in SSF alone will keep you motivated.

Now for myself, since I have achieved 36/40 in SSF, what drives me now is to craft those mirror tier items before league ends. There is no better time than now.

Honestly it comes down to just a couple key points for me;

1) The economy. There is none, since it's SSF. When I find an item for the first time in the league that's rare for a solo players to find, like say the Ivory Tower, I'm super excited! I'm currently planning my build around it. However if I was on trade, who cares it's literally a 1c item.

1.B) This goes for all items, and it makes your map to map drops SO much more fun.

2) The pvpve mentality. These games, like D1/D2, are solo games in the fact that almost everyone plays solo, and makes their builds to handle things solo. However, even though you might be playing solo, you're still constantly comparing your gear and clear / kill speed to everyone else. In SSF, that mindset is gone. You're not trying to get more currency then others, or clear faster then others, you're on your own pace. SSF actually makes it feel true solo player which takes away any competition feel and lets me focus on all my characters and their inevitable flaws.

3) Other builds. The scarcity of items actually makes other builds more fun, because when you get something to drop that's build defining but not what you were hoping, it gets you to try things you might not have otherwise.


So yea, I play SSF because I'm motivated by the next drops. In trade league everything has a 'well I could just buy it' mentality which really sucks the fun out of something dropping. Even if I don't use it (although I would try) I would be SUPER stoked to get a starforge to drop in SSF, knowing all the time and effort it took to get the frags and get lucky with the drop. In trade? pffft, 13c. Why not just buy it. It's a slow burn mode that makes all the little side mechanics to the game feel far more rewarding and fun.

I guess what I'm asking is, what intrinsic motivation could a SSF player have to continue playing without a communal aspect to it? Essentially, PoE seems like a single-player game even if you strive to surpass others on leader boards or craft better items. In SC standard league, I crafted most of my items through harvest. The exception is my bow and the uniques, of course. Nonetheless, I know that I could eventually have similar gear in SSF with my experience and knowledge in crafting and build creation...eventually. For me, that is unsatisfactory because the intrinsic value of achieving these solo feats fades rapidly and almost instantaneously. Then, it's "Okay, on to the next goal on my list." Eventually, you reach a point where the goal seems like a 1% chance of completing in a reasonable and comfortable time-frame.

I think, for me, what I found most enjoyable and rewarding was playing with others in some capacity. But like I said, that aspect of the game and community seems very weak.

Very, very few people play the whole league, regardless of what league it is. I play SSF nowadays because I feel build progression is just too quick in trade league, and I'm not the kind who plays many builds in a league. I stick to 1 or 2, 3 top, but all the gear I found and crafted are all truly my own, and that just felt better.

As you may see - no answere here. All 4 whats still play PoE are just addicted, or making money out of it, like by streaming, or else..

No idea why you had to put "4-6 hours" there.
There's always something to do so it's easy to motivate yourself, if you really have to actually motivate yourself to play video games.

I have played SSF since it was released and I still play every day.
But then, PoE isn't a job for me, just a game.

Rarely do I pull a day like that. Very rare. Even on launch days I can't do that. I'd pay for it. Headaches, vertigo, wrist pain... it's just not worth it.

But to answer your question in theory, people find motivation in themselves... not in the activity they're doing. If you don't enjoy what you're doing, and you're not getting paid for it, you really should quit doing it.