PoE for casual players

Thanks for your input. So to finish main story I just need to keep playing on my own pace and at some point I will reach the end main story. But it seems if I would like to dive into post story features I will have to get into character building and trading. I guess I have 8 more acts to check if I like PoE that much :)

Still, I have enjoyed the game so far and I even consider buying some stash just to say "thanks" to creators. Definitely PoE is really fresh approach to H&S but has high entry threshold.

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Skibbi wrote:

Thanks for your input. So to finish main story I just need to keep playing on my own pace and at some point I will reach the end main story. But it seems if I would like to dive into post story features I will have to get into character building and trading. I guess I have 8 more acts to check if I like PoE that much :)

Still, I have enjoyed the game so far and I even consider buying some stash just to say "thanks" to creators. Definitely PoE is really fresh approach to H&S but has high entry threshold.

You don't have to trade plenty of players do SSF and reach endgame maps.

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After reading some guides I've got some doubts if this is a game for casual player like me, who can play few hours per week.

Most of the posts here are written by either burnt out hasbeens who no longer play but come here to rage, or by disgruntled no-lifers who are unhappy the game devs aren't incorporating their particular version of fun. Ignore that shit. I have played this game at a rate of 2-3 hrs per week, to 5-6 hrs per day, and everything in between. It's fun for me in all aspects. The key thing is that you get a better "return" on your time spent if you have great game knowledge, which only comes with time and/or reading guides and/or viewing vids. So your first league, you might only progress as far as Act 10, then next league you get to yellow maps, then next league you get to do Sirus, etc. There will be a solid feeling of progression for you league on league, if you enjoy that sort of thing.

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What I'm most worried is that I will not be able to finish the game as my character is built without any tutorials or guides and that I might not be lucky to get some rare gear that is needed in the end of the game. I just like to experiment and not follow some meticulously prepared builds that every second PoE player uses.

Yep it probably will not. As a new player you are extremely unlikely to be able to know how to create a "viable" character because you simply have no knowledge of all the hundreds of intersecting game mechanics. If that bothers you, and you still want to play "casual" then this game is not for you. If that doesn't bother you, then go ahead and play whatever you enjoy. But if you REALLY want to push as much as your time allows you in this game, then you need to follow build guides AT LEAST till you are able to reach endgame on a couple of builds. Only after that can you seriously consider creating endgame viable builds of your own.

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I'm not really interesed in trading - I just want to start the game, slain some monsters and get some nice gear :)

What most people qualify as "nice gear" is most easily and conveniently obtained through trading in a temporary league (the every-3-month leagues we get, like the current Ultimatum). You CAN play Solo Self Found, but as you're a new player and on top of it have limited time to play, you will majorly hinder yourself by playing that mode. You will simply not find equips that are good enough, especially as you level up and enter harder content, and you will have neither the time nor the knowledge to target farm or craft what you need.

Lastly, if it isn't obvious enough already, don't play Standard League. It's a dead zone with horribly inflated prices. It's almost like playing SSF if you're a new player, the economy is beyond stupid. The ONLY benefit it provides is having a steady state of characters you can return to whenever, but the whole magic of PoE is the 3 month reset that starts everyone off at an equal footing for a whole new season of grinding and slaying and character building and bossing.

Hope you decide to play, it's an amazingly fun game!

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Clownkrieger wrote:

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Marinxar wrote:

If you mean, complete all content and bosses, then no. Not even close. From after the campaign, the difficulty ramps up exponentially, and the very late game is reserved for streamers that do nothing but play PoE all day and night.

Its so weird that i have a lot of friends that have a regular job, life, family, (young) children even and are still able to reach the end of endgame and do all bosses... you can do that easily with like 2-3h playtime/day in a season (even way before the season ends), but i dont think that can be still called "casual" tbh...

What you deliver there is hyperbole at its best, as always :)

Don't you have anything better to do, than lurk on the forum and just contradict everything I say ? I know I am cool and all, but all this attention is really giving me the 'stalker' vibes here. Honestly.

EDIT : And before my crush comes on and put me on probation for speaking to the troll directly, please look on the record, as I have made several reports about this constant trolling from this person already.

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Skibbi wrote:

Thanks for your input. So to finish main story I just need to keep playing on my own pace and at some point I will reach the end main story. But it seems if I would like to dive into post story features I will have to get into character building and trading. I guess I have 8 more acts to check if I like PoE that much :)

Still, I have enjoyed the game so far and I even consider buying some stash just to say "thanks" to creators. Definitely PoE is really fresh approach to H&S but has high entry threshold.

See this https://www.reddit.com/r/pathofexile/comments/obb0o2/the_new_players_dilemma/

With what you have stated, you are a prime example of "this game can be played forever".
If you played a standard character, the worst thing you would run into is having to change your tree every league IF they made changes. Other than that the world would be right there waiting for you and your 2-4 hours a week.

At that pace, you may NEVER reach all of the content the game has to offer, but I ask you, "Is that a BAD thing?".

Don't play to other peoples expectations and I guarantee you will see AMAZING loot. Play for the fun of it, your not going to master any game except solitaire with those time investments.

If you are looking to get lost in an amazing world with endless lore and amazing backstories, you've found it.

AVOID hardcore :) You do not have the time for that!

Good luck and welcome exile!

Honestly, any game in the genre is PERFECT for a slow casual quest, you may want to open notepad and leave yourself a note as to what you were doing and where you were going so you don't waste time during play sessions.
If you don't care about rapid progression and the absolutely amazing endgame, hell Grim Dawn, D3, Last Epoch, even Wolcen have amazing stories that at 2-3 hours a week will keep your fantasy itch scratched FOREVER.

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Skibbi wrote:

Thanks for your input. So to finish main story I just need to keep playing on my own pace and at some point I will reach the end main story. But it seems if I would like to dive into post story features I will have to get into character building and trading. I guess I have 8 more acts to check if I like PoE that much :)

Still, I have enjoyed the game so far and I even consider buying some stash just to say "thanks" to creators. Definitely PoE is really fresh approach to H&S but has high entry threshold.

To offer another perspective I've been playing for nearly 3 years (on my PC account), and I haven't gotten past tier 14 maps yet. This is mainly down to being bored by the time I have done 20 maps or so and just starting another build.

This is probably the single "worst" way to play the game, as it is 99.9% inefficient, but that's how I play. I find between 0-4 Exalts per season, and will never afford a meta build, and I don't care. I have spent around $300 on supporter packs, because GGG have given me hundreds of hours of fun, but I will never get close to "finishing" the game, and I don't care.

My view is that you should just play the game the way you want and if you have fun don't worry about what anyone else is doing or saying, just carry on. If you're not having fun, try a different approach or a different game. Nobody can tell you that you "should" play X or Y build, or that you "must" like this game because it's the best ARPG going, because it isn't. No ARPG is the best one; they all have strengths and weaknesses and none of them will appeal to everyone in the same ways.

Except Wolcen, of course, that game is just crap. ;-)

edit: ninja'd by GrunkleBob :-( I agree with everything they said, except Wolcen :-P

There is a long answer, and there is a short answer, and both are right. In true PoE fashion.

Here's a medium sized one, from someone who never got into the meta but played most days from 2012 to 2018.

I think the fact that people ask this question so often indicates they already suspect the answer. Go with that instinct. If your enjoyment extends into the metagame, ride that wave. I think PoE wears its metagame dependency on its ragged sleeve, and attracts people who find that compelling. To most others, often deemed "casual" gamers, this is just work, and they leave without looking back.

But most responses from Exiles will be inevitably affected by their bias. I don't believe anyone playing PoE regularly can be considered casual in terms of gaming overall, but of course there must be a scale. And it is that scale many Exiles cannot but use as their measuring tool. There is always someone *more* hardcore within any given community or pastime.

I suppose my ultimate answer is I know a lot of gamers, and none I didn't meet here stuck with PoE for long. They were firmly in the 'this is work and doesnt try to hide it' category. Some of them were and are able to put in 10 hours a day on other games; some have outgrown those heady Bnet Diablo days and only realised it when PoE's faithfulness to D2 (at least on the surface) made it clear. All of them saw the game's f2p nature as a detriment rather than, as it were, a selling point. My support, the extent to which only a few of my friends knew, baffled them...but eh, support what you love, and I loved PoE as both a personal experience and conceptually.

Also, people aren't very self-aware. I rarely take a self-assessment of their gaming commitment at face value. Especially when it comes to downplaying one's involvement in a game well-reputed for its demands to dig deeper and deeper under any sort of "casual" skin. In other words, I don't think people already immersed in a culture that is intrinsically hardcore are good judges of non-hardcore aka "casual".

But again, when someone bothers to log onto a forum and makes the effort to post such a query to the mostly converted, I think the answer is predetermined. Is this game for casuals? Not really. The real question is, is it the sort of hardcore that works for you?

Only one way to figure that one out. Just remember: first taste is free, and if it's your thing, if PoE is your drug of choice, you can never taste it for the first time again. More importantly, it isn't even just a taste with PoE. You get a whole lot for free, because GGG know it takes that much to sink in the hook that is endgame investment in terms of time (meta research, trading, and actually playing) and money (you are going to need storage for all that free loot, and GGG kindly create a bunch of storage options for you to buy).

...Or, yknow. Just click shit until it dies, pick up shit, kill harder shit, repeat. It can be that simple too. Or so I hear.

edit: +2 to grunkle's less navel-gazey contribution. Including the Wolcen. :p

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Marinxar wrote:

Don't you have anything better to do, than lurk on the forum and just contradict everything I say ? I know I am cool and all, but all this attention is really giving me the 'stalker' vibes here. Honestly.

EDIT : And before my crush comes on and put me on probation for speaking to the troll directly, please look on the record, as I have made several reports about this constant trolling from this person already.

We can move this converstaion to PM if you prefer. I guess who is the one trolling here is pretty obvious to everyone though...

I am just reading a lot on this forum atm, and especially threads i wrote in - i answered OP before you if you care to check.

And no, its nothing personal or me liking you especially. I just tend to step in and offer a different perspective if people exagerate or spread misinformation or the like (what is generally called "trolling" btw...). Just happens to be you most of the time in these days somehow...

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omoorej wrote:

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Skibbi wrote:

Thanks for your input. So to finish main story I just need to keep playing on my own pace and at some point I will reach the end main story. But it seems if I would like to dive into post story features I will have to get into character building and trading. I guess I have 8 more acts to check if I like PoE that much :)

Still, I have enjoyed the game so far and I even consider buying some stash just to say "thanks" to creators. Definitely PoE is really fresh approach to H&S but has high entry threshold.

Except Wolcen, of course, that game is just crap. ;-)

edit: ninja'd by GrunkleBob :-( I agree with everything they said, except Wolcen :-P

At a slow pace, with no knowledge the game will let you play around in maps (endgame) you will see your strengths and weaknesses brought to light extremely fast! If you complete Act 10, you will have a character that can do a map or 2.
When you get BLOWN UP by white skeletons, CHECK your character sheet and remember, 300 life PER act and 75% elemental resistance is a requirement, NOT a cap. It is actually a minimum. Have some kind of chaos resistance other than zero or negative and you'll be fine. the gear will drop as you need it, if you need chaos res, the game will give it to you. don't worry about things until they they are killing you, then farm them in other, safer areas.

It's all here, go find it! Wraeclast provides, some are just better at finding/MAKING their destiny.

And yes, Wolcen is horrible, but I played it to endgame and liked the city building for a minute, but yes, it's pretty bad :)

The thing about POE for me is:
I'll play another game for 5 hours and say in my head "I could be in Wraeclast right now". No other game has ever hit me like that except D2 and D3 and they had their time. Well..... I'll be all over the D2 remaster unless POE has something amazing planned, and I am sure they do.