Every time I try Uber Atziri on a character, it makes me want to quit PoE.

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ShadyC wrote:

But then comes PoE. Somehow, for some reason, it's become this "elite"... atmosphere? to it, and the community. Everyone forgot what an ARPG is, and they started wanting WHATEVER makes the game harder, no matter what it is.

I still consider it an ARPG - of course - since it mostly is, for sure. However, I think that's the reason for the things like bullet hells and whatnot. And all of PoE's unnecessary "difficulty".

(I am certainly on the side that PoE is not doing difficulty the way it should be, as you describe. Is it because I want an easier game? I mean, yes & no. The "yes" part comes in what I was saying about ARPG's in general. The "no" part comes in where I don't actually want something to be easy beginning to end. The whole point in char progression is to make things easier. Instead, it always feels like you're just checking off requirements, rather than getting stronger. A point I actually recently made in another thread.)

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raics wrote:

I don't think we should get too stuck on the story of origins and dark past. After all, fighting games didn't really have combos and significant execution factor a long time ago, then someone screwed up, allowed attacks to link and there we are. Once we had just plain shooters, now we have team shooters, hero shooters, battle royale and whatnot. If you think about it, ARPGS didn't have pvp before either, it's fine to evolve a genre if it makes sense, especially if it doesn't invalidate the concepts that define it.

In PoE, we have pretty good control over the character these days, better than in most similar games, it would be a waste not to take advantage of it and add a certain level of skill check. It was mentioned in a thread recently, but I think it's perfectly fine to let a good player tackle a challenge that's a certain amount above his character's weight class, as long as it's only up to an extent. After all, it promotes content interaction, and there's no point in designing interesting bosses if people are just going to stand there and tank it, or destroy it in seconds.

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Phrazz wrote:

When comparing to Diablo, you have to remember that you more or less compare the ACTS of Diablo with the ENDGAME of PoE. Diablo had/have no real endgame. And what is an endgame? In my head, and endgame is a loop, designed to be more and more challenging, and force you to grind more and more for your upgrades.

Why is PoE different? Well, a lot comes down to the pace of the game. PoE wants to be a fast paced ARPG. Nothing wrong with that, but the faster the game is, the faster the danger have to be. And today, the regeneration mechanics in PoE are more or less beyond the point of no return. Hell, they even INCREASED players regeneration by A LOT this league. That's why we have these sudden, over-the-top dangers in PoE; because players can regenerate/leech all of their life back in milliseconds.

And when it comes to "elite", it's no surprise that PoE draws in a certain "elite" crowd, when the game advertises itself as a "hardcore ARPG". Nothing wrong with that either, and there should be room for a game like that in the market, without turning it into yet another casual experience.

Anyhow, the two main differences between PoE and Diablo, is that WAY MORE of the character's power comes from your gear in PoE. In Diablo, there are videos out there where players beat the game naked, showing us that most of a characters power lies in the talent tree. The perfect balance is probably somewhere in between.

I don't know where I want with this post. I guess I just want to highlight that it's OK for two games within the same genre to be different, with different types of difficulty, different kind of pace, different kind of grind and different kind of balance, without any of them being "the wrong kind". Diablo was a VERY good ARPG, but it wasn't/isn't the blueprint of how an ARPG should be today.

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ShadyC wrote:

For what it's worth, the current iteration of fighting game combos, aka what I call "anime fighter combos," are why I don't play fighting games anymore. I prefer the footsie & fundie battles, not a minigame of who labbed their touch of death the most. Truly cannot stand it...

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ShadyC wrote:

Or do you mean PoE's faster-paced intentions are what today needs? (In which case, I'd respond with something regarding zoomers and their growing ADHD, and again mention anime fighters and the current state of combos as an example.)