A returning player's F2P, zero research experience: a VERY 'casual' attempt at Sentinel league

I actually just posted my thoughts also. Yours I think is way better and I absolutely agree with act 1 feeling so good and then we start seeing the bloat in act 2. It just feels off right? I actually like heist and how it is introduced but honestly I think your right here after reading this. I think there is a solid argument to keep this content even out of the main story campaign until later. For the most part I really like the campaign but I'm just too drained to play again for awhile especially after doing the atlas and everything else. I think the game is amazing but there are definitely flaws for sure. Just wanted to chime in and say this is a great post and hope GGG reads it. I'm looking forward to poe 2 too and might hop on another league later. Not anytime soon though I went way too hard this league o_O

As one poster noted, I did not get to experience how well GGG give players control over their league feature play via the current iteration of the Atlas...but I did play one league more thoroughly, more obsessively than any other: Legacy League.

For those who did not get to play it, Legacy League gave players a lot of control over which past league features they would encounter even in the campaign. I thought it was utterly brilliant BUT I was also a constant player back then so did not need any explanation of what each past league meant or how to play them.

As for finding balance between a core campaign experience and flexibility, other ARPGs do it quite simply: play a heavily scripted, core campaign through once, unlock a flexible non-story leveling mode, allow players to level their characters that way. I do not think this is particularly innovative or even difficult to implement. I feel GGG won't do it for PoE for two main reasons. The first is they don't have to: players accept that running through the same campaign for each character with various league gimmicks to embrace or ignore is the price of entry into the 'real game', being the enticingly robust Atlas. The second is a little more speculative: they don't want people playing too many alts because that means they aren't engaging with the endgame loop, which is where, as Chris once said, rhey 'own your soul'. Neither reason really stand up to my own prolonged scrutiny but mine is a limited, flawed perspective from which what seems obvious may be far less so in reality.

Best to stick with observed facts then. And those facts are that enough other ARPGs have leveling systems independent of the story by now that GGG not implementing one is a conscious choice, and that choice has not greatly impacted the success of the game. It would be a significant undertaking, essentially a luxury and an indulgence compared to what other more essential duties might occupy the human resources at GGG.

And that is why I said I will play games that come with a separate leveling system built in rather than hope or expect that GGG might someday follow suit when they are already operating a more complex game service than any other ARPG to date.

Yes, the past league mechanics content bloat starts already in campaign and it gets even more crowdy in a theme parky way as players get through part 2.

But at least the campaign tries to explain them in a logical and meaningful way in regards of its environment or lore.

People that missed the last years and came back would think:
Now i'm ready. Campaign was a hassle kind of but at least i know what i'm going for in Atlas/maps.

But nope. That is just the tip of the iceberg. Lots of additional past league mechanics only unlock at maps, and some of them are not explained at all (for returning players that play blind).

I would condense similar league mechanics into one individual interactable mechanic ,that shares feats with one group, so it looks like less of an overcrowded theme park.

Also playing with only 4 stash tabs Aila style as F2P, requires knowledge and commitment so people dont end up hoarding lots of useless items that they dont need.