The problem with league-starters and a problem with POE in general.

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Terzian wrote:

The replies in this thread seem, to me, tangentially related at best.

Crafting and map tiers really aren't the problem... At all from my perspective. In fact, I generally avoid crafting as much as possible because I think those systems are unfun.

The issue is that certain builds, which all share some characteristics, can play through the content in the game at what I consider to be a reasonable pace while the builds I find engaging and enjoyable to play... cannot.

I'm very confused as to how item level became relevant to this, Ilvl doesn't change the significant problems with balance and increased problems with area denial that monsters have due to archnemesis mods.

Sorry to derail :D I agree totally on your post though, I used to have lots of fun making my own builds, now I feel I have 3-5 good choices to leaguestart.

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Terzian wrote:

The replies in this thread seem, to me, tangentially related at best.

Crafting and map tiers really aren't the problem... At all from my perspective. In fact, I generally avoid crafting as much as possible because I think those systems are unfun.

The issue is that certain builds, which all share some characteristics, can play through the content in the game at what I consider to be a reasonable pace while the builds I find engaging and enjoyable to play... cannot.

I'm very confused as to how item level became relevant to this, Ilvl doesn't change the significant problems with balance and increased problems with area denial that monsters have due to archnemesis mods.

Idk, me and everyone i play with believe the crafting system is the most fun part of this game. While there is an incredible informational wall if you don't have anyone to theory craft with. I could see how it could be really tedius to some. Most games have terrible crafting systems though i.e. diablo 2/3 (if you can call it crafting in diablo 3). where its 1 and done.

This game has so much customization with crafting and mechanics that allow people to make wild builds that no one ever thought of and just destroy stuff or be super fast or lag the game out.

This game isn't really catered to people who like 1 certain playstyle and get bored with playing anything else. Everything has to be variable over time or it gets boring. I don't know if there is a real fix for melee and the requirement to be close to stuff. I think fortify being mostly melee only is an attempt to give melee a crutch for that purpose.

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Idk, me and everyone i play with believe the crafting system is the most fun part of this game.

U WOT M8!?

Mostly joking, to each their own. I'd rather get paid for 8 hours filling in excel spreadsheets than look up a mod on POEDB and then alt an item 500 times... but slowly so I don't accidentally roll over the desired mod. Fuck I hate crafting in POE.

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This game has so much customization with crafting and mechanics that allow people to make wild builds that no one ever thought of and just destroy stuff or be super fast or lag the game out.

I don't view crafting as relevant to making "wild builds"

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This game isn't really catered to people who like 1 certain playstyle and get bored with playing anything else. Everything has to be variable over time or it gets boring. I don't know if there is a real fix for melee and the requirement to be close to stuff. I think fortify being mostly melee only is an attempt to give melee a crutch for that purpose.

There is truth to this but I think it's beside the point to some extent. These builds that get to stand off and not engage with monsters at all generally have better damage, better defenses, and better mobility. That's pretty egregiously out of balance like how int based movement skills are strictly better for endgame content because they avoid interacting with beam effects. lmao. At a bare minimum there should be some sort of upside for playing melee if it's better inherent defense (not the abomination that is fartify) or an extreme uptick in damage (which could lead to better defense since players would invest less in damage) or even something weird like less effect of DOTS when wielding a melee weapon or some sort of proximity shield.

On death effects at minimum should have less effect on melee characters. The problem is how does the game classify someone as a melee. There are people that play berserker wander, and toxic rain as well. There are melee builds that would be op if they got a damage advantage over ranged.

Once you learn to craft you don't have to look on poedb unless its for specific cases. Alteration spamming to craft is a lot less of a thing these days since double influenced gear is less desirable due to eldrich mods. Honestly i've never used poedb for any mods. Craftofexile is where its at imo.

Crafting is best done through harvest, or my favorite way is buying an item with complete suffixes/prefixes and meta mod and harvest/veiled chaos orb the other respective set of mods. You can get cheap gg gear that way. Especially if someone has bricked prefixes but perfect suffixes and they don't know you can harvest craft to reset prefix then meta mod.

I do agree, stuff like searing exarch sucks with whirling blades or shield charge. Youre not forced to use those as a melee though. You can swap gems for the fight. Stuff like sirus beams and stuff. You can just get more dps and kill him as soon as he lands. Such is the way of melee.