Archnemesis killed the game

Archnemesis is terrible in both idea and implementation.
In its current form, it is one of the worst things PoE ever had.

There was no need for more random, uncontrollable difficulty spikes. The choice is either to play content that except AN is way below your current power level or play Russian roulette. There is no fun in that.

For whom do You think The Beachhead map where tons of overbuffed archnemesis bots around you? For 5-10 top players? I don't want this in the PoE.

+1

While I don't think they've "killed the game" in a dramatic matter, I find it very strange that they've pushed AN into every corner of the game, while this sentence was being written in the "What Happened To Item Drops" post:

"

But Path of Exile is a game about opting-in to more difficulty in exchange for more rewards.

"

Zar_Wagash wrote:

For whom do You think The Beachhead map where tons of overbuffed archnemesis bots around you? For 5-10 top players? I don't want this in the PoE.

Game has been shaped around the top players more and more. You can blame trade leagues for that due to everyone copy-buying streamers top builds 1:1 and thus both exploding market prices as well as steamrolling content. Leaves 0 chance for normal players due to balancing.

"

Demon_Frantz wrote:

"

Zar_Wagash wrote:

For whom do You think The Beachhead map where tons of overbuffed archnemesis bots around you? For 5-10 top players? I don't want this in the PoE.

Game has been shaped around the top players more and more. You can blame trade leagues for that due to everyone copy-buying streamers top builds 1:1 and thus both exploding market prices as well as steamrolling content. Leaves 0 chance for normal players due to balancing.

Almost all of the top players are complaining about the exact same things this league.

The game is being shaped around a vision, ideas that are good on paper, but with no time to properly implement and test them, what's left of the team that isn't working on PoE 2 is scrambling to make this wishlist come true.

Tbh i dont recall anyone wanted it to go core, it sucked all the fun out of the game for me. Hope it gets removed. they tried to rework it did not work. Only thing left is to remove it.

AN and recent changes made me wonder what state PoE2 is actually in.
Any change and backlash is small fry compared to PoE2 not being a massive hit in PR.
The can afford a few bad leagues (or at least they think they can), but if PoE2 does not have hype around it, GGG is in real trouble.

I think that's the real reason why they try and slow down everything and test the limits of their playerbase.

From my perspective PoE2 must be in dire straights... They backed themselves into a corner after Exilecon and now cannot get out in time.

AN and recent changes with unfair mechanics and of course massive RNG into every aspect of the game are setting the stage.

"

jerot wrote:

The game is being shaped around a vision, ideas that are good on paper, but with no time to properly implement and test them, what's left of the team that isn't working on PoE 2 is scrambling to make this wishlist come true.

I think it's wrong to assume that because one part of the devs work on PoE2 and the others keep PoE running means that the ones "left behind" to work on PoE are incompetent. All of the Devs are incompetent and don't know what the hell they are doing and how to balance their game, period, not just the 'noob devs' who didn't get chosen to work on PoE2.

"

Alatikus wrote:

AN and recent changes made me wonder what state PoE2 is actually in.
Any change and backlash is small fry compared to PoE2 not being a massive hit in PR.
The can afford a few bad leagues (or at least they think they can), but if PoE2 does not have hype around it, GGG is in real trouble.

I think that's the real reason why they try and slow down everything and test the limits of their playerbase.

From my perspective PoE2 must be in dire straights... They backed themselves into a corner after Exilecon and now cannot get out in time.

AN and recent changes with unfair mechanics and of course massive RNG into every aspect of the game are setting the stage.

Multiple choices are there.

My bets are on 2 outcomes: PoE2 is as messed up as PoE when it comes to mechanics and the Devs thinking "hm.... this unkillable stuff that heals itself and if you somehow manage to destroy it drops zero worthy items" are still in effect and pull the strings on what to do and what to balance. The game will be a revision of PoE when it comes to difficulty and decisionmaking, and if that were the case, I hope the players aren't blinded by the "2" behind "Path of Exile" and the shiny new graphics, and actually see through the failure.

Second bet is that PoE2 is a complete 180 and actually does everything better than PoE1 did, and in that case, PoE1 could die out completely. People with thousands of exalts and dozens of headhunters in their Stashes can only be motivated that long, especially if there is a superior new game out that makes everything better and does not repeat the mistakes of the past.

The last sentence is important, as it is in both the bets I placed. It's up to the Devs to use their brains, or to continue working on the game like Oblivion NPCs. Make progress vs. copy paste nerfs for players and buffs for monsters and terrible mechanics decisions.

Yes I that could be the case as well.

The message of PoE2 is muddled anyway... At first it was just a new campaign, which somehow won't annoy on the 5th playthrough.

Then it also became a complete overhaul of all combat mechanics and classes and ascendencies.

Then it also became a loot overhaul.

Then maybe new endgame? Leagues? And everything anyone could ever wish for.

Sounds like an idea that got ever more expansive.

In the meantime: PoE1 had a LOT of players. PoE1 was the king of ARPGs and yeah a few glaring issues, but GGG hat solved or at least patched them to a working and workable state.

This is the game we have now. Only things like AN, loot and stale meta game made it ... bad.

GGG know what PoE2 actually is like now. They have to somehow find a transition.
This is the missing information non of us can provide. We don't know what the goal is.

In the past there was trust in GGG to make the change fun. Now that trust has eroded a lot and for many players it is gone.

Bandaid fixes won't restore it. He'll, even a great 3.20 won't.

Reading through GGG's posts you can see that they are torn and there are internal discussions on how to "fix it". But it's not just a question of giving players what they want. That could leave the game further away from PoE2 rather than closer to it.

I honestly believe that this is the main dilemma GGG are struggling with.