XP loss starts at 95

I suggest either scaling experience loss or removing it before level 95.

I understand and agree with death penalties in softcore. Level 100 doesn't mean anything if everyone gets to 100.
Past leagues my average character level was 96. For the last few leagues my average character level is 92. I could grind low tier magic red maps ad nauseam, but that gameplay is unsatisfying.
Why would a player run a less rewarding map when they can spend a single alchemy orb to have better chances at loot? There is also the occasional death even in a magic T14. Maybe a random double ghosted exile, or some crazy aura stacked rares that popped out of a league mechanic at the same time.
The ten levels from 85-95 are vital to a characters progression. The 10 passives give two entire wheels that normally sure up the characters defenses or damage. The additional skill passives also make cluster jewels more viable.
As the game difficulty continues to rise, I feel more pressured to play a busted skill. A skill that requires less damage nodes, so I can allocate the same mana reservation and defense nodes used by most builds.

Thanks for the amazing game.

Actually, I consider this the best suggestion I've heard. The experience point penalty on death is not really noticeable for a decent build until level 94 or so. The main purpose of the death penalty is defining the level 100 chase goal. This suggestion would really have no impact to that. I had two friends that quit PoE because they were upset when they noticed the experience point penalty. This suggestion would improve player retention for those kind of cases. So this suggestion would be the best of both worlds, IMHO.

agreed

Xp penalty [Removed by Support] It is basically a backwards progress. They need to understand that dying on level 70 when a map gives you 40% xp is not the same when dying on 97+ when 3 maps gives you 1% xp. It should be either fully recoverable if you go back and kill the enemy that defeated you or just come up with something else entirely. Flat 10% is just too punishing on high levels. This is a big issue that is literally ignored by everyone and I can guarantee you if this stays like this for PoE2 the game won't be any more successful.

[Removed by Support] the exp penalty might just be the single biggest topic ever discussed on the PoE forums. It's not "ignored" by anyone except GGGG

Outdated? Hardly. Plenty of new games and slightly older games have exp penalties. The games that DO NOT have an exp penalty have either a durability penalty or monetary penalty. I'd MUCH rather have the exp penalty over those.

Yes its worse as you get higher, that is quite literally the point lol. It's NOT the same because it SHOULDN'T be the same. The penalty should get steeper and steeper the closer you get to the "goal". I even think Red maps should have less portals. 6 for white, 4 for yellow, 2 for red.

I can guarantee that exp penalty will NOT be keeping anyone from playing PoE 2 lol, just as it doesn't keep anyone from playing this game. Tons of people complain about it, but they still play!

Basically backwards progression? Nope. They could have EASILY created a de-leveling or de-skilling punishment a la rogue-lite elements. They did not. They opted for the least possible punishment available, while still having it feel and act as a punishment. It is NOT backwards progression, you can pick up exactly where you left off, at exactly the same power level, with exactly the same items.

It is backwards progress because you lose progress. You grind for an hour die once and your progress is deleted. Players play to get further to improve on their character not to go backwards.

I just don't know why it is not recoverable. The game designed around portal usage which is consumed and is already a way of punishment for dying. You can't endlessly just reenter and die again because you obviously run out of portals at some point.

If you want sweaty gamepaly and give cutting edge performance every minute there is hardcore league where death actually matters. Softcore xp penalty needs changing for sure. Make it recoverable, scale to level/difficulty or something. As is it is not good.

Players just buy 5 way carries anyway.

"

I understand and agree with death penalties in softcore. Level 100 doesn't mean anything if everyone gets to 100.

But many players get to 100 risk free, not by grinding but standing around at the "Fifth Avenue", while players like yourself work hard just trying to get to 95. Even streamers recommend it as the way to get to 100, and they want to "slow down the game".

"

hsuchijp wrote:

But many players get to 100 risk free, not by grinding but standing around at the "Fifth Avenue", while players like yourself work hard just trying to get to 95. Even streamers recommend it as the way to get to 100, and they want to "slow down the game".

Yea buying five way runs or breech encounters is lame, but there will always be people who trivialize the game. I play the game for myself and don't think about the exploiters. From map hacking / duping items in D2. To sitting in a 5way / group MF in PoE.

As long as your build is decent, xp loss already starts at 95. Before that it will cause some minor setbacks, but you can progress without much issue. After 95 it starts hitting hard.

Though currently there is an endless supply of t16 maps, as long as your atlas is specced to support this (quantity, higher tier map drops, duplicated map drops). So even after 95 its not so bad. I'd say 97+ is where the time investment starts getting stupid (in non-unique maps anyway).

And if your build is not decent, what is the point of going above 90. The game will murder you either way.

Loved this idea of exp loss only starts after you hit lvl95, it's good, and i can be more happy to back to PoE if this happen, but i think this is only a dream, GGG never amke anything fun and reallly rewarding in this game, i played for 7 years, and only thing they do is nerfing and being anti-fun, sad.

But yeah, i liked and loved this idea! :)