Unironically the worst patch notes I have ever read, still no significant balance changes.

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sidtherat wrote:

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ArtCrusade wrote:

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sidtherat wrote:

while there are many issues and facets of this, the thing GGG should start (but never tried) is:
melee needs more BASE damage. simple as that.

But wouldn't we be seeing more builds around skills that have base physical damage then? Like e.g. Sweep (which I think is a decent skill all around, despite not being meta thx to GH/Bonezone)

I think it's more of a scaling issue where Casters have access to crit, ailments (when was the last time you saw a melee bleed build, and is melee ignite even a thing?), conversion and so on and so forth, while melee has Precise Technique and Impale

I don't nearly play as much melee as you do so I'm sure you have more insight into this than me

I don't think GGG will be able to address melee mechanically in PoE-1 and I wonder if they'll try to change it substantially before PoE-2 is out. It's a fickle balancing issue

the skills with base phys have drawbacks that compensate them. the end result is that most skills with 'regular mid-endgame' gear deal similar damage for the similar investment

there are outliers however, you can spot them on poe.ninja: BoneShatter, previously Lightning Strike and Spectral Helix. these skills have built in or easily available ways to significantly boost their damage above 'the norm'. in the past we had 'hydrosphere trick' for Smite/FrostBlades/MoltenStrike, now we have return projectiles for Molten Strike and Nimis

note: even in perfect scenarios these builds hardly reach mid-ivestment caster setups and are completely obliterated once mirrors start flying


as for the Sweep it is a sweet skill but .7 attack speed modifier coupled with average %effectiveness means that the flat phys is easily absorbed (unless Voidforge, then it is great). same applies to all other skills with flat damage


it should be proof enough that STR stacking melee is fine, while non-stacking is not. the problem is as simple as damage.

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Senju_Hyoketsu wrote:

They could reduce ALL bow damage output by 30% and it would still be the strongest endgame archetype.

But wait no, let's buff the most popular bow skills!

Just sad.

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suriuken wrote:

if i'm going to be perfect honest, i like ggg, i'm a bit excited to play this league that i was planning to skip, changed my mind due to both the new ascedancies and the apparent buff to frenzy, but at the same time, i will critiquize ggg where i think they are making mistakes, like the apparent way the seen to be ignoring melee issues, and i think not reworking gladiator and assasin (two ascendancies that i think need the rework, since gladiator is just 0.2% on poe ninja and assasin/berseker 1%)

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anti4z500 wrote:

but rly i dont get this grief with meta builds. as if that effects you how others play a game with given tools :D

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ArtCrusade wrote:

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anti4z500 wrote:

but rly i dont get this grief with meta builds. as if that effects you how others play a game with given tools :D

I played this game for over 10k hours and while there are some builds I have revisited, I much prefer trying new things over same ol' same ol' and tinkering with my own stuff

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ArtCrusade wrote:

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anti4z500 wrote:

but rly i dont get this grief with meta builds. as if that effects you how others play a game with given tools :D

People like to pretend that they're held at gunpoint, being forced to play whatever the perceived strongest meta build currently is

I played this game for over 10k hours and while there are some builds I have revisited, I much prefer trying new things over same ol' same ol' and tinkering with my own stuff

I get that not everyone can make their own builds or are just too used to picking whatever streamer XYZ does, but hey.. as a famous poem goes: "I am the master of my fate / I am the captain of my soul"