Count/Wolf fight

Yeah, yeah you heard it before you get to hear it again. This fight is ignorant. Yeah, yeah "git gud" I understand, here is the issue it's the first real boss fight and it's dumb overtuned. This isn't how you keep new players. Sure the basement dwelling sweats that live for DS will love it. Great they aren't starting over in an ARPG every three months, so they aren't your player base.

I'm not an ignorant gamer, I've understand dodge and telegraphed moves the issue is you can't do damage and dodge as a lot of classes. Then the lazy devs (yeah be mad it's true) have mobs charge at you from the fog nickel and diming your health because they can't actually make mobs harder without off screen effects happening in some way. This isn't challenging, it's tedious and unfun for sure it is as a warrior.

Yes, can I go "off script" (ie. it's the campaign I should be able to just follow it, but no..) and grind mobs mindlessly for hours hoping for a RNG drop that works or hoping I get lucky on a craft? Of course I can. If I grind to level 25 I'm sure it's a one shot deal but that isn't how campaigns should work. They set zone levels, and boss levels for a reason. You should have a reasonable chance to beat the boss, in a campaign, at level with the gear the game provides for you. Damn sure should happen in act1.

Even if people like the game harder, to suggest this fight is reasonable for all classes as an act1 boss fight is simply not true. If a new player started this and had this fight what are they expecting for act 2 and 3? Logically it's only getting harder, that's how games should work. Does that seem like good player retention stratagy? If this fight was the act 2 boss I'd never say a word, because it's ramping up, everything up until this boss has been a great then they slap you with this and it just isn't fun. This is the first time I've said that about GGG's games in the campaign.

I hate Labs in PoE1, not because they are hard, but because they aren't my thing, but you can put them off as long as you want and continue with the campaign to maps. This boss literally locks you into act1. You are stopped dead in your tracks stuck fighting mobs lower level than you grinding them slow experience style if you want to improve your characters chances of winning this fight. Again, this simply isn't fun. It's not hard, killing mobs in one hit, it's tedious, but not hard. It's time consuming, but not hard. Even then what's one level? 5 attribute points? Not going to help much. This fight needs looked at while they are nerfing the hell out of builds maybe look at this as well GGG.

Have to agree here. Im new to POE, never got into the first one but have been following the development and release of POE 2 and was very excited. This game has been a blast, lots of good gameplay going for it and feels rewarding when you're doing good. I enjoy some difficulty to maps and bosses, where playing requires paying attention and not just nuking everything the moment you see it, but it feels like im at a wall now and considering this is only the act 1 boss, I have doubts i'll be continuing playing.

I'm not a young kid anymore, i got kids, long hours at a job and responsibilities that take up most my time every day. Unfortunately dont have countless hours to throw at gaming anymore, so my time doing it I value and only play a couple games anymore since my free time is limited. My wife also loves playing games likes this, we had been playing D3/D4 together, and while I tend to be more competitive we still have fun blowing things up. I talked her into trying this game out and she's having fun but this level of difficulty will push her away guaranteed.

I understand you're trying to make a game challenging and rewarding to progress through, but like the OP said you shouldnt have to consider grinding out levels and hopes for RNG drops to have a chance at defeating an act 1 boss. Act 1 should be a stepping stone of learning the fundamentals, mechanics, skills, etc. We'll see what tuning happens down the road but for now im either back to grinding mobs hoping for better gear to progress to act 2 or just going to find something else to play with my time.

Im sure there will be those saying 'get good' or whatever incredibly insightful elitist feedback can be given, but there's a reason difficulty of this game is mentioned over and over and over everywhere you look being a problem. Its going to kill a large portion of playerbase before it even gets started. We want the game to succeed, either throw in an easier difficulty setting for us new people to the game or less hardcore players, or look at properly tuning and balancing these fights.

Need to chime in here. I breezed through this the first time, but now that I am at cruel difficulty, I have hit a wall. As a lvl 53 lightning warp/spark sorc with 1715 dps, 25% movement speed and 1400 shield, cold resist at 40%, etc. I can't get past the first fog of stage 2. I can't dps the mob of wolves down fast enough, I can't dodge them or warp past them without taking small damage that adds up until i die. Dodging the boss is no problem, and the rest of the fight I can master. but i cant get past these mobs of wolves during the fog. wtf should I do? quit the game?