Sanctum as a melee and ascendency points - quitting for now.

This is probably the second time I’ve made a comment like this, but I feel obligated to share my opinion because I’m sure many others are having the same experience.
To cut to the chase: for now, I’m quitting because of Sanctum. It’s simple—I’ve never liked this mechanic, and even with the recent nerfs, playing melee in this content is just unbearable.

Here’s how my last experience went: my main skill (Sunder) takes 2.27 seconds to cast. The result? Most mobs hit me before I can even hit them xD. Then, a random archer hit me once and took over 25% of my resolve. After that, I faced an elite; it dropped a fire totem (okay, I’d never seen this mechanic before, but fair enough). The problem? The totem hit me twice almost instantly, taking more than 50% of my resolve.

And that’s it. Locking ascendancy points behind this mechanic is just plain bad.

(Before the gameplay critics jump in, let me clarify: I’ve played and beaten the Souls series, Elden Ring, Terraria with the Calamity Mod, so I know that if I wanted to and tried harder, I could probably get through this mechanic. But honestly? This kind of progression is not what I was expecting from PoE 2.)

I’m sure they’ll change this at some point (though not anytime soon). I also know that new melee weapons and skills will be released in the future, which might make the archetype faster and more dynamic. Things should improve.

But again, Sanctum is just annoying as hell for me and many other players. It’s a niche game mode that shouldn’t be a mandatory barrier but rather an optional challenge for those who are into it.

yep just posted a similar thing. All this reduced attack speed results in being completely animation locked most of the time or rolling in circles trying to find an opening.

I dont understand how they expect warriors to offset all this animation speed loss.

Melee is playing a completely different game. And i didnt understand it until i made my third character.

Just finished Third ascendancy in Sanctum as Warrior. Level 66. All Elemental Resist Cap. 75% Block Chance. Around 50% Resist Honor with Relic.

Until the last boss, it was really a breeze as I was always around 90% Honor. I did stay in the Flamethrower from a Rare Version you described and just lose 10% Honor. I guess your defensive stat are just that bad. The Scorpion Boss (Third Floor Boss) in another hand was a surprise for me. He is really Melee-Hate Heavy with his "Quicksand" ground effect that Slow you into Oblivion (Never had that problem with my Witch :P).

Still managed to beat him first try with HotG like a Ranged Class could do. It could have been more easier if I just sloted "Molten Blast" (Magma Projectiles Skill) as my main abilities "Stampede" and "Perfect Strike" weren't good for this fight.

And yeah, if you use Sunder for clearing, I could see the issue here. But you aren't locked into testing others abilities for this content. (And no, Supercharged Slam REALLY isn't good either! :D)

Regardless of all that, just take some defensive stats and you shouldn't have problem. You will need it for Maps either way. Sure, it's still easier with a Ranged Class but I personally enjoy this content.

I didnt even have gloves equipped when i did sanctum on my mercenary.

But go off.

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Hamiltom#7546 wrote:

But again, Sanctum is just annoying as hell for me and many other players. It’s a niche game mode that shouldn’t be a mandatory barrier but rather an optional challenge for those who are into it.

Sunder shouldn't really be your primary answer to everything. Warrior basic attack is fast and surprisingly high single target damage, use that as a safe poke in Sanctum where the monster number on the screen is low anyway. Slow high damage skills like Sunder and Perfect Strike are meant to be used after you stun a monster, its not your opening attack.

PoE 2 is all about using at least 2 skill combos together. With Warrior playstyle its a Stun Skill + Slow High Damage Skill.

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RaphaelDjirane#7270 wrote:

Just finished Third ascendancy in Sanctum as Warrior. Level 66. All Elemental Resist Cap. 75% Block Chance. Around 50% Resist Honor with Relic.

Until the last boss, it was really a breeze as I was always around 90% Honor. I did stay in the Flamethrower from a Rare Version you described and just lose 10% Honor. I guess your defensive stat are just that bad. The Scorpion Boss (Third Floor Boss) in another hand was a surprise for me. He is really Melee-Hate Heavy with his "Quicksand" ground effect that Slow you into Oblivion (Never had that problem with my Witch :P).

Still managed to beat him first try with HotG like a Ranged Class could do. It could have been more easier if I just sloted "Molten Blast" (Magma Projectiles Skill) as my main abilities "Stampede" and "Perfect Strike" weren't good for this fight.

And yeah, if you use Sunder for clearing, I could see the issue here. But you aren't locked into testing others abilities for this content. (And no, Supercharged Slam REALLY isn't good either! :D)

Regardless of all that, just take some defensive stats and you shouldn't have problem. You will need it for Maps either way. Sure, it's still easier with a Ranged Class but I personally enjoy this content.

so the solution is use ranged abilities and play like a ranged class. got it.

I've played both monk and warrior through Sekhema (and Warrior through the 3 floors for the third ascension). Monk definitely has an easier time, because its attacks are a lot quicker, but it only took a few tries to get through as warrior. Especially now that some of the biggest issues (the teleporting snakes, the boss making 75% of the arena lava, and armor break being a tiny duration) have been fixed.

I used rolling slam, and the movement you get between both attacks gives you some dodging potential. Its rough going, but once you get some honour resist from relics from your failed runs, you can kinda 'tank' your way through a few hits.

Except for the flamethrower guys who show up on the second floor. Screw those guys. Lost an attempt at the third ascension because of one that was hasted. The most annoying thing to is that they're immune to stagger while deploying their little turret, so you can't even stun lock them until they're ready to attack you.

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MEITTI#3999 wrote:

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Hamiltom#7546 wrote:

But again, Sanctum is just annoying as hell for me and many other players. It’s a niche game mode that shouldn’t be a mandatory barrier but rather an optional challenge for those who are into it.

Sunder shouldn't really be your primary answer to everything. Warrior basic attack is fast and surprisingly high single target damage, use that as a safe poke in Sanctum where the monster number on the screen is low anyway. Slow high damage skills like Sunder and Perfect Strike are meant to be used after you stun a monster, its not your opening attack.

PoE 2 is all about using at least 2 skill combos together. With Warrior playstyle its a Stun Skill + Slow High Damage Skill.

When I mentioned Sunder, it was only to illustrate how annoying the mechanic is and how the absurd casting and animation time wasn’t properly considered in some parts of the game. You’re telling me to change my entire playstyle just to complete Sanctum, even though I already said I wouldn’t mind making three or more attempts to get through it—even adjusting my playstyle. However, that’s extremely taxing.

And that’s the issue: having to adapt for content I didn’t choose but is mandatory. That’s the problem. Sanctum is more like a roguelike than an ARPG, and I think PoE 2 is still supposed to be an ARPG. So, if there are mechanics that stray from this style, they should be optional in some way.

That’s my opinion. I’m not the game director, and if they decide it will be this way, I’ll accept it because that’s all I can do. But this is my feedback.

And, I’m not using only Sunder—condescending comments are the worst.