Why I love ARPG games.

First off the view.
I love top down 2.5d style graphics and map clearing. It's incredible to me. I love playing with builds and learning new quirks about games.
I've played ARPG since I was a little kid. I am now 42.

The most important thing to me in an ARPG is having fun. Which means that I am relaxed and sometimes I get a spike of adrenaline when I fight the map boss or whatever the game offers at the end of the map.

This is all I need to be happy in an ARPG. PoE 1 offers this all to me and it is my favorite video game of all time. (Grim Dawn is my second fav all time, what a chill game albeit a bit slow like poe 2)

Now I want to focus on PoE 2 and what I do not like. Because this is why I will not be playing this game. I know you hyper fanbois cry when anyone says anything negative about your precious video game but that is reality when it comes to games and sequels and it's okay that I do not enjoy PoE 2. A video game gets one first impression, for me it was a bad one.

Difficulty. This game is a 24/7 butt clench fest. You are going to worry about death every single moment of this game. To me that alone deletes this game from my steam library. GET GUD isn't an equation when it comes to this kind of video game. You see I do not want to get good at a game I am not enjoying. No thanks.

On death effects. This ties into the above. It is the most unfun system of killing a player I have ever seen in a video game. It's basically just killing you for laughs and not a skill check at all. Especially since half the textures are displayed under foliage.

The maps in PoE 2. Probably the worst layouts I've seen in an ARPG. Giant ring maps with alcoves to surely make you miss a rare and backtrack for 100s of hours in total if you play this as your main game. The environments of the maps are equally as terrible. "Willow" map. I barely see 50% of the mobs I am killing. The trees don't even go away when they are on your screen. Just terrible. There are so many bad map designs like this that unless it gets a serious overhaul, no thanks, not a chance, not ever. Tree weaving simulator is not a fun game.

Portals. I am not a fan of 1 portal. This does not make the game unplayable for me. It makes it part of the 24/7 butt clench so worth mentioning as a negative.

Crafting. There is no crafting in this game. With how weighted mods work everything is there to make your items WORSE. MUCH WORSE (may as well get rid of chaos orbs they do nothing but instantly brick gear). As an example I spent 50 div on 20 pairs of 35% move speed boots and all 20 boots lost 35% move speed with 1 chaos orb. Fact. This is unacceptable.

Alteration orbs. Probably the most important crafting item in the history of PoE 1. GONE. This is not worth my time. Now crafting is ONLY RNG at every stage. Meaning there is no good crafting at all in this game. I have never played an ARPG without crafting so this just feels terrible and a reason again to not play.

Essences same issue. use a phys essence 100 times. I did. Guess how many hit leech on my white weapons? 68 of them!!!!!! 68/100 times my essence hit phys leech as life or mana. A worthless stat with how terrible leech is.

Honestly I could list 100 more things but I do not feel like being sad about this game anymore.

The end.

91 Ranger calling it quits.


(funny part is I am quitting this to beat Elden Ring again, a game that SHOULD clench your butt)

Honestly I think you have great points.
I personally will play the game through, once it is released, and then go back to POE 1. POE 2 is not for me.

1.)

"

Difficulty. This game is a 24/7 butt clench fest. You are going to worry about death every single moment of this game. To me that alone deletes this game from my steam library. GET GUD isn't an equation when it comes to this kind of video game. You see I do not want to get good at a game I am not enjoying. No thanks.

Sadly the game was designed specifically for hardcore players.
(The original audience for POE 1, that most players have forgotten about)
Therefore I don't think GGG will be changing this formula for this game.

2.)

"

The maps in PoE 2. Probably the worst layouts I've seen in an ARPG. Giant ring maps with alcoves to surely make you miss a rare and backtrack for 100s of hours in total if you play this as your main game. The environments of the maps are equally as terrible. "Willow" map. I barely see 50% of the mobs I am killing. The trees don't even go away when they are on your screen. Just terrible. There are so many bad map designs like this that unless it gets a serious overhaul, no thanks, not a chance, not ever. Tree weaving simulator is not a fun game.

I honestly do not know why they did this.
The maps remind me of the awful Diablo 4 maps, when Diablo 4 first came out.
I think this will be iterated on and changed for the better.
We just need more people to speak up regarding map layout.

3.)

"

Portals. I am not a fan of 1 portal. This does not make the game unplayable for me. It makes it part of the 24/7 butt clench so worth mentioning as a negative.

I agree that this is 100% not fun, and is making it impossible for some of my friends to complete maps. One disconnect or freeze and you are instantly out of a map and lose all progress.

I don't know of ANY ARPG game that does this.
It is not fun design.

4.)

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Crafting. There is no crafting in this game. With how weighted mods work everything is there to make your items WORSE. MUCH WORSE (may as well get rid of chaos orbs they do nothing but instantly brick gear). As an example I spent 50 div on 20 pairs of 35% move speed boots and all 20 boots lost 35% move speed with 1 chaos orb. Fact. This is unacceptable.

Crafting is a bit touchy.
Some people love it while others hate it.

Crafting in POE 1 was much too complex for newer players, but added great depth to the game. (POE PHD Meme anyone?)

I feel as if they oversimplified crafting in POE 2, which is great for new players, but makes it very difficult in SSF and endgame as you are so dependent on getting lucky and finding an upgrade via drops.

It also, invariably, means that it's much more difficult for non-caster classes, which are more dependent on weapon upgrades to level throughout the campain.
(Stuck on a boss? Not able to find a weapon upgrade? Tough luck.)

I appreciate you taking the time to read this and comment. I think these are important things for GGG to work on. Or maybe they are not and I am just not the target audience. A 4000 hour poe 1 player. Shrug.

Sounds like you really enjoy ARPGs (I still play Grim Dawn as well; looking forward to Fangs of Asterkarn), so I'd recommend waiting a few months for GGG to add in all the missing classes, weapons, skill, supports, and do quite a few balance passes and then maybe see what the game is like closer to the 1.0 launch. Maps are the least tested part of the beta (technically, I'd still call it an alpha) and it shows. I suspect we'll see a number of large sweeping changes to the game over the next few months, similar to when PoE1 was in beta.

"

CycloneJack#6077 wrote:

Sounds like you really enjoy ARPGs (I still play Grim Dawn as well; looking forward to Fangs of Asterkarn), so I'd recommend waiting a few months for GGG to add in all the missing classes, weapons, skill, supports, and do quite a few balance passes and then maybe see what the game is like closer to the 1.0 launch. Maps are the least tested part of the beta (technically, I'd still call it an alpha) and it shows. I suspect we'll see a number of large sweeping changes to the game over the next few months, similar to when PoE1 was in beta.

I love ARPG a lot. The older I get the more it's become my main genre. That said I am still good at FPS games and have a 3.0 K/D in Apex legends and a 25 kill game. But ARPG are where I go to RELAX, game and enjoy the loot!
Fangs of Asterkarn looks awesome. I am actually waiting to see if they bundle up some of the other xpacs as I own about half of them so far!

I do imagine coming to check out PoE 2 again in 6 months or so. But who knows, so many games that are "FUN" and I just am not feeling any fun in poe2 as is. So it's doubtful. I am 100x more excited for the next poe 1 league!!! Especially with the influx of poe 2 players!

I started poe 1 in alpha, so I have been here since the dawn of it and seen it's changes. Several years I did not play. Then when Delve came it became my favorite game of all time. Not because of Delve, just the state of the game was amazing to me and I was hooked! Still am!

Here's to wishful thinking about poe 2's future. Cause I surely wish it success it's just not succesful to my fun.

What about PRGP "PauseRPG's?"

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benzman9001#5398 wrote:

What about PRGP "PauseRPG's?"

Unsure what those are? Give me a few examples perhaps? Always looking for new things to try and play. I am full time handicapable so infinite video game time ha.

If you mean like Forgotten Realms, Baldurs gate etc. I love and play all of them. It was my start to RPG games on PC. Not my fav genre anymore but I do enjoy them still!

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benzman9001#5398 wrote:

What about PRGP "PauseRPG's?"

Do you mean a bit like the original Dragon Age, where you can play realtime or pause the game to issue commands and have it become tactical?

Great feedback and well written. No unnecessary rant, just your experience with the game. Wish that everyone would just do this, instead of flaming and demanding.

That said, I can agree with most of your points. I may not see it as critical as you, because I still have fun with PoE2, BUT it certainly has weaknesses I would like to see adressed as well.

About your crafting experience, I suggested an orb of permanence. If you're interested, here is the thread:
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3650256
At least it would solve your problem that your boots lost their 35% movement speed modifier. I also suggested to reintroduce Orb of Alteration. It was always good to have...

These are all really good points. I agree with all of it.