Trading completely invalidates my motivation to play game. SSF loot is bad.

My personal feedback (new PoE player):

I love almost everything about the game in terms of gameplay. Currently in act 1 cruel (cold sorc).

After i made my first trade in act 3 normal, i realized that i lost all incentive i had for looting items. With few exalts, i can buy much better gear that i find in 10 hours of gameplay.

But if you play SSF, you can just feel that game balance is designed around trading. I cannot find or craft upgrades for most items in half the campaign.

If SSF mode would actually have slightly better loot (or smarter loot better targeted to your character) - and would not be transferable to Standard, game would be perfect for me.

That's also my experience. When I buy a new weapon from soneone, it feels great for 5 minutes, because the dps goes u p. But shortly after that, I realize I don't look for loot anymore. I'm not happy about rares and only care for exalted, because I can trade these for better gear. But it still leaves that bitter "I didn't do it myself" taste. And as soon as I try to play the game solo and not relying on trade, it just feels way to grindy. I haven't found a single good rare yet in 130 hours playtime. Everything is mediocre at best and usually disenchanted/sold as soon as I go back to trade for better stuff. For 1ex, I can get items that are twice or thrise as good as my current gear.

I really hope GGG will introduce a true SSF mode. That means, once SSF, you can't get out of it. You have incredible increased drop rates, but you have to do everything alone. That would be a really good experience for me.

SFF really has a bad baseline. I have a total of 5 Sorcs on two accounts (also play the Taiwan version, for reasons) all playing without trade.

Two of the Sorcs had a really bad time getting items that aren't just borderline garbage, the other two were meh but still just overall a bad experience, and only one (which is also the latest one) that for some reason was very lucky with loot that had better gear at level 50 than my level 72 one.

I really feel the SSF baseline needs to be improved vastly, even if it was only for the campaign.

GGG should have implemented something like Circle of Fortune from Last Epoch, however you can no longer migrate to trade league to prevent abuse.

Exact same situation here. Using exalts to craft feel terrible when they have a 99% chance to brick and can so easily be used for buying upgrades. I want to find my own gear, but the acquisition rate is horrendous.

Even in PoE1 I always taught the game needs some system to improve SSF loot. The

Last Epoch implementation of Circle of Fortune is one possible solution that would benefit SSF of PoE2 greatly.

However different to Last Epoch that solution needs to be something we can interact with from the campaign, if not the start than Act2 or 3 at the latest in my humble opinion.

People have been saying this for over 10 years. Are they ready to listen? Doubtful.

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bewilder2#0356 wrote:

GGG should have implemented something like Circle of Fortune from Last Epoch, however you can no longer migrate to trade league to prevent abuse.

I second this.

I know GGG and most people around here embrace trade, but I'm not one of them. Being able to purchase well-rolled ilvl x+20 gear while I'm in zone level x trivializes the game and removes all necessity of balancing drop rates.

Meanwhile SSF has no compensation but bragging rights and people who can't play 24/7 starve for drops.

For all you SSF'rs ova hea' -- thoughts on buffing SSF loot..? --->https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3701413 :):)

SSF should be the game mode.

Then you can go harder with hardcore.
or
Go easy mode with trade league.


Trade for people who just want to gear up burn the game and move on.
SSF for those who enjoy the loot hunt and craft.
Hardcore for those who like to nail their foreskin to the wall.