Content Update 0.4.0 — Path of Exile 2: The Last of the Druids

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Witchbane now has Enemies have Maximum Concentration equal to 30% of their Maximum Life (previously 40%). This is a buff.

But the enemies' life in endgame will be 40% more now, so the change will be same as if it was 42% of current enemies' life, so you'll have to do more damage than you need currently. Is there something I'm missing?

"Gemini Bow now has 1.15 Attacks per second (Previously 1.1), now has the implicit: +50% Surpassing chance to fire an additional Projectile (Previously Bow Attacks fire an additional arrow)."

Does this affect new bows or existing ones as well?

unnerf the crabs you cowards! I want the new players to feel the same pain I did in 0.1!

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Fereshkan#0519 wrote:

unnerf the crabs you cowards! I want the new players to feel the same pain I did in 0.1!

Great comment... I would like you to be one of the nominees for the "stupidest comment of the day" award.

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grimmreap08#7540 wrote:

Oh look a whole host of nerfs that kill everyone's build! And removed all forms of deterministic crafting. I should have known better with this being GGG. Uninstalling this again until they decide that players actually like to have fun not struggle 24/7... So dissapointed that the only build i made that actually functions in standard will no longer function as of tomorrow...

Game was too easy, i would go any class and beat t16's without bothering upgrading my gear after "early level of crafing"(i tried multiple classes not the ranger deadeye LA). So yeah the nerfs were required.

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So, staves so far before 0.4...
- worse offence because of -1 to levels
- zero defence what focus can give you
- ZERO benefits from the tree (especially the lack of defence hurts)
- the lack of flexibility wand+focus can give you
- the lack of resistances focus can give you
- Spellslinger

Ok, this took me a little longer to think about because I played a bloodmage with a staff but didn't really look at how to 100% minmax until now(I didn't really care).

For gem levels specifically, looking at the absolute best options(corrupted/sanctified gear) we've had:
- 0.2 -
Staff: +7 specific spells
Wand+Focus: +5 specific(wand) +2 all(focus)
- 0.3 -
Staff: +11 (+7 affix, +8 with sanctify, +3 runes on an exceptional base, though +10 total is more reasonable)
Wand+Focus: +12 (+5 wand affix, +3 if corrupted exceptional base for 3 runes, or +2 runes +1 sanctified for non-exceptional, +4 from sanctified perfect essence focus)
- 0.4 -
Staff: +11, same as 0.3
Wand+Focus: +10 (+8 from wand, either sanct 2 runes or corrupted 3 runes, +2 from focus, sanctify only does anything for +3 or higher)

So what really broke the balance was Perfect Essence of Sorcery, which for whatever reason didn't care that normally focus can only roll +2 to spells(this hasn't been changed since 0.1). I don't understand why they just added a 100% deterministic way to get a stronger mod than the highest tier you could randomly roll to begin with, that was stupid. Then there was also the Omen of Sanctification, which rounds up, and therefore only works on +3 levels or higher, so the essence was effectively giving 2 whole levels because it made the omen work on foci.

On top of that, if you rolled your focus for full offense you ended up with 40% higher inc spell damage rolls(169 vs 218), 20% higher cast speed(52 vs 67), crit chance and crit dmg rolls.

Now, with focus only rolling T3 spell damage and lower and losing 2 levels from sanctified focus, BiS staves will actually have +1 level and slightly higher spell damage, but slightly less cast speed and crit over BiS wand+focus.

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TomPo75#7422 wrote:

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0psych0#6828 wrote:

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+5 levels on wand +3 levels on focus = 8 and 8 > 6 you can get on staff. Simple.
Staffs are worse offensively, and on top, you lose defense from focus.

Focus can roll up to +2 now, and staff could always roll up to +7, which could be sanctified to +8 in 0.3, and even had 1 more socket for +1 spell level runes. Wand+focus could get you a bit of defenses, or marginally higher damage if you rolled full offense on your focus. With the new buffs staves are just better for pure offense.

But hey, what do I know, some streamer a few months ago said staves are garbage, they must be right.

Yes, it's +8 vs +7 - my bad. Still... 8 > 7
I don't need streammers (I don't watch)... PoB is enough for me to know that staves were worse.

Now, with +2 on Focus this will be more equal but wand+focus still will be better because of defence on focus you can't get on on staves and/or more offence on focus, so you have flexibility of choice depending of your needs which staves won't give you.

Wand+focus was an obvious choice so that's why people were using them and not because someone said it (whoever it was).

The problem is with +levels mod which shouldn't exist because it is mandatory and totally OP mod you have to have - this is just a bad design.

Also in PoE1 having a Staff can give you tons of defence from the tree (just search for staff/staves on PoE1 tree) and now go and search for staff/staves on the PoE2 tree... yeah... now you should understand the problem.

So, staves so far before 0.4...
- worse offence because of -1 to levels
- zero defence what focus can give you
- ZERO benefits from the tree (especially the lack of defence hurts)
- the lack of flexibility wand+focus can give you
- the lack of resistances focus can give you
- Spellslinger

So yes... looks like this streamer was right but I don't need her/him to tell me this, because it was obvious.
Let's wait and see, maybe new staves and new tree will change this but I doubt it.

Staff can roll spirit so there is that. Also freezing shards is goated.

Come on guys, everyday like butchers you are butchering whatever you can get your hands onto.

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Baloch#1592 wrote:

Come on guys, everyday like butchers you are butchering whatever you can get your hands onto.

Which is good for the game. There will be new outliners. New OP builds.

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laosalpha#7565 wrote:

What's the point on releasing patch notes on reveal stream, if later on you post several more nerfs that changes builds

After the patch notes, the developers watch streamers who say which builds are still OP and haven't been touched, and make changes to the patch.