Are we living a linear POE1 character experience with the illusion of choice?

I think this is balance inquiry/suggestion.

TLDR:(This is the conclusion i came to, so i just copy pasted it from the bottom)

Part of me feels as if the devs are creating poe2 classes as if they themselves are playing a poe1 character, so the characters design becomes a linear experience because that is effectively how you would build out a poe1 char "linearly", So the player are now effectively having a linear experience, instead of having the options that one would have if you were building the character out yourself (with the illusion of choice) if this makes any sense.] I'm not saying this is bad thing, i'm just pointing out that we lost the learning experience of meaningful choices, and this is some how creating a void in my experience. (don't get me wrong, i enjoy the act of playing poe2 more than poe1, im just pointing out a void forming in meaningful character progression that is becoming hard to ignore every time i make it to maps


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I noticed that by forcing weapons into specific elements it really limits diversity, and we all then have conform or gravitate towards a cookie cutter homogenized structure, to them get the items we need to then create the "build" we want after we have acquired the gear to do so.

I'm going to use an analogy to try and explain the issue i am feeling.
I feel like a good example is back in the day classic wow had a system where each class had their own uniqueness, they would have mechanics that were only availible to their class. Then over time blizzard starting giving all specific to class abilities to all classes and it didn't really matter what class you were you basically had access to all abilities and mechanics, effectively homogenizing all the classes into the same class, with just Appearance/Title/Flavor that separates them.

I feel like the way the weapons/skills are designed in this game we are all as players homogenized into a very specific pinnacle build that has very little variation.

Maybe i lack the perspective and understanding to progress my build further.

So what i would like to see, enter this game, is another subset of support or skill gems. The current system is just to limiting. They are adding the subsets of effects on the weapons and skills themselves that your are unable to change instead of you building out the skill yourself with more options. Limiting the player into 3 avenues, instead of 9+avenues.

I remember my feedback for poe1, When i played the beta i suggested that their passive tree was very limiting and their were not very many options, and i said "my favorite passive tree in any game every was the style in Final Fantasy X".

Your Welcome :P

Here is the change i would like to see Across the Board with all Weapon Skills.
We need the ability to change these Subset Effects.

Example, Shred for the Druid creates Ice Shards when attacking frozen enemies. These Ice Shards the effectiveness of these things in my build do nothing, they show up because i am forced into putting Lunar Assault on my bar, as it is a 1 push button that drastically increases my dps in the form of an ultimate regardless of even speccing into it.

OK I'm noticing its hard for me to really pinpoint it. but i think i am close.
I guess what I'm trying to say is the Multipliers are already per-loaded, and then only way for me to start blasting high tier maps is to lean into the per-loaded Cold damage baked into the class/weapon which doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out this design in my opinion lacks originality.

What I'm looking for is more avenues at endgame to lessen the per-loaded forced avenues, by circumventing many damage types baked into the Weapon/class abilities themselves to find different avenues of damage.

These Baked in Damage Types are creating a BALANCE gap in progression. Combine it with Currency rarity ETC and you are just going to create a linear progression system.
I think a modular approach would be much better when it comes to skill flair, not sure how doable that is from a development stand point.
Part of me feels as if the devs are creating poe2 classes as if they themselves are playing a poe1 character, so the characters become linear because that is effectively how you would build out a poe1 char, So the player is effectively having a linear experience, instead of having the options that one would have if you were building the character out yourself (but with the illusion of choice) if this makes any sense.

I have said my piece.
Good day.

Bugged and didnt post.

you will play how THEY want you too and you will like it
lol
follow the rails please, every build is the same in the end there is no real choice

follow the rails please

I don't have to much to add that you haven't already gone over, this is more in agreement. As someone who primarily likes to homebrew/experiment PoE1 is complete crack, PoE2 so far feels like if you go outside your classes archetype, you won't have fun and it will be a slog. This is shown by the style of buffs and nerfs, with meta builds seemingly left alone. I bet this is the case because it makes development easier (set of boxes to design around) and it brings in the more casual audience, "heres a build that works!" etc.


There are some niche interactions that turn into decent builds, until they get the ggg triple tap hah. PoE2 is clearly not the game for me as we have lost a lot of agency and i think at some point i will just not play anymore.


Let's hope PoE1 lives on for awhile longer.

bro poe1 character progression is not linear at all. look at poe ninja, every single build has like dozens of versions of how to build it. with different ascendancies, different passive tree setups/gear setups.
from meta builds of 3.27 only:
KBoC - necro/hierophant with dozens of various setups, especially with hiero
CWS - chief/pf/gladiator again with various setups
KB - again, warden/deadeye with various choices of gear

and you also need to optimize build for the content you farm, even simple choice between giga single target or giga aoe.

poo2 is dull, because passive tree gives nothing, most of ascendancies do not even have 4 viable big passives, all the skills are bound to weapons, constant nerfs of t2-3 builds which are not even near to being OP.
poo2's vision absolutely failed, poe1 is much better in terms of building and character progression

not to mention that in poo2 the only way to boost 99% of builds are + level of gems which literally lock you into rare gear with res and + level, and they still gut all the builds which can scale damage without using +level on every possible gear piece, like lifestack BM

I fixed it i just un specced every passive node that had anything to do with defense.

i guess i wasnt really clear on what i meant by linear. And i was struggling to convey bein pigeon holed into specific preset version of a character. I do understand that the way they are building these characters kind of forces it in to a very obvious preset version. Maybe i can break the veil, its just i feel like going off the normal feels more like swimming up stream. I am just hoping their will be more nuanced versioins of character damage types. But i do see avenues, i think i just fell for the defense trap, and was getting hard stuck, i had a nicely well rounded character but in the end i guess it is just full derp into damage and just ignore every other aspect of the game.

I am kinda at this stage with PoE2, some what new to PoE1 aswel so not upto date on troupes/ideas haha. Currently playing a chrono in early maps and almost anything slightly dangerous will probs one shot me or close to it, this has bricked a few maps/temples, starting to wonder why i bother with any defense since all i need to do is roll perfectly for a few mins heh.

POE1 skill and talent system is unbalanceable and very "magic the gathering " 90s style.

While it undeniably has alot of flavour, it is daunting for every new player and for the top 0.00000001% it may be fun to figure out a build, the rest of us just copy a build because we haver a real life to attend to.


Everytime they come up with a new skill or support they have to thing about 10000 uniques/passives if there could be a broken interaction.

While at the same time we have the ultra sweats who play on Path of building for a week to figure out the best build and then everyone follows this guide because in reality who has time to read trough patchnotes, craft a build, etc

GGG missed the core of ARPGs slaying monnsters and getting loot.

GGG has internal testers who NOlife this game but the casual player base gets left in the dirt.