PoE vs Diablo 2 - Why D2 is still better

First up. I really like the currency system implemented in PoE. Throughout D3's development I was extremely AVID about why going with GOLD as currency was a horrible idea (my forum name was Rickymm3/fr0st2k on the new/old forums).

I fought with 'bashiok' for literally ... years.

Anyway, i just wanted to point out how much time i've spent thinking about what would make a great ARPG. Currency is number 1, and I think PoE does it well.

However, as my title clearly states, I still think D2 is better: Why?

1. In D2, you could 'rush' a char from 1 to 70 in just a few hours and start MFing

2. The uniques are more 'unique.'

Starting with 1. With respec points, and the general statement suggesting you often would be better off rerolling if you screwed up your build, PoE strolls down the same path as D2. I like it, because you 'collect' characters and its much more tied to your build. No need to go into it further, as I'm sure there are plenty enough debates against both D2/PoE and D3's decision.

The main difference is that in PoE it takes a LOT longer to level up your character. To the point where it gets tedious, annoying, and frustrating.

The main focus of an ARPG isn't leveling, its FINDING ITEMS...so why have I been playing this game for the last month and SOLELY been leveling. I'm about 10 deaths in merciless from quitting. I'm just sick and tired of it.

Get me to 65-70 FAST and let me start finding items. There is absolutely NO REASON that it should take more than 5-10 hours to level up to 70. Thats number one.

The second reason D2 is still better is because their unique items are better. I personally don't even think the D2 team understands why their uniques were so great.

Uniques should have two main purposes. If item quality and its rarity was mapped out on a chart from not rare -> rare...uniques would fill the early point of the exponential rise, and then litter the rest.

That is, the non-rare ones should help outfit a new character with the right stats to let them MF in early mf zones. Then, as you find new items, you replace them slowly with better rares, or even better uniques.

Uniques are the glue of the economy. But in PoE, even the same unique varies so wildly in terms of usefulness that they just make things even more confusing. Let me state that as clearly as I can. The uniques in Path need to be completely overhauled.

They need to have static linked sockets (at least on some of the better ones). Then, there needs to be less variation in terms of specific uniques. That way, players know to look for some of the better early uniques, and actually feel good that they found one.

You parse out the good and bad unique items by static and dynamic stats, not by ilvl. That way, when youre building a unique, you can put a static stat like, "IIQ" and another useful stat that is random.

Please think about this. I assure you, despite what the fanboys who will inevitably litter this thread and disagree, that this is the best way to complete your game.

Thanks!

I'd have to disagree on both actually.

1. This means in D2, you were basically skipping nearly all of the actual content of the game because the only part worth playing at all was the end-game(and even that came down to just running the same area or small number of areas over and over and over and over....)

In PoE, it's actually fun to PLAY the game. All of it. Maybe this will change in a few years when I've done it on a few thousand characters, but for now I still enjoy trying out all the different build types.

2. There are a number of different types of uniques in PoE. A few are just flar our best in slot endgame items, but not many. Many are good items for leveling, maybe even close to the best ones you'll have for 20 levels or so but worthless at endgame. Some are seemingly useless for most characters but designed to work very well with one specific type of build or even to make entirely new builds possible.

As for sockets, you can always rerolls those until you get the ones you need, so I don't think they need to be fixed.

Purpouse of any good game is challange and seems like you want to skip that part completely.

I think best part about poe is leveling especially solo where you can't get carried in group zerging everything.

Downside of this is that it takes long time and you can't test out many different builds (unless you play this 16 hours per day where I play only 1-2).


I think it's boring that you can get carried for all bosses in this game and just farm ledge/docks for lvling until you are 70 level in group zerging for xp clearing it in 3 minutes.

What is purpouse of endgame if you are allmost immortal and you have nothing to do being 90 level with all best items in slot? This isn't game about endgame like it's in wow. It's about progress in my opinion.

My rules are:

1. Don't trade
2. Don't get carried on bosses
3. 3ppl party max on content you can farm solo.

Interesting perspective that you have. I disagree on the first but somewhat agree on the second.

1.) It only takes 48 hours to level to 70. That's how long it takes me starting with 0 gear. And even still, I think that's a large overstatement. Regardless, is that really such an incredible arduous journey? I mean seriously? It's only 2 days. You might think that's a lot but for a 4 month league, or permanent league, it's really a 1-time thing. And honestly this game is targetted at players who play hours on end. If you're not ready to commit to that don't play.

2.) I agree the majority of uniques in PoE are bad. But I believe it's just that the entire item system is kind of a clusterfuck. Most games I play have multiple item tiers (common, normal, unique, mythical, legendary, and generally set). PoE simplifies this to common, blue, rare, and unique (4 to 6). If you look at Din's Curse (Soldak Entertainment games) they take it pretty far, (normal, common, rare, very rare, unique, artifact, legendary (7 total)).

I think PoE would be better with an item tier inbetween unique and rare. If I were to think about how Soldak does it in their games, even something like having uniques with item levels 16 or more higher than the base level of the unique could generate a random attribute. Like for example, an ilvl 79 koam's sign could roll 4 more mods. Meh, just random food for thought.

Well that is your opinion threadstarter. I consider this game superior to Diablo 2.

What is the fun in rushing your character to level 70. The fun lies in the journey towards that level. Keep in mind that the actual game length in terms of acts is not finished yet !!!

It might be tedious for YOU but not for SOMEONE ELSE.

Uniques dont have to be the best but they all have some specific purpose. There are many of them which enables tons of options.

EDIT: Actually the reason why you think uniques are bad is tied with the fact you just want to rush to level 70. Think about it.

"

Goredeath wrote:

My rules are:

1. Don't trade
2. Don't get carried on bosses
3. 3ppl party max on content you can farm solo.

+1



What makes POE > D2?
You can be totally OP one minute/map/area and totally owned in the next. Never felt that in D2. I was always OP, which was fun! . . . for a while.

Please explain why you feel that uniques need static and dynamic stats? Dynamic stats just make the unique more like a rare....

Isn't that part of the reason uniques were so boring in D3? Because they were glorified uninteresting rares???

Actually,I'm not going to say either is better.They have a different approach to gameplay and don't really compete against each other.

If in POE was made to play like D2 I probably wouldn't play it at all,because likely D2 would do it better.

I'm thankfull because they are so different from each other I can still play both for a completely different experience,not always a good experience (for both) but different none the less.

Only an odd few uniques in D2 were interesting,it was the runewords that had most of the build defining items.Even then I don't think they were necessarily better than POE a lot of them just gave skills to other classes - you get this anyway in POE.Some were Procing another skill/spell on attack,POE has started to add this,not only that but they are unique spells/skills unlike D2 which reuses the same ones from the skill tree.

Anyway it's just an opinion and POE is following a game where things have already been done so it is a lot harder to make things seem fresh.If POE had come before D2 how would things of looked.

I find it funny the word "unique" is defined as "Being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else."

No where does that say the best.