I actually like this take a lot. I’m all for a more balanced approach to difficulty.
I wouldn’t mind Uber content requiring “near-perfect gear”, as long as the game provides the tools and progression to realistically get there.
I think there is a huge gap between our first 1 LP slams (early endgame) and near perfect slams (late endgame). Ideally, there should be more mid-to-late progression steps and content that gradually prepare players for pinnacle difficulty rather than just increasing corruption.
I agree there’s a risk there. Too many skips can shorten the lifecycle of a character and make players burn out faster or feel like there’s “nothing to do", so full skips might not be the best approach.
I like your suggestion, so rather than fully skipping we could get new shortcuts, different challenges or quests that give rewards you didn’t take from campaign (idols, attributes). That way, players still engage with meaningful content, but with more flexibility in how they progress rather than just bypassing it entirely.
That only comes with time. They’ve been adding those steps each season. First we got the woven stuff, then we got Havocs, now we get corruption. Little by little we’re getting new things that let us fill in steps in the progression and smooth the curve.
I’ve not read through the whole topic, just OP’s post, just beforehand.
Wanna give my 2 cents:
All which needs to be done has been said already. A dozen times even, since pre 1.0.
Fixing the Itemization progression. (End-game is atrocious there)
Fixing the Factions (the whole system is a dumpsterfire plainly spoken)
Fixing the crafting (It’s pure korean-style gambling currently, which is detrimental long-term)
Removing crafting options outside of your ‘recovery place’ (Town, in-between Monoliths). Those cause exhaustion, itemize them for usage at base.
All else is secondary, those are the primary issues.
And plainly spoken I’m just mentioning them to mention them, not bothering with discussing anymore as it’s always the same players which then get Alzheimers about the comments made before by people which were bashed on but for some ‘surprising’ reason upheld.
Until EHG gets the sticks out of their asses and works on what is priority rather then some lofty dreams nobody cares about it won’t change, simple as that.
That includes not being prime examples of ‘Brook’s Law’ (look it up for those interested) first and foremost. Solidifying their business rather then this wasteful conduct which is spitting into the face of their customers plainly spoken.
They’ve been made aware and keep it up, hence I can’t call it different.
OK, guys, I really don’t care about all the “upcoming” changes… I didn’t even went through all of these…
I had enough!
After a painful death in a monolith trying to place into a F&^%ING egg an item and after clearing everything around (except a boss reaching me from half the map away and one-shotting me), I STOP HERE AND NOW!!!
After 126.3 hours of playing only during the last two weeks, after leveling 14 different builds, after playing this game for five years, after chat-fighting in favour of this game vs the hateful POE2, I stop here… UNTIL I learn that the game PAUSES at least WHEN PLACING AN ITEM IN THE EFFING EGG!!!
Jesus…!
Sorry for the rant… I love LE…
Now back to spend my playing time to Titan Quest !!, Grim Dawn and World of Warships…
The foundation of the game is messed up and unless that’s fixed no amount of content will imrpove it substantially enough.
And balancing is impossible if the base premise that balance is based on changes substantially either.
That’s the point we’re at.
The company is expanding while the customer-base is shrinking, and EHG sold because they basically went bancrupt from mismanagement before.
How is this in any way/shape or form sustainable what they do? It’s a titanic situation we’re in at the moment plainly spoken. The question is just how far away the iceberg still is… and people blabber about the distance rather then pushing the captain to take damn action.
