Progression Vent

General
1

Since July 2023 all I do is play sentinel. I find all the other classes boring, I like to struggle and make the melee work for me. I like Melee. (BTW, I have tried other classes)

I have played Sentinel, FG, VK and Pala to 300 + corr and have no reason to go further with corr. My biggest gripe with the game currently is the loot wall and being unable to progress the class anymore without constantly changing passives and build design to attempt higher corr.

The biggest problem with any class is going to be the fact thereā€™s nothing to do outside of grinding for perfect uniques you will never get. Thereā€™s no reason to go further than 300 corr, in fact if your class gets to 300 corr then congrats, you made a good build.

What we need is more fun for our classes when weā€™re stuck from progressing. Thereā€™s just not enough loot in this game for end game, and thereā€™s too many shards and glyphs that theyā€™re pointless now. Thereā€™s just not enough reason to grind for LP 4 either. Iā€™ve been fine making due with LP2 and LP3 - especially being able to buy them from MG. The only struggle I have left then is corruptionā€¦

Example; Paladin level 98, Palarus smite build. I have decent healing and lightning damage, but why am I playing? Because itā€™s fun, I can destroy everything and stay alive at corr 100 - 200. 300 corr starts to get crazy, you try to adjust for the changes and question your sanity. (I donā€™t use pre-builds) Then I ask myself why go further? Iā€™m having fun at 200 corr. Am I maxxed out? Then I realize Iā€™m at the end, I canā€™t go any further - Itā€™s game over essentially unless I want to keep grinding corr or buying MTX. Then I make a new character, and this cycle continues, and it works well with seasons - except this season is going on forever - the event is now boring and can end any day now and Iā€™d be fine with that. (I have so many shards and pointless uniques)

I create a Void Knight, my third VK. Iā€™m having fun again, in fact even more fun and Iā€™m thinking once Iā€™m done with this VK Iā€™ll try FG again. But every class seems to hit this wall, the only thing to do is grind corr - I just have nothing else to do but create new characters, itā€™s the funnest part of the game, corr isnā€™t. Orobyss is so easy to kill now, but Harbringers are horrible and yet easy to kill.

Conclusion, Iā€™m not saying Last Epoch is a bad game because of all this, Iā€™m just saying Iā€™ve done all I can do and get at this point. Are you feeling this way too? Hopefully the stuff down the road will provide more class progression options, and from what Iā€™ve seen on the roadmap, itā€™s most likely.

2

So youā€™re having fun playing the game with new characters, you set yourself a reasonable finish line (300c) for each new character, and you do something new after you reach the finish line you set.

Whereā€™s the problem then?

Once you run out of ideas for builds, there are other melee classes too. And in case you wonā€™t like other classes, you can switch games. Everything you described sounds like normal gaming to me.

There really is no reason to go beyond 300c. Other than gear, favor and internet bragging rights nobody cares aboutā€¦

But maybe you should consider the satisfaction from overcoming this ā€œwallā€ with one of your self-made builds. You said you like to struggle. :slight_smile:

5 Likes
3

Uhm, ok

4

For example in my opinion there is no reason to go above 500c, because there is soft cap on drop rate bonus. The final destination of a build for me is defeating aberroth with itā€¦ but sentinels or melee in general struggle with it hardly. So maybe this goal is not reasonableā€¦ idk :tipping_hand_woman:

5

Oh yes I agree, thatā€™s a goal. I havenā€™t gotten that far - I watched a video on the Abberoth fight and knew right away I wanted nothing to do with it.

6

Have you considered Arena and the leaderboards? How about multiplayer and helping new players progress?

7

Psojed gave a very good response. You seem to fall into the same camp as me when it comes to Diablo-clones, where you enjoy the journey rather than the destination. Once my build ā€œcomes onlineā€ I rarely find myself interested in pushing it further, sometimes I wonā€™t even finish the campaign on a character because Iā€™ve seen how the build plays in practice and how it compared to how it worked in theory when I was planning it and I donā€™t care to see if it can even do 50 corruption, let alone 300.

Thankfully, this genre has near limitless build variety, LE is one of the best in this regard. So like Psojed said, try playing other classes in melee as they are all melee viable and coming up with new builds to see how they perform. There doesnā€™t need to be an endless grind if you donā€™t want there to be one. The fun you get from leveling new characters and playing new builds is where you find enjoyment and thatā€™s fine.

2 Likes
8

No way, arena is awful and I donā€™t care about leaderboards - also I try to avoid grouping unless its spontaneously something I want to do. I definitely donā€™t click well with this community but some people have been nice and Iā€™ve helped a few players along the way.

What Iā€™ve noticed mostly about the community so far is begging, and showing off item drops or asking technical questions about bugs or when new content is coming. Other than that, the community is mostly a-holes and trolls and complainers like me I guess.

9

Yes, I very much like the journey and becoming more powerful until itā€™s not anymore - minus the corruption push. I like building a lot and I have played other melee classes, I just prefer Sentinel.

Yes, pretty much how I am playing LE right now is just making new characters until Iā€™m done with them or they fail 100 corr. The feeling of defeat is awful when you were having fun in normal and then suddenly youā€™re struggling, it really feels bad. I like to go in blind and build something that does make it to 300 corr, At this point, when a build I make as a sentinel does well at 100 corr I know it will be good because Iā€™m used to that class passives, and abilities already.

10

Thatā€™s not very niceā€¦

11

Usually, when everyone around you is an arseholeā€¦ Wellā€¦

12

I really hate this quote. Like really, really, really, hate this quote.

The actual quote is something like, ā€œif you have a problem with everyone and everything around you, maybe you are the problem.ā€ as a matter of perspective. People changed it to ā€œif you think everyone else is an asshole/arsehole, that means youā€™re one.ā€ which isnā€™t the point of the original quote at all. But even the original quote was just a way of saying ā€œhey, try looking at things differentlyā€ and not saying ā€œitā€™s you, hi, youā€™re the problemā€.

I grew up in a household with two toxic narcissist parents who molded my sister into their perfect little princess who could do no wrong, and even when she was clearly the antagonist in situations, I was blamed. So I had a problem with everyone in my household, but the problem was not me. The problem was the toxic manipulation from my sister and parents. I literally got in trouble because my sister tried to sneak out and broke a screen on the window. The reasoning was, ā€œyou should have known she was sneaking out, youā€™re her older brother.ā€, if that gives you an idea of how fucked that house was. Iā€™m in my 30s now and cut contact with them all ~2 years ago.

Iā€™m done with my back story, but the quote is used as ammunition against people by telling them that theyā€™re the problem, and by that definition I would have been the problem in my family. And sure, they would have said the same thing. I didnā€™t bow down to them and conform and that made me the problem in their toxic little family dynamic, but I donā€™t think it applies to OP either.

They said:

Acknowledging that theyā€™re being a complainer, but also pointing out aspects of the community that anyone whoā€™s spent any time in Online, on this forum, or God forbid the Steam Forums/Reddit will tell you. A few weeks ago was someone complaining (noted by OP) that people were begging (noted by OP) for TPs to the faction locations on new characters. Iā€™ve not seen much item bragging, but I donā€™t doubt it happens. But thereā€™s plenty of people asking about technical questions, skill interactions, and if something is intended to work a certain way or if itā€™s a bug (which in this game is a often a 50/50).

So, no, I donā€™t think OP is someone who sees asshole everywhere because heā€™s an asshole. I see OP as someone whoā€™s actually interacted with the community and has pointed out the mostly negative parts that, again, anyone would agree with unless they have their head in the sand. Was it a generalized sweeping statement? Yes. Did it accurately cover the vast majority of the vocal community, also yes. Does everyone in the community fit in that broad sweep? Obviously not.

13

I agree, I think we all agree LE needs more things to do in end game.

14

The devs have said that there is more coming for the end game, as well as the last 2-3 chapters of the story line. Hereā€™s looking to the future.

2 Likes
15

Iā€™m just not sure what end game content would make LE better.

Standard Diablo-clone end game consists of Endless Content (Empowered Monos/Corruption, Shattered Realms, Greater Rifts, etc.), repeatable content (Dungeons, Maps, Rifts, Roguelike Dungeons in GD), and/or Boss/Mob Farming for MIs or their equivalents. There may also be something like LEā€™s arena but this isnā€™t standard.

LE has all of this content already, it could be expanded upon, but shy of adding raid bosses (please, no), I canā€™t think of other endgame activities that fit in this genre.

Iā€™m not an expert game designer, so I could be missing something. What end-game activities are you looking for?

Edit: I realize this could be read with snark, I donā€™t mean it that way, Iā€™m genuinely trying to open discussion lol

16

Look at what POE is doing. Create your own town, build your own shops etc. Tons you could do with this alone.

LEā€™s dungeons are not very good, everyone farms monos or does Julra when they have to forge, no one really does the other two. More and better dungeons.

Monos are VERY samey. I could plunk you down in a mono and challenge you to really know which age you where in. The monsters and terrain are too generic.

An easy win would be to have increased difficulties for the campain. Let us run the camp again with x2 x4 x8 difficulty and corisponing rewardsā€¦

Thats just a few ideas off the top of my head.

17

I think a system like Wolcenā€™s where you rebuild the town, but it would be expanding on the End of Time area could be neat.

More dungeons would definitely be neat. And expanding on the current ones is already planned from what I remember.

I can vibe with that. I donā€™t normally care if theyā€™re samey, but having them be more themed around the timeline could be nice, could also be tiring if youā€™re just trying to get through it and youā€™re always in similarly themed zones (like the winter timeline always putting you in the icy maps could get old) thereā€™s definitely a better option than the current one though.

This is definitely my pick, move away from the Games as a Service Model and lean back into the D2, GD, TQ method of repeating the campaign on higher difficulties as a form of progression. Even if itā€™s not the only option.

1 Like
18

You donā€™t need to add a different endgame mechanic. You can still add ā€œEndless Contentā€ and ā€œRepeatable Contentā€, just do as PoE did and add many different systems for each. PoE has lots of repeatable content and you pick the one you like best. As long as the gameplay feels different, itā€™s enough to simply have variety.

If something like this ever comes to LE, I hope itā€™s 100% optional. I hate builder games.

Both are planned.

Next season will have a mono expansion, so letā€™s see if that is enough to make them more interesting.

If itā€™s mandatory a lot of people will complain about it. They already complain about doing it once.
If itā€™s not mandatory, most people wonā€™t run them in higher difficulties.

19

I just want to play at the level im having fun at through content that isnt pushing corr.

I like echos, and the rewards. I just want something that is not monos or dungeons, so probably more story area and area to just challenge me without using corr as that difficulty marker. And then like event quests like echos.

20

I would love to see long, difficult, multiplayer dungeons. Something to incentive 4player parties.