The other PoE
BelgarathMTH
Member Posts: 5,653
Hi, I got into the mood yesterday to play an action RPG, so I decided to finally give Path of Exile a try. I was wondering if any other forumites here are fans?
I've barely started, but I'm impressed so far. It certainly has the most interesting and complicated skill build tree I've seen in an aRPG. I'm excited to explore it and learn more.
There are some benefits to "coming to the party late" with fantasy computer games. Path of Exile is now in a highly tweaked and polished state, that I get to enjoy on my first playthrough(s).
It's a mmorpg, but it's easy to completely hide the chat window and totally ignore other players if desired. So far, the single player game stands alone quite well, that is, it plays more like Diablo than World of Warcraft. I'm only seeing other players at the waypoints. I believe it instances all the adventure maps for you, and you only go in with other players if you agree to it, and set up a group using multiplayer control settings. I've been doing all my adventuring in single player mode.
@Heindrich, if you get into the mood for another Diablo-style game, you might like this.
So, does anyone else play "the other PoE"?
I've barely started, but I'm impressed so far. It certainly has the most interesting and complicated skill build tree I've seen in an aRPG. I'm excited to explore it and learn more.
There are some benefits to "coming to the party late" with fantasy computer games. Path of Exile is now in a highly tweaked and polished state, that I get to enjoy on my first playthrough(s).
It's a mmorpg, but it's easy to completely hide the chat window and totally ignore other players if desired. So far, the single player game stands alone quite well, that is, it plays more like Diablo than World of Warcraft. I'm only seeing other players at the waypoints. I believe it instances all the adventure maps for you, and you only go in with other players if you agree to it, and set up a group using multiplayer control settings. I've been doing all my adventuring in single player mode.
@Heindrich, if you get into the mood for another Diablo-style game, you might like this.
So, does anyone else play "the other PoE"?
4
Comments
So while I appreciate just how much work went into that skill tree (which is completely overwhelming) and the other novel ideas they have come up with, it's too much for me in that genre. I have no interest in trading, and it's essentially required. I don't generally like Free to Play games to begin with, even though Path of Exile is far better in this regard than almost anybody else.
Ultimately for me, it was too hardcore. It's touted as Diablo 2's spiritual successor, but they ramped it up too many notches. If anyone is looking for a great Diablo clone, I urge checking out Grim Dawn, which is nearing completion and has early-access. It's by the Titan Quest folks (in my opinion the best non-Diablo ARPG ever made). Sort of a Victorian Zombie Apocalypse put through the Lovecraft blender (though you could use that description for alot of games I suppose). Anyway, if you are familiar with Titan Quest, you'll appreciate the way they handle the class system.
Meanwhile, back to PoE, all the info I can find at various websites says you don't really have to trade or buy anything, and that most of that stuff is decorative and vanity-oriented.
I can't really deny your claim until I get further in the game, though. I'm still in the beginners' area. Were you trying to compete with other players and get your name on the leaderboards and that kind of thing?
So far I'm enjoying it just fine by myself. But I have heard there's a really bad difficulty spike coming. I'll share my experiences when I get further into it.
As for Titan Quest, I bought it on a similar sale last year. Great game, I actually would maintain that it is probably better than D2 in many respects. I love the system that has you pick two specs and that in turn determines your class. So many options. Grim Dawn is doing the same thing in a grittier setting, though it worth noting it isn't quiet finished yet, but it's getting there.
From my templar's starting place on the skill tree, I could see I had a path of intellect and a path of strength immediately available. The path of strength led me to an "arrival circle" where I could increase mana, health, armor, and energy shield, so I went that way long enough to stop feeling like I was running out of mana all the time.
But I noticed that that path was almost purely defensive in the beginning, and that the path of intellect was almost purely offensive, having its first "arrival circle" in a set of skills where I could increase either melee damage or spell damage, or both.
So, I balanced both paths for the first 6 levels, between defense on the strength path, and offense on the intellect path, until I discovered purely by playing the game that my preferred playstyle is as an offensive spellcaster. So, I went further on the path of intellect for levels 7 and 8 to make my spells get even better.
I also am loving the customization of controls. I was able to put my fireball spell on left click and my ice projectiles spell on right click. If monsters are resistant to the one, they're usually not resistant to the other. So, I'm literally starting to become a kind of "Song of Ice and Fire" wizard, so far. And I really love that I did not start out planning this. I just naturally became it because of how I play.
So far, this is the best ARPG I've played to date, rivalling even my beloved Sacred 2 and Titan Quest. I definitely like it better than I liked any of the Diablo games, especially Diablo 3, at this early stage.
Again, I might change my mind later if the game starts handing me my butt, but for now, in mid Act I, it's been perfectly balanced for me, with just the right amount of keeping me on my toes while I relax and blast enemies to smithereens with ice and fire.
The graphics, the interface, and the whole feel of the game, at least in the early stages, are top notch.
I'm starting to be stunned in disbelief that I'm playing an ARPG of this quality for free, without having paid a dime for it. I'm also starting to agree with the people who say that PoE is the game that Diablo 3 should have been. I am seeing ever more references to the source material (Diablo), including things like the music soundtrack, the ambience, and the lighting.
Add to the list of "Things I Love About This Game": There is no gold. The currency of PoE consists of identification scrolls, and orbs that enchant armor and weapons. It's like this exiled society of prisoners (exiled both justly, if evil, and unjustly, if good) has developed its own economy of currency that has innate value as well as trade value. This ingenious ARPG game innovation sets up all kinds of really fun game decisions, like, for example, "Should I save this identify scroll to use on a newly found gold-label item, or should I spend it at the merchant for that really appealing blue-label item that I really want?" Or, "Should I save this orb of item enchantment to upgrade a useful, newly dropped white-label or blue-label item, or should I spend it to get that awesome new base item at the trader that I've never seen before, and that I'd really like to wear for my aesthetic character vibe?"
Another item for the Love List: There is a thematic connection throughout the game based on the word "Path". There are infinite "paths" to power based on your starting character class. And, the main story arc of the game involves exiled prisoners trying to find a "path" to a better life, away from the guarded, resoruce-poor area in which they start. And, this "path to freedom" shows up on the world exploration map. All the "Paths", both of power and of game exploration, are connected by an intricate web of followable lines, with "dead ends" clearly identifiable by terminus points that have no connecting lines out other than the entrance.
I'm already tempted to buy $10 worth of real-life currency "store points" in order to purchase a black cat familiar that will follow my wizard(s) around. It has no in-game relevancy other than just helping me enjoy my characters more.
And on that note, here's another item for my Love List: The PoE game devs have based their entire business model on community good will, as far as I can see. That is, if you try their game and don't like it, you don't pay a dime for it. If you try their game and *do* like it, you don't pay a dime. You only pay them if you have so much fun and good will that you *want* to pay them something, in exchange for an in-game something or other that is purely aesthetic and has no combat value at all. (Or, more loot collection storage. And, I'm finding the loot to be AWESOME, so I can totally see why I might pay to have more storage space. My beginner character (level 11) is already wearing all gold-label items, and hungry for more and better ones, while reluctant to permanently give up any of the already-collected items.)
Wow, what a courageous business model, and one that is clearly based on love of gamers and gaming!
EDIT: Btw, I got a "Book of Regret" as a quest reward, that allowed me to be "refunded" two previously spent skill points. So, I took back the two points I had spent along the Path of Strength for my templar, and I'm now purely following the Path of Intellect. I'm also kicking butt on all the trash mobs and little bosses. My first big boss, the prison warden, is coming up. I'm really excited to see how I do.
Also, one more item for my Love List: you have five potion slots. Potions are not permanently expendable, though! They come in magical rechargeable flasks, and they refill according your kill rate. Kill just a few monsters, and all your potions recharge. Many of the flasks have special affixes that remove "conditions", and that kind of thing. So, you can have a health, a mana, a speed, a resistance, a special buff potion, or any combination of those, with no worry of permanently losing a potion, or of "one use and it's gone." How awesomely innovative!
EDIT #2: I beat the jailor. He was an obvious reference to the Diablo "Butcher". He was perhaps a bit too easy to beat, though. So far, I'm finding PoE to be quite a bit easier than Torchlight 2 on "Veteran" difficulty. It's similar in difficulty to Sacred 2, Titan Quest, and Diablo 3 on "normal" level. It's a good bit more fun, though. Although I might think that just because it's a new (to me) ARPG in the same genre and feel as those others, and I've got that "first playthrough" buzz that gamers are always looking to have again.
I couldn't put my finger on a specific failing as far as it goes. I just didn't get sucked into it in the manner I expected too.
Anyway, as I've said, I'm really liking it. It's got several genre innovations in it (e.g. recharging potions, huge and complex path-based skill tree, etc.) that I'm finding very interesting and refreshing. It's been a long time since I've gotten into a game this much.
When I played Diablo 3, I finished it exactly one time on normal, and then I wasn't interested in playing it any more. I think the main thing is that I didn't like the loot system. (I've heard that it has been majorly tweaked since I played, so I probably need to give it another chance one of these days.)
I guess it remains to be seen whether PoE will hold my interest long term, the way Sacred 2 and Titan Quest did.
If I had to be pinned down on why, I'd say that it 'Felt' like you were supposed to play it as an MMO style game. As @jjstraka34 indicated, you pretty much had to trade with other players at some point. I'm just not into that.
I am pleased to hear that they have continued to refine the game. I might have to go back and give it another go at some point.
I really liked the huge skill tree, but I dunno, Torchlight 2 was better in my opinion, but then again that's because I'm a huge Diablo 2 fan.
Diablo 3 was hella weak at release, but thats Blizzard for you.
Apparently it's improved since the expansion, but I havn't bother to pick that up yet, I have huge issues with giving Blizzard money.
BAH!
I've beaten normal level with my lightning-arc using templar. It was very, very easy. I am now very curious about why so many people say this game is "hard"?
If it has to do with the skill tree, I must say that I found it very, very intuitive and easy to understand. My templar was offered a path of intellect and focus on magic, and a path of strength and focus on melee. It was a no-brainer to me that I needed to pick one and stick to it. Successful "jacks of all trades" do not exist in arpg's. Experienced arpg players know this as an axiomatic, obvious truism of the genre.
So, I built my templar to be a lightning god, and that is what he has become.
There are a few other arpg elements that are also truisms. I discovered that maximum elemental resistance was 75% each for fire, cold, and lightning. So, I chose gear to get 75% resistance to fire, cold and lighting. That's a no-brainer for any rpg, right?
I discovered, after getting killed in two or three shots, twice, by the final form of the final boss, that the fourth resistance, "chaos resistance" is very, very rarely employed, and mostly only in optional dungeons and the final boss fight, and also very, very hard to build, but that, because of the final boss fight, (or desire to gear and xp grind in optional dungeons), that it is imperatively important to take some skill tree choices (I discovered one hidden circle of chaos resistance organically by following my chosen build along the tree), and that finding and hoarding armor that gives chaos resistance, which is very, *very* rare to drop, is very important.
So, I would be very interested in any insight anybody who's played can give me as to why this game is "hard". I've found it much, much easier than Diablo 3, Sacred 2, or Titan Quest.
The other thing, is that I want to gush again about how much I'm loving this game, but, I'll express that by saying, there is no need to either trade or pay real money in any way for PoE. It is absolutely free to play, with no "pay to win" involved at all.
But I found a lot of the "pay to look awesome" choices kind of irresistable. I started by paying $30 for a set of golden angel wings to go on my templar. Then, I noticed how awesome a blue-glowing crown would look on my templar, who also has blue-glowing auras from two of his main lightning build skills. So, I paid another $10. Voila, I've now spent $40 for Path of Exile, just as I might for any AAA release, and I could have played it with the same effectiveness absolutely for free. Their game is so awesome, I just *wanted* to pay them for it, $40 for nothing in game but two aeshetic enhancements to my character.
Here my templar:
He's like a super paladin with Thor's lightning, and he's everything I ever wanted to play as a "Holy Roller". This is the first time I've ever played any game where my first toon attempt was so perfect to what I want from one of my D&D characters, that I've had virtually no temptation to restart.
Now, if only I could have a black cat familiar to follow me around. Oh wait, I can. But it costs $20. Hmmm, temptation, temptation.
Oh, and I'm finding "cruel" difficulty to be even easier than normal difficulty so far, near the end of Act I. Again, I'm really wondering why anybody would consider Path of Exile to be "hard"?
I did re-download this from Steam when I got my new laptop but I was having such trouble getting back into my old account that I just said screw it and uninstalled. I have so many other RPGs in my backlog that another ARPG seems like too much of a time sink. It's the same reason I quit WoW after so many years.
I'm posting my progress in part just to bump the thread, because I'm still holding out some hope that I might catch somebody who actually likes it.
I'm puzzled why the opinion sometimes crops up that "you have to trade with other players to be able to beat the game." I'm not finding that true at all. It plays beautifully as a single player game. I just keep the chat turned off. I don't get bothered by other players, at all.
I'm also puzzled by the opinions I've seen that imply that PoE is somehow more difficult than other ARPG's. I'm not finding it any different as far as difficulty, style, or genre from any other ARPG.
I'm tempted to try to start a discussion about "What do you consider a fun ARPG, or what do you consider 'beating' an ARPG." I'm very interested in this.
Anyway, I think I might be "a voice crying in the wilderness", as the BG:EE forums seem to have very few people who ever play or are interested in ARPG's. But, I thought it might be worth it to try to put it out there again for anybody new who might be reading.
Though, I will admit, making a summoner Witch is kind of awesome.
Only "problem" is that they keep adding to the skill tree, which means I come back after a month or so to a character who has all their skills redeemed and no idea what they used to do