Archnemesis Effigy - A discussion wether it belongs in PoE

Hiya Exiles !

This is a post about the Archnemesis mod "Effigy", which does (after a few patches and changes ont it) the following:

- Summon a stationary totem pole crucifix type entity onto the player's location when (presumablly) sighted by an enemy with the Effigy mod
- The totem establishes a link with the player which can only be broken when walked away from the totem pole (This roughly means you need the effigy to be outside of your screen)
- The totem is invulnerable for 2 seconds upon creation
- While linked, 50% of damage from Hits taken by the Effigy is also taken by the player as reflected damage
- The player can not damage the totem themselves
- The skill has a 10 second cooldown
- The effigy taunts nearby enemies after the grace period
- Mod isn't considered "common" and can only appear on rares

Now, looking at all the Archnemesis mods, Effigy is somewhat unique in the way you engage with it, compared to others.

Very simplified, most archnemesis make you engage in following ways

- Little interaction and just "Hit it till it's dead", either because they are just flat buffs to the enemy, summon element or summoned debuff elements (Element-Weavers, Corruptor, Vampiric, Mirror Image, Steel Infused, Splinterer, Gargantuan, Hasted, Hexer, Necromancer)
- Dodge and Weave ways of engaging, going in and out of battles(Mana Siphoner, Magma Barrier, Benevolent Guardian, Frenzied)
- Position-engaged focus, that force you to be constantly moving (Empowered Elements, Entangler, Storm Strider, Ice Prison)
- Multi-tasking interactions (Everything that has Boss-Touched on it basically)
- After-Death awareness (Toxic, Incendiary, Heralding minions, Soul Conduit, Corpse detonator)


Looking at these categories, Effigy most closely would be found in the "Dodge and Weave" category, where, and I assume this is by design its purpose, you are supposed to spot the Totem emerging from within you, and to run away as far as possible until the link breaks.

The issue I have here is, that while this is a cool concept, it makes for dull engagement in comparison to the other "Dodge and Weave" Archnemesis mods in the same category, because essentially, the optimal play when spotting Effigy, provdied you DO in the first place because it's rather difficult to spot personally speaking and has a weak audible cue, is to run away from action COMPLETLY, then go back into action.

This isn't the case for the other "Dodge and Weave" mods, because the others give you a viable alternative, or make for a better spectacle when you "wait out the issue, and I took the liberty to list all of them that I saw fit within the category above.

Bombardier
Periodically bursts into an arching nova firework of fireballs, dealing increased damage the further away they travel.

You can either run away from the mob as the fireballs land out of your reach, or alternatively stick to it face to face, taking less damage from the projectiles and engaging with the rare. Thus, you have different ways to engage.

Magmabarrier
When taking enough damage done to the magma barrier, it is going to explode for a big chunk of fire damage. Now, there is no other alternative other than to get out of distance, but it makes for a visually good effect.

Benevolent Guardian
Periodically makes an aura that makes allies around it invulnerable with an AoE shiny glow effect. The rare itself however, remains the same in this state.

So you either can wait out the buff, to kill the rare's minions around it, and then kill the rare, or you go straight into it for assassination. It gives you both an alternative, and looks visually pleasent and instantly recognizeable.

Frenzied / Overcharged
Periodically gets a super buff (Frenzy, or many charges), that you cna either wait out, or fight trough.

Both are visually instantly recognizeable when they happen (One becomes suddenly enraged and grows, the other lights up like a christmas tree)

Mana Siphoner
Pleasent and easily readable ring at a medium distance away from the enemy that makes you take damage and burns your mana.

You can either get up close and personal, by getting fast into the "safe space" to fight the rare, then dodge out of it if things get difficult, or you keep your distance outside the ring and damage from a far while keeping appropriate distance. Alternative ways to combat, and engaging.

And then comes the problem child. (There is actually another one, but I'll mention it in the end)

Effigy
See boring looking effigy with your character as if it was naked hanging on it, see faintly transparent red link on your character, run away a screen, run back same screen, kill monster, done. It's boring.

Notice how I don't put "Obliterate everything before it gets a chance to do stuff" as an alternative, because realisticly, you could put that onto every mod as an alternative, to which point mods don't matter.


Ways I see to fix it
Personally, I plead to have it removed. I don't think it fits well with an action packed game, because its main selling point is... to stop having action temporarily, but if I had to improve it, I would consider following things.

Make it look over the top / bigger / louder.

- There are already assets in the game for big, massive totem poles (Sanguine Rituals), why does Effigy have to be so insignificant in size.

- Effigy is just some sticks put together with your base character slapped onto it. I imagine having the MTX version of you on them would be insanely difficult to put in (BUT WOULD MAKE IT REALLY COOL), but why does the rest have to look os uninspired? Make it a huge cross out of rock, wood, flesh and bones. Effigies in a grim world such as Wraeclast and it's just some sticks glued together feels like wasted opportunity and potential, ESPECIALLY with such a talented team under your belt

- No meaningful effects mean no meaningful sounds either. Make the stake burn brightly, have it be modified with skulls and glowing eyes, make it laugh maniacally since you are a strapped VOODOO DOLL on a totem pole, make it emerge out of the ground with bigger force, make the reaper look over it like the ancestral totems, there is SO MUCH you could slap onto a crucifixion event it's suprising it does so very little.

- Make a custom kind of mark of it as being "Marked for death" or something that is significantly bigger than regular marks / curses, so it's absolutly impossible to miss it. And for the one's saying that "Effigy isn't terrifying, what are you smoking"... Hardcore players, myself included, are terrified of effigy. Especially since it's not around every corner. It's looming, you know it's coming, it's just a matter of time, and yeah, it's horror. Make it look like it, too.


Thanks a LOT for reading till the end, if you did manage to do so.

Oh and in case you wanted to know which mod I was talking about that is absolutly appaling, that not only suck, but also swallows, it's Trickster (Not much of a suprise)

It doesn't belong, its a mechanical counterplay in a game that prevents mechanical counterplay in many cases. Its no different to Harvest bears having a windup slam you are intended to avoid, on paper its fine we see the windup we go dodge, the reality is juiced speed mods and visual conflict make the window too short or not visible.

I don't really have a problem with it, the delay gives enough time to move away and cancel the tether however from a gameplay perspective its just one more icon to keep my eye on thats all. For that reason I don't think it belongs as other modifiers produce similar results.

More than anything it feels like a gotcha for when the player isn't watching their icons closely that's all.

I don't know, I feel like getting hit by bears is gonna happen a lot less, because you are being made aware that those bears exist befreohand.

As you spawn the plot they are massive, and thus you have that moment of "Ah, have to be careful." Even when you don't know the attack, seeing it go on its backfeet to wind up SOMETHING usually forces you to at least think something bad is about to happen

Meanwhile, Effigy's visual que are so very weak. I absolutly hate that it exists in the first place, but if you are persistent to have it stay, make it stand out in the pile of pretty colours and stunning sound effects, like pretty much every other Archnemesis mod, focused to deliver big damage.