Season Three, Event 1: Descent

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ScrotieMcB wrote:

As you can see, even eliminating the bottom 8000+ accounts and doing a mathematical class-adjustment, the top is still utterly dominated by duelists, over half instead of the predicted one third.

I don't know exactly how to explain that, unless it's just that the top one or two percent of racers just really, really like playing duelist, even more so than the general populace. Mathematically, there had to have been plenty of low-performing duelists to average out the high performance of these top finishers, in order to keep the class-adjustment multiplier under control.

Because bad to average players are all going to die at roughly equal rates no matter what they play, but good players are going to see much better results with a build that has early life and life regen nodes, a high damage aoe attack with low mana cost that scales massively with gear, and the most streamlined tree for the classes strongest build, compared to something like a caster shadow that gets no life nodes until level 7, no life or mana regeneration nodes ever (as far as the event is concerned) and sees very little improvement in their killspeed from gear upgrades.

I dont find these results to be surprising at all.

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KoTao wrote:

Spoiler

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ScrotieMcB wrote:

As you can see, even eliminating the bottom 8000+ accounts and doing a mathematical class-adjustment, the top is still utterly dominated by duelists, over half instead of the predicted one third.

I don't know exactly how to explain that, unless it's just that the top one or two percent of racers just really, really like playing duelist, even more so than the general populace. Mathematically, there had to have been plenty of low-performing duelists to average out the high performance of these top finishers, in order to keep the class-adjustment multiplier under control.

Because bad to average players are all going to die at roughly equal rates no matter what they play, but good players are going to see much better results with a build that has early life and life regen nodes, a high damage aoe attack with low mana cost that scales massively with gear, and the most streamlined tree for the classes strongest build, compared to something like a caster shadow that gets no life nodes until level 7, no life or mana regeneration nodes ever (as far as the event is concerned) and sees very little improvement in their killspeed from gear upgrades.

I dont find these results to be surprising at all.

The problem with the theory is that the class that posted the second-best results proportional to its population was ranger, whose starting passive area is devoid of decent life and mana regen .

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ScrotieMcB wrote:

The problem with the theory is that the class that posted the second-best results proportional to its population was ranger, whose starting passive area is devoid of decent life and mana regen .

Rain of arrows (with any single target attack, even default). Near cleave level scaling with gear, and what need for life regen when you never get hit.

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KoTao wrote:

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ScrotieMcB wrote:

The problem with the theory is that the class that posted the second-best results proportional to its population was ranger, whose starting passive area is devoid of decent life and mana regen .

Rain of arrows (with any single target attack, even default). Near cleave level scaling with gear, and what need for life regen when you never get hit.

But in that case it's not really about the passive tree at all (even though you rambled on about it for some time); it's almost entirely about the skills offered. Which I am inclined to agree with. (Why hasn't low-level Cleave been hit with a nerf bat yet?)

Whether it's low level or not isn't the issue with cleave. Most/All of these cleave players are elemental (for obvious reasons).

It's Dual Strike, but with *massive* AOE! Expect changes to this. It only makes sense.

EDIT: And yes Kotao, I agree with you as well in regards to the drops. Seemed like a PERFECT opportunity to really go hog wild. Deleting characters anyways, might as well enjoy the fun.

P.S. That's a lil too many GCPs though. lol Would prefer alchs/chaos/exalts

EDIT 2x: Just remove all "magic" currency. Keep the rare stuff, and increase the hell out of the drops

@KoTaO: On second thought, allow me to take back that agreement on Rain of Arrows. From earlier in this thread...

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littlealex wrote:

#1 ranger here!...

Gear

Also: Descent Race Index (Curious/Alluring Chest rewards)

I hate racing (except the 1-week or 1-month ones) but this one was VERY fun. Good job GGG :)

Had a blast and all I want is more. Thanks GGG

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ScrotieMcB wrote:

But in that case it's not really about the passive tree at all (even though you rambled on about it for some time); it's almost entirely about the skills offered. Which I am inclined to agree with. (Why hasn't low-level Cleave been hit with a nerf bat yet?)

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ScrotieMcB wrote:

@KoTaO: On second thought, allow me to take back that agreement on Rain of Arrows.

Any of the aoe arrow attacks work. Tbh ice shot with poison arrow backup is probably better in all those mazy maps due to its cone shaped aoe and 100% damage effectiveness.

The main point is that a bow build doesnt really care about life or regen in the tree because theyre generally going glass cannon and relying on not getting hit.

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SL4Y3R wrote:

And yes Kotao, I agree with you as well in regards to the drops. Seemed like a PERFECT opportunity to really go hog wild. Deleting characters anyways, might as well enjoy the fun.

P.S. That's a lil too many GCPs though. lol Would prefer alchs/chaos/exalts

EDIT 2x: Just remove all "magic" currency. Keep the rare stuff, and increase the hell out of the drops

Players should be using 3-5 gems by the 45 minute mark; why not drop enough gcps to potentially have 1 or 2 of them maxed out? No reason to hold back on the high orb drops either. Crazy item and currency drops would have made all sorts of interesting strategies and builds viable, not to mention being mad fun. Instead we have (far) fewer viable builds than in standard events (and by viable i mean having a serious shot at a best in class finish come season end, or even reaching the final boss with some classes for that matter).

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KoTao wrote:

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Mathil wrote:

This was so horribly unfair as a race. I started ranger and my chest didn't give a weapon. I had to punch the first 10 or so mobs till a dagger dropped and then white attack with no skills until level 3 or something until a bow finally dropped. By that time people were like 5 or 6 or some shit.

I dno, the concept was pretty fun and I think it's a good idea but that type of rng is just straight unfair.

A chance to start without a weapon in a race: Best rng ever.

I have to wonder again: Did this actually get tested? Because unless these people claiming to have started weaponless are trolling, it sure doesnt look like it.

Just real quick, no I was not trolling. I legit popped that start chest and got burning arrow, split arrow and 2 wisdom scrolls I think it was. I punched to death like 10 cobras and got a dagger out of one of em. Then stabbed my way through the first zone with default attack.

I've been playing PoE since the start of open beta and really have been having fun. This is the first race I've actually tried because it actually looked like something different and fun. Might well have been my last. I'll try again but if I seriously have the same shithouse start while I hear guys on Kripps stream at the same time using a Quill Rain I'll definitely not be coming back to races. There's just no way that's competition.