Scion Class. please GGG, reconsider.

the current skill tree is constructed such that no single class can have everything.
choosing your class doesn't matter in terms of the build you intend to go for (i.e both Ranger and Marauder can be archers), but it does matter in what you have access to.

for example, if you go for a Strength Class (Marauder), you have quick access to life passives from your area, and some good passives from the areas of classes closer to you: the Str/Int Class (Templar) and the Str/Dex class (Duelist) - but you need to travel all the way across the tree, if you want to grab the nice nodes the Dex class (Ranger) has or those in the Int (Witch) section, and that's a huge sacrifice.

there are some nodes and keystones which are worth taking more than others, but as a whole this makes the tree quite balanced.

enter: Scion. right in the middle.
she has access to anything Witch if she wants, and anything Marauder, and Ranger, and everything else from any other class' section.
she can be good at anything and everything.
combine Witch and Duelist if she wants, and not in a "sacrifice all to grab Unwavering Stance" kind of way - because she can go shortest path and grab everything good along the way too.

female Chuck Norris.
super class.

I know it's too late to complain about this, but to me it's pretty obvious there will be a moment after release, when I enter town and see nothing but Scion.
any town, in any difficulty.
when? two months after release. maximum.

Y don't u wait till u see it in action and can get into the new skill tree before complaining about it.

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johnKeys wrote:

the current skill tree is constructed such that no single class can have everything.

100% wrong, the problem with the tree now is that every class CAN get everything, which makes every class identical to the next, they need to make certain sides of the tree inaccessible to the furthest classes.

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SirSid wrote:

Y don't u wait till u see it in action and can get into the new skill tree before complaining about it.

this much is already known:

she's a new class.
she's unlockable by finding her somewhere in Act 3 Normal and/or beating Dominus.
she starts in the middle of the tree, with access to everything.
no other class currently has access to everything without making serious sacrifices, and it is impossible to re-route the tree to change this fact.

I'd say that's enough information to form an analysis.

You may have access to all the areas but you'd still be as effective as you are now if you're a class going through the middle of the tree to get to another class's area. Only difference is the possibility to not have to be inside a starting area. In which case you're giving up some of the best nodes in the game. And the scions starting area did not look very substantial to make up for that.

Imagine you're a shadow who travels through the middle of the tree to get to the marauders area, to get more 2 handed damage and the fending cluster, even if it's not very effective, base-stat wise. Currently the middle of the tree is filler, it's better to just use highways instead, grab some nice keystones and reach the marauder area at like level 70.

But if you wanted to make that weird shadow entering the marauder you can now do it with a scion and likely save on points by cutting out things you don't need, such as the shadows focus on either spells or 1-handers, or the marauders focus on life if you want to make a CI 2-hander man. The scion is there to allow the strangest of builds to both be experienced pre-60 and to make them more viable at the cost of a strong, build defining start.


Way back when, any class could access the middle of the tree from level 1. I imagine GGG were planning the scion for a very long time, ever since the current, more boxey and high-way focused version of the skill tree has existed.

And of course everyone will be a scion on release. Everyone was a shadow for a good few months when he first came out. It's new, there's more you can make, it's best to see whats possible asap so you can learn how to use the new tree to your advantage with other classes.

never heard the term of jack of all trades master of none . Its exactly whats she is .She is not meant to be overpowered , just to open up a new cool variety of builds . I could see a decent attack+spell build coming out of her.As Chris mentioned she will never be as good of a necro as the witch , a critter like the shadow or a tank like the mara . For me its just a cool concept to play with.

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MadBro_ wrote:

never heard the term of jack of all trades master of none . Its exactly whats she is .She is not meant to be overpowered , just to open up a new cool variety of builds . I could see a decent attack+spell build coming out of her.As Chris mentioned she will never be as good of a necro as the witch , a critter like the shadow or a tank like the mara . For me its just a cool concept to play with.

A class at the dead centre of the tree with easy access to all parts of it, will never be as good at builds as a class that is fenced into its own area and forced to take the long path to any other area.

Right.

I'll still wait for actually seeing the final tree before I make any significant conclusions, but lets be real here, historically GGG's 'impression' of their own design, is oft not soundly set in the reality of its game play.

Chris also says that not allowing buyouts from public stashes encourages player interaction. Absolute BS. It's just a face saving measure so they can claim that success in this game is not tied to retail and yet another inconvenience based solely on personal idealistic delusion when it comes to PoE's 'economy', where the majority of the game happens.

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Kalsifer wrote:

"

johnKeys wrote:

the current skill tree is constructed such that no single class can have everything.

100% wrong, the problem with the tree now is that every class CAN get everything, which makes every class identical to the next, they need to make certain sides of the tree inaccessible to the furthest classes.

Yes. to fix this lets make just one class guaranteed to get to everything easily and fuck with all the other classes' paths. Yes, clearly, the classes with longer less optimal build paths will thrive.

Makes. Sense.

"

Powertrip wrote:

Chris also says that not allowing buyouts from public stashes encourages player interaction. Absolute BS. It's just a face saving measure so they can claim that success in this game is not tied to retail and yet another inconvenience based solely on personal idealistic delusion when it comes to PoE's 'economy', where the majority of the game happens.

AWW SHIT!!!
Alert the trolls

Aren't most of the keystones that define builds on the edges of the Skilldrasil? Surely this "balances" out the fact that the Scion has access to all of the presumably shittier nodes near the middle?