Simplify passive skill system visually

I think the devs should simplify the passive skill system
visualy, for me its a huge mess, there should be an option to filter the skills by effects

having various visual looks could work too
classic - the current look
skill tree - kinda like diablo 2's
list - a simple list with each skill

im not sure if any of these would work but the idea is to make it easier to chose

nothing is meant to change gameplay wise, only visually

The trouble with trying to simplify the skill tree the way you suggest is that you lose information about which passives are connected - for example, the intelligence and dexterity sections of the tree connect, but only at certain points.

A list format would basically be a wall of text, with, possibly, checkmarks next to the passives you had, and tooltip information on what each passive was linked to. Hardly simplified, I think.

When I watch youtube videos I often get a kick out of the narrator's first response upon viewing the passive skill tree :o)

I think the purpose is for it to be daunting. This helps PoE steer away from the "cookie-cutter" builds that D2 and many other games turn out.

I ran the system by my brother and he is a bit of a programming specialist. He believes that sites like "Elitist Jerks" or some other compilation will no doubt crunch the numbers on all the seemingly limitless possibilities to create "the ultimate" spec for this or that. The skill tree itself makes this not only more difficult, but impractical due to the randomness of the game. As we saw in D2 there was a right way and a wrong way to create say... a hammerdin or bowazon. With PoE's passive skill tree it's more like several good ways, some possibly better ways given different circumstances, and simply different ways.

I've gotten pretty bored of games like WOW and other MMORPGS because there was simply a BIS item or skill distribution that EVERYONE had. With this system you get to make a truly unique character and the likelihood of having the same build of another player is decreased dramatically. There will always be players that google the "best" spec. (I admit, after clearing a game I often try to seek out how to better my character) So no doubt there will be cookie-cutter builds out there. I only hope these builds are not end-alls and carry certain weaknesses to balance their strengths.

I am pretty sure PoE developers will want to keep an eye out for these builds and if they are truly overpowered, they may either be hit with a nerf bat, or at least other builds will be given considerable upgrades to compete. This is not to say a witch that goes purely into strength and dexterity should be as effective as a pure strength marauder in melee... the game does have pretty easy to follow guidelines on how to most-effectively build your character.

This brings me to the complexity of the tree... or web. It's actually not that bad. As with nearly all games it's best not to put a point here... then there, and maybe over there. It seems intuitive that one would want to follow a path to eventually become what they wish to become. To explain further, my first character (please key please) will no doubt be a witch with a heavy dependance on summons. I basically want the easiest way to kill with the absolute worst gear. That way I can be somewhat effective with as much MF as I can wear without worrying too much about protection.

For this build I won't even look at the strength or dexterity trees and it's likely I won't even consider the paths they overlap with intelligence. I am building a pure caster and I will focus 100% into intelligence. After that huge simplification, I am left with very few choices, but the ones I choose will go almost immediately towards summoning abilities and buffs for my minions.

The classes that seem more difficult would be the duelist, templar, or hidden class. (I'm assuming dex/int)
My guess is that, if they are a bit too complicated, we are best off trying a pure class, then maybe having fun with a hybrid.

Anyhow, I think the skill web is a fun and interesting idea and I cannot wait to try it!

give us it
DanAbnormal

Or...

they could make the passive tree 3D. Like a neuron network in a brain. :P

I like the complexity of it, but visually it is easy to forget where certain things are when planning things out.(Based on my messing around with the talent calculator) I think I would like it if you could simply zoom out to see it on one screen. This would probably be too scrunched for actual point distribution, but I think it would help for keeping things straight in your head while you are trying to decide what overall route you want to take.

Would probably help alot, if there would be filter system, or similiar, to highlight some skills. Eg. there would be option to highlight all the elemental damage nodes, etc..

Or, you could select the final skill you wanna achieve and the game would highlight the path. This will remain every time you open the skill tree..so you would know what skill you wanna select next. Also, maybe to premium players, you could select more final skills (more paths, differentiated by color. :)

I think the mass Talent Tree that is in the game is one of the main reasons that most people are attracted to it. Although, visually it could have a bit of tweaking and also navigating around it could be a lot faster.

I have not played the Beta yet so I am not sure whether it is easy to navigate already. But from videos I have been watching on Youtube it does seem a bit of a hassle to drag around to look at certain information.

Anyway i'm sure I will play the game with no complaints because so far it looks pretty cool. :)

I like the visual look of WHAT THE * DO I DO NOW?
It makes me happy seeing sooo many confusing options.

Please have a read through the Beta Manifesto and News before posting up threads, it helps to reduce the clutter.

As well, it may be helpful to use Search before posting a new thread to see if you can contribute to an existing one instead.

"

New passive skill tree layout with keystone passives

The new passive skill tree has different starting locations for each character class. We’ve learned from feedback from previous generations of the tree (as well as analysis of what skills people allocated points to), and have made several observations:

We can create more interesting shapes that properly allow diminishing returns and other neat tension-creating passive skill allocation choices.

We probably shouldn’t exceed 5 or so passives of a related concept in a group, so that players have to travel between multiple groups in different places on the tree to specialise fully in an area.

We want to have “Keystone” passives that exhibit massive character-changing properties, such as allowing dual wielding of two two-handed weapons as a keystone Strength passive. We’re placing these very build-defining passives in positions that make it difficult to get more than a few on a given character

We can have passive skills that don’t allocate any stats but do give additional core attributes (such as +5 Strength). These allow players to more easily specialise in desired attributes and let us connect skill clusters with low-impact nodes occasionally.

By creating a different start location for each character class, we can control the complexity of concepts that players are exposed to early on. For example, a new Marauder won't be confused by seeing evasion and critical strike passives.