[Unpopular Personal Opinion] SSF style gameplay is where I get the most fun out of the game

SSF definitely has its own appeal, otherwise there would be no reason for it to exist given that it grants no real benefit.

I managed to get to Uber Elder in SSF before finally feeling the need to upgrade through trade. I could have tried crafting a weapon, but dumping over two exalts into something that may or may not turn out too great wasn't worth the risk for me.

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Retromastery97 wrote:

SSF style gameplay is where I get the most fun out of the game

Same for me.

Well .... that's what the SSF leagues are for, players playing in those leagues do prefer playing as SSF.

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Shagsbeard wrote:

Trading isn't mandatory. It only makes the game progress about 100x faster... and I don't exaggerate, it's likely more than that. If you want to progress at that rate, you have to trade. I don't give a fig how fast I progress, so I don't.

And yet, SSF HC racers have been beating HC trade league players in the race to 100 at the start of the league, so ...

Of course, it makes gear acquisition much, much, much easier and allows one to reliqbly get build-specific items easily, but it does not "makes the game progress about 100x faster".

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鬼殺し wrote:

Now that's interesting, if true (you didn't provide any evidence, so I'll remain at least healthily skeptical). Again, as I said in the other thread, it's important to remember what 'progress' means before attributing trade to it as a 100% guaranteed accelerating factor. It's entirely possible the SSFHCers are hitting 100 before non-SSF HC because they're using their time 100% to progress through the game in a way they know works regardless of gear. Those with access to trade can easily get distracted by it, or perhaps anticipate a build that requires acquires certain items through trade, which takes time. Time which SSFHCers spend doing one thing and one thing only: progressing towards 100 in a safe and steady manner. It's almost tortoise-and-hare like...

This view that 'progress' is much more than just 'gearing up to blitz through the game' might upset certain people who have a predilection for cantankerous obstinacy and get rankled when they're called on it but I'm glad to see I'm not the only one to hold it.

I found it at least for the Synthesis Flashback event ( kind of unusual, since it's easier to gear in there I guess ), Steelmate hit lvl 100 first SSF HC, then migrated to trade league HC, so he had both places on the ladder :<.

I remember how he was laughing so hard on stream "I'm such an asshole" etc ...

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2501207
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2501205


You're entirely right, "progression" is composed of different metrics, level is one of them, character power is another one of them ( but again "character power" is also not an absolute value at all ), Delve's depth is another one, etc ...

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鬼殺し wrote:

BUT maybe it's less that non-SSF can't get to 100 as fast as SSF, and more that they have less drive to do so

This is definitely possible too, trading maps / currency definitely speeds up the atlas progression, especially with a shaped strategy.

There kind of is the drive that the #1 SSF-HC could reap 'your' reward if he is playing the same ascendancy, I think they underestimated SSF players this time and got punished for it.

Agreed

Although I do sometimes play with friends and family, which is basically the only time I play multiplayer in any game.

I think that it goes beyond the fact that shopping just isn't fun for many people, there's a certain mindset you have to have without trade that makes the game more exploration than 'beat the game', a more traditional way of playing rpgs.

Not focusing so much on the best in slot gear you need, or the content you need to get to, you are more free to enjoy and make the best of the moment, and actually feel some reward when a good piece of loot drops rather than 'all drops are currency' which may as well reduce all loot to piles of gold, or a wage, like its a job.

Obviously some people like the efficient conquering of all content as quick as possible, but:

1. I doubt very much that is a anything but a small minority
2. a lot of people play that way because they think they have to (I did for some years), but would get more from the game if they stopped measuring themselves against the top 1% streamers.

Same for me now. I played half this league in trade mode, then got burned with how shitty trade is and tried SSFHC for 1st time. Had a blast, ripped 3 chars (20+, 50+ and 77) all due to my own foolishness and ardour, found out HC isn't for me but SSF absolutely IS.

Waiting for next league to start SSF SC.


PS. The amount of mechaniques you use in SSF is making the game more alive and deep. How often people in trade leagues use rustic sash recipe? Or roll +sockets on armour strongbox? Or spend chaos for early game crafting? It's not efficient cause you can buy great gear for 1-2c, while in SSF currency is what it is, crafting orbs, the sole purpose you may have to save it is to craft at the bench.

SSF is best and worst mode in the game.
It's amazing because compared to trade league you interact with all content and activities you can without feeling of wasting time/losing currency.

It's also the worst because while you can enjoy playing the game you are still restricted by "balance around trade developers mentality". It works fine for items because this way building your character is much more interesting than "look what is meta, buy gear, never play anything else because everything feels like trash compared to meta skill".
However at the same time you can't just interact with content you like. Sextants are too rare to even use them without rerolling, you never find enough chaos orbs to sustain zana mods and vaal orbs are too rare to vaal every single map (not to mention vaaling uniques). In the end maps you run in ssf are 90% of time empty and not challenging.

Same goes for divination cards. You know, we have many divination cards in a game that gives stuff that is worthless in trade league but great in ssf. The only problem is how atlas is working. You just can't shape your atlas the way that you can farm cards in map X then go to map Y, Z etc. Every time you want to change your atlas you have to use so many sextants that whole "divination card system" is pointless.

Next step is to play a game where there is no online trade at all :)

actually OP is right..99.7% of poe builds are based around a much needed unique item which is not a garented drop so GGG forces said trading upon 99.7% of builds so yes OP is right!