Boss Balance Changes in Path of Exile: Conquerors of the Atlas

"

crunkatog wrote:

Chris has repeatedly stated he doesn't want this game to be universally accessible. He envisions a hardcore game with a steep attrition rate, and doesn't view acts as the "tutorial" most of us do.

Remember that he was designing PoE when acts were the endgame. Hence, Chatters, Brutus, and Piety difficulty. Only after bloating up to 10 acts + a long RNG-gated endgame did players start viewing the storyline as training-wheels for mapping.

Since then, early acts bosses got neutered for convenience sake. Streamers dying in HCSSF Axiom Prison is hilarious the first few times, but makes for shitty product placement - in the long run, you want more people to see more content, not less.

What GGG is trying to do here is simple. When Chris says, "Only X% of players make it to Act 2", he may currently see analytics showing them getting bored and abandoning the game, a gradual dropoff in playtime per account starting with the ship graveyard.

His goal may be to invest mature, serious players in Acts by directly challenging them. If he's right, and the gradual dropoff is the shape of boredom, then the dropoff will be sharp and severe at boss fights, but more players retained overall as they internalize the challenge and rise to meet it.

If this is also the philosophy behind the Poe 2 campaign, then it's only fair the original campaign get some buffs.

As for boss area denial and stun locks coming back, and BA and ranged totem cheese being the only way to get around it, that's been PoE in a nutshell since day 1. Ranged >>>> melee. There are other games for players who don't want to use what works.

"

attronach wrote:

"

Utukka wrote:

I believe they mentioned somewhere that they were making the bosses stronger in order to match the increased difficulty that is coming with PoE2.

Harder? SO then I'm happy PoE1 will continue.
And making story harder? Why? It's hard enough for casual players.
Forcing players to play meta build w/o fun?

Very bad move :(

"

crunkatog wrote:

Chris has repeatedly stated he doesn't want this game to be universally accessible. He envisions a hardcore game with a steep attrition rate, and doesn't view acts as the "tutorial" most of us do.

Remember that he was designing PoE when acts were the endgame. Hence, Chatters, Brutus, and Piety difficulty. Only after bloating up to 10 acts + a long RNG-gated endgame did players start viewing the storyline as training-wheels for mapping.

Since then, early acts bosses got neutered for convenience sake. Streamers dying in HCSSF Axiom Prison is hilarious the first few times, but makes for shitty product placement - in the long run, you want more people to see more content, not less.

What GGG is trying to do here is simple. When Chris says, "Only X% of players make it to Act 2", he may currently see analytics showing them getting bored and abandoning the game, a gradual dropoff in playtime per account starting with the ship graveyard.

His goal may be to invest mature, serious players in Acts by directly challenging them. If he's right, and the gradual dropoff is the shape of boredom, then the dropoff will be sharp and severe at boss fights, but more players retained overall as they internalize the challenge and rise to meet it.

If this is also the philosophy behind the Poe 2 campaign, then it's only fair the original campaign get some buffs.

As for boss area denial and stun locks coming back, and BA and ranged totem cheese being the only way to get around it, that's been PoE in a nutshell since day 1. Ranged >>>> melee. There are other games for players who don't want to use what works.

"

Xentrix666 wrote:

"

crunkatog wrote:

Chris has repeatedly stated he doesn't want this game to be universally accessible. He envisions a hardcore game with a steep attrition rate, and doesn't view acts as the "tutorial" most of us do.

Remember that he was designing PoE when acts were the endgame. Hence, Chatters, Brutus, and Piety difficulty. Only after bloating up to 10 acts + a long RNG-gated endgame did players start viewing the storyline as training-wheels for mapping.

Since then, early acts bosses got neutered for convenience sake. Streamers dying in HCSSF Axiom Prison is hilarious the first few times, but makes for shitty product placement - in the long run, you want more people to see more content, not less.

What GGG is trying to do here is simple. When Chris says, "Only X% of players make it to Act 2", he may currently see analytics showing them getting bored and abandoning the game, a gradual dropoff in playtime per account starting with the ship graveyard.

His goal may be to invest mature, serious players in Acts by directly challenging them. If he's right, and the gradual dropoff is the shape of boredom, then the dropoff will be sharp and severe at boss fights, but more players retained overall as they internalize the challenge and rise to meet it.

If this is also the philosophy behind the Poe 2 campaign, then it's only fair the original campaign get some buffs.

As for boss area denial and stun locks coming back, and BA and ranged totem cheese being the only way to get around it, that's been PoE in a nutshell since day 1. Ranged >>>> melee. There are other games for players who don't want to use what works.

Well said

"

Xentrix666 wrote:

Just another example of whiny, completely off topic BS.
The games structure is based around FREE to play. People who are SUPPORTERS are a big reason you have a game at all. stop complaining.
If you think that is somehow being "elitist" you really need to wake up. Fact's are fact's.
The only thing people are entitled to are the points and skins they BUY which helps.. guess what.. SUPPORT GGG.
Honestly
People just love to be keyboard warriors these days.

"

Black__Dawn wrote:

"

Xentrix666 wrote:

Just another example of whiny, completely off topic BS.
The games structure is based around FREE to play. People who are SUPPORTERS are a big reason you have a game at all. stop complaining.
If you think that is somehow being "elitist" you really need to wake up. Fact's are fact's.
The only thing people are entitled to are the points and skins they BUY which helps.. guess what.. SUPPORT GGG.
Honestly
People just love to be keyboard warriors these days.

Fortnite is also f2p but nice try, boomer.
For your information f2p vs p2p is a business decision targeted at greedy suckers like yourself who are greedy to the point they won't pay $20-60 for a game but once they got you by the balls in some f2p schtick you have no problem throwing hundreds or even thousands of $$ at the screen. This is how dota, lol, poe etc make bank.

"

Smear wrote:

"

crunkatog wrote:

Chris has repeatedly stated he doesn't want this game to be universally accessible. He envisions a hardcore game with a steep attrition rate, and doesn't view acts as the "tutorial" most of us do.

Remember that he was designing PoE when acts were the endgame. Hence, Chatters, Brutus, and Piety difficulty. Only after bloating up to 10 acts + a long RNG-gated endgame did players start viewing the storyline as training-wheels for mapping.

Since then, early acts bosses got neutered for convenience sake. Streamers dying in HCSSF Axiom Prison is hilarious the first few times, but makes for shitty product placement - in the long run, you want more people to see more content, not less.

What GGG is trying to do here is simple. When Chris says, "Only X% of players make it to Act 2", he may currently see analytics showing them getting bored and abandoning the game, a gradual dropoff in playtime per account starting with the ship graveyard.

His goal may be to invest mature, serious players in Acts by directly challenging them. If he's right, and the gradual dropoff is the shape of boredom, then the dropoff will be sharp and severe at boss fights, but more players retained overall as they internalize the challenge and rise to meet it.

If this is also the philosophy behind the Poe 2 campaign, then it's only fair the original campaign get some buffs.

As for boss area denial and stun locks coming back, and BA and ranged totem cheese being the only way to get around it, that's been PoE in a nutshell since day 1. Ranged >>>> melee. There are other games for players who don't want to use what works.

That's exactly what is happening. The game has peaked and is in decline. This constant meta chase bull crap and nerfing every effective build into complete shit is what is destroying player retention. When people work hard for their achievements, only to be crushed a few months later by the nerf brigade, they leave. Once the new player pool dries up, the game goes into dust bin of history.

https://steamcharts.com/app/238960#1y

PoE peaked in November 2018. XBox players are transient at best. It's only a matter of time before a strong competitor to this game comes along. The glimpses into D4 at Blizcon should send shivers down the spine of Chris (Or should I say Tencent?). Blizz is returning to the roots of what made D2 so great. By the looks of what they've let the public see, when D4 is released, there will be a massive exodus from PoE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZtmNAMxwMM

Ignoring the desolation wake of people quitting PoE and the sounds of competing cannons off in the distance will be the downfall of PoE.