every time i try an ARPG because i get overwhelmed by POE

i end up back here somehow.

this really seems like its the only ARPG on the market that actually scratches the arpg itch. ughhhh, i picked this game up more times than i can count on all my hands and feet, and never reached end game because i get overwhelmed every time around level 50 - 70.

here's to trying again i guess.

Its ok. If you check steam achievements its about 11% from all players who reached lvl 80, ever.

To get further need to have a good build and to know what to do. And how.

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vampirekid13 wrote:

i end up back here somehow.

Same here!

I've tried every ARPG out there. Some of them are quite good, actually, but they never seem to hold my attention for long. There are mainly two reasons for that;

1) Freedom
PoE isn't the perfect game and has lots of flaws. But what it does have, is build freedom, especially if you put in the hours and the currency, which you get from putting in the hours. It may very well be an illusion, but in PoE it feels like you are playing 'your' build, or at least 'someone's' build, and not GGG's build. In other ARPGs, there are so few paths that you always feel like you're playing a path carefully planned, carefully balanced and carefully limited by the developer. Example: If you want to play Fireball in PoE, how many options do you have? Several classes, several ascendancies, several builds, several paths, several weapon choices, several support gem options... In Diablo 4? Well... One (and a half) option(s).

The only game that comes close; Last Epoch, but I feel it's not "quite there" yet, but I think it will be. PoE has a "few" years head start.

2) Endgame. We can say tons of negative things about PoE's endgame, but I think it's still the strongest endgame of any ARPG. Ever. Cluttered? Yes. Bloated? Yes. But still the best - with the most content.

Man, the first time I tried PoE I got overwhelmed as well. At the time I was playing Smite with a friend and he recommended the game to me. My PC couldn't handle it, and neither could I. I vividly remember making my first character in what I later learned was a special event called Mayhem and wondering who finds it fun to get camped by Vaal side area bosses outside of Lioneye's.

Good times!

There is no doubt PoE has a deeper character building system and that's what interests me.

However, I feel if you're not decked out in absolute end-game gear, the gameplay will feel very clunky and tedious.

The starting friction more often than not deters me from investing time in a new league. I've only starting playing this league a couple of days ago because I was done with d3, d4, GW2 and BAR lol.

But I did have to make up my mind and carefully plan char building route ;), which can be good or bad depending on whether you're feeling like having and in-depth experience (PoE) or just want to blast away from the get go (d3/d4, GW2).

Edit: haha didn't mention ER DLC

"

hasatt0 wrote:

The starting friction more often than not deters me from investing time in a new league.

I can understand that.

However, it's the opposite for me. In PoE, you feel like a clunky nobody at the start, which actually lets you FEEL every upgrade from level 1 to level 100. You're build actually evolves and feels better and better through the whole game. In other ARPGs, your build feels more or less the same from A to Z, and the only thing that changes are the numbers. You don't get much faster and your skills don't feel much different, because "everything should feel smooth from the getgo".

I'll take PoE's approach any day of the week, but I guess that comes down to two things: The hours you're willing to put in, and actual endgame knowledge, knowing how your build will/can turn out; knowing what you're working towards. Knowing that things will feel better and better.

Have you tried Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing?

"

DarkJen wrote:

Its ok. If you check steam achievements its about 11% from all players who reached lvl 80, ever.

To get further need to have a good build and to know what to do. And how.

Steam achievements on free/cheap games are insignificant.



50.9% killed brutus, literally the first act boss in the game and these are global statistics.

Tried game in delve league for 5 minutes probably until gave up because wasn't understanding anything and kept dying in delve (thought you were supost to go there). Then after trying probably 3 more times in other leagues finally started watching alot of guides, followed a build and now it's my favourite game by far.

Best ARPG out there, no matter how much you know there is always something more to learn. At least for me, searching either builds and how they work, how certain mechanics, bosses, items, crafting,... it's what makes it the best for me. An ARPG that takes 10 minutes to understand everything the game has to offer is a shallow game.

Brutus isn't an act boss (it's Merveil for act1), nor the first boss (that would be Hillock).

Being cheap/free doesn't change things that radically : 15% of Steam players have ever finished the campaign in PoE1 compared to still only 31% in the quite expensive Diablo 4.

And Diablo 4 has a LOT smoother early game.

I guess yeah, you do get a bigger feeling of progress in PoE1... the issue is that its early game feels so bad (just like any other dungeon runner/zoomer not named Diablo) that it's hard to see why you would want to continue playing (I gave up in the Submerged Passage the first time, took me a couple of years to give PoE1 a shot again).

IMHO PoE1 really starts to open up around Act4.
And perhaps a bit too much, with all those mechanics from old challenges, and loot spam ! xD

If you're overwhelmed by this (rather than by difficulty), then I recommend playing one of the Ruthless leagues.

And in particular one of the Settlers of Kalguur Ruthless leagues (if you don't mind playing challenge leagues), as it makes it so the game isn't too stingy with currency (thanks to crop sea shipments), and perhaps even more importantly, respecialization is cheap, thanks to Faustus taking amounts of gold for it that are far from being as expensive as regret orbs !

"

BlueTemplar85 wrote:

Being cheap/free doesn't change things that radically : 15% of Steam players have ever finished the campaign in PoE1 compared to still only 31% in the quite expensive Diablo 4.

It absolutly does, for example warframe, one of the most played free steam games has 64.6% cipher achievement, something you literally get in the first intro mission in the game that guides you each step of the way.

Simply lauching the game and quitting after makes it count towards the statistics. When I tried the game for 5 minutes in delve league and left it counted towards those statistics.