Unpopular Opinion: League Challenges Should Require Solo Completion

Absolutely nobody whose opinion actually matters thinks challenge completion means anything. I'd even go so far as to say that caring about other people's challenge completion instantly disqualifies a person from having opinions anyone else should listen to or respect.

If this isn't self-evident enough, just look at the profiles of literally the best players in the entire world. Ben's at 32/40 right now. Jung's at 31. Lance and Mathil are at 29. Carn's at 24. All five of those players are better than every single person in this thread. None of them bother with the challenges, because they don't matter. It's just a checklist of busywork, it literally doesn't mean anything after the first 10-12 challenges that everyone gets just by playing the game.

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ARealLifeCaribbeanPirate#2605 wrote:

Absolutely nobody whose opinion actually matters thinks challenge completion means anything. I'd even go so far as to say that caring about other people's challenge completion instantly disqualifies a person from having opinions anyone else should listen to or respect.

yes....but this is a function of how they work NOW. For example, in all my posts I have explicitly said that challenges are completely meaningless and its stupid to compare people because of them.

BUT

They SHOULD matter. Why not? Challenges can add an extra dimension to the game and offer additional aspirational content to players who can complete them. In order for that to happen, they need to be actual challenges and be displayed with meaning as completing a challenge across the board.



Again, being entirely focused on what is CURRENTLY reality and what COULD be reality is sort of the point of this discussion. The CURRENT reality, with all your examples, is that challenges have zero meaning or credibility. I'm not so sure that is in doubt by really anyone in this thread. The argument is whether they SHOULD have meaning as challenges, and I happen to think that yes, they should.

You think Ben_ or any of those other top players WOULDN'T strive for 40/40 if they actually DID have meaning? Because that is most certainly what they would focus on...just like how they join every other "competition" that exists in the game.

I disagree with the idea that discussing this invalidates opinions on everything else....we are discussing something that doesn't currently exist in the game. Isn't that true of pretty much every conversation on these forums?

I think what invalidates someone is if they say "you don't even have 40/40, so your opinion doesn't matter". Because that statement is meaningless on actual experience and knowledge. But discussing the meaning of challenges itself is not invalidating.

Exactly, this reminds me of the golden days of MMORPGs, where rare titles and rewards were a true badge of skill, earned through grinding, conquering tough content, or being part of world-first achievements. That’s the kind of feeling PoE challenges should have, but right now, they’re too easily bypassed. The average player, already struggling to build a functional character or tackle endgame content, can still hit 40/40 just by buying carry runs. And that’s what completely takes the meaning out of it. When anyone can buy their way through without breaking a sweat, the rewards lose their value and meaning.

PoE needs a challenge system that demands real skill, something players can’t just breeze through or buy their way into. If we had 40 seasonal challenges (or even fewer, if they’re well-designed) that actually tested player ability, it would make those MTX rewards feel like real accomplishments. They’d be a clear sign that the player earned it, not just checked off a list. And if the challenges were a true symbol of skill, even top streamers would be striving for them.

This is why GGG should consider a challenge rework and make them meaningful again. With their usual "get good" stance, it would send a clear message: if you can’t earn it yourself, deal with it. That’s how challenges should feel, earned, exclusive, and worth the grind.

If you want some kind of sense of accomplishment, go do 40/40 in SSF HC then also go do 8/8 in Ruthless SSF HC and show it off on your profile for everyone to see.

Not everyone should be forced to play in SSF, that's why GGG created that gamemode. Specifically for people who do want to do stuff solo.

And carries have been a thing since forever in a lot of games, its a big part of the SC Trade community and of the in-game economy. I've given away free carries for challenges myself, and its a really fun way to just do something nice for other players. It can actually be wholesome, I've helped other people with challenges,carried bosses etc. etc. since Essence league. That's the positive side of carries in this community, along with people just selling boss carries to make some quick currency early league.

Giving away free carries for Catarina "kill boss without getting hit by laser in the center" and Black Knight "don't get hit by X and Y" challenges during Settlers was some of the most fun I had during that whole league, its what kept me playing even after 40/40. The satisfaction of letting other people join so they can be done with those challenges. Some even gave me a random 1 div tip even though I never asked for currency. Doing nice things for players like that is fun, and removing it all would just be a shame.

Global 820 is a pretty big chat channel, from the days when people did daily master mission rotas to upgrade their hideouts to today where they give away free challenges/map completion/voidstones/exp leech groups etc. Its a big part of the game, and just throwing all that away would be a waste while enforcing an unfun playstyle on everyone.


Like, this whole thread is talking about a non-issue. Its also pretty weird to care so much about other people deciding to pay X amount of divines for a challenge, that's just how they choose to play the game lmfao


Again, if you want the "prestige" of challenges, unprivate your profile and go play SSF/HC/Ruthless any combination of those and you can show them off all you want. No need to drag all the other players into a playstyle they might not enjoy. That would just be unfun.

People have been buying challenge carries since as early as Essence and Legacy leagues, its just a way to play this game. Nothing wrong with that.

All the other optional gamemodes like HC and SSF exist exactly for players who are looking for some kind of higher sense of achievement. They're right there in the character creation screen.

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Toforto#2372 wrote:

If you want some kind of sense of accomplishment, go do 40/40 in SSF HC then also go do 8/8 in Ruthless SSF HC and show it off on your profile for everyone to see.

I believe we’ve already covered this point earlier in the discussion, but since it seems you might not be fully following along, let me offer a brief recap. While I didn’t specifically mention SSF Hardcore, the point remains just as applicable to it.

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VoidWhisperer42#5989 wrote:

Yea, no. We do have SSF, but that doesn’t fix the problem. Challenges are still designed around trade, and in SSF something like “Use X Orbs”, which are rare as hell, leading people to transfer an alt with currency into trade just to finish them. Don't think that's the whole purpose of "just play ssf.

SSF also has no unique badges and still suffers from the fact the game is built around trade. And suggesting “play SSF Ruthless” is just low-quality bait, we both know it’s a failed meme mode close to nobody actually cares about.

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Toforto#2372 wrote:

Not everyone should be forced to play in SSF, that's why GGG created that gamemode. Specifically for people who do want to do stuff solo.

It truly baffles me, as once again, no one has raised the idea of making challenges exclusive to SSF mode. The level of reading comprehension seems notably lacking in this regard. Furthermore, those who rely on carries seem more inclined to justify the existence of cheese, rather than recognizing that the current design of challenges is deeply flawed and reflects a significant oversight by GGG. Perhaps there's also a level of FOMO at play, an unwillingness to accept that their 40/40 could no longer be obtained for free once a meaningful change is implemented.

Most people play SC Trade there is no achievement in this league.
Nobody cares if you have 40 Challenges or 10. You never lose progression there except exp on higher levels like 98+.

If you wanna play SSF go for it, most people don´t have the time to grind 12 hours a day for decent progression. I myself stopped enjoying SSF since it became too grindy over the years. Otherwise let everyone play how they want nothing more to say.

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TayPoE#6379 wrote:

Most people play SC Trade there is no achievement in this league.
Nobody cares if you have 40 Challenges or 10. You never lose progression there except exp on higher levels like 98+.

If you wanna play SSF go for it, most people don´t have the time to grind 12 hours a day for decent progression. I myself stopped enjoying SSF since it became too grindy over the years. Otherwise let everyone play how they want nothing more to say.

A rework of how challenges work won’t change much for most players. Those in SC Trade League, SSF, or HC can still play as they like. The change would just affect how challenges are earned, not the mode you choose. Casual players aiming for 0 challenges or those completing them solo won’t be impacted. The only ones affected would be those relying on carries, and in that case, it’s a simple 'earn it or deal with it' situation

If anything, a rework would actually make things easier for both trade and SSF players. It would let everyone do their thing without the current design flaws holding them back—like the ridiculous challenges that are easily acquired in Trade League through currency exchange but turn into a full-time grind in SSF, or even borderline impossible without resorting to currency mule characters from ssf- trade.

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VoidWhisperer42#5989 wrote:

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TayPoE#6379 wrote:

Most people play SC Trade there is no achievement in this league.
Nobody cares if you have 40 Challenges or 10. You never lose progression there except exp on higher levels like 98+.

If you wanna play SSF go for it, most people don´t have the time to grind 12 hours a day for decent progression. I myself stopped enjoying SSF since it became too grindy over the years. Otherwise let everyone play how they want nothing more to say.

A rework of how challenges work won’t change much for most players. Those in SC Trade League, SSF, or HC can still play as they like. The change would just affect how challenges are earned, not the mode you choose. Casual players aiming for 0 challenges or those completing them solo won’t be impacted. The only ones affected would be those relying on carries, and in that case, it’s a simple 'earn it or deal with it' situation

If anything, a rework would actually make things easier for both trade and SSF players. It would let everyone do their thing without the current design flaws holding them back—like the ridiculous challenges that are easily acquired in Trade League through currency exchange but turn into a full-time grind in SSF, or even borderline impossible without resorting to currency mule characters from ssf- trade.

Yes it would and GGG will never do it, so pointless anyways.

Thinking challenges in a video game matter or even really should matter is pretty amusing. I don't see this adding any value at all, SSF already exists for your clout if you really care.

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TayPoE#6379 wrote:

Yes it would and GGG will never do it, so pointless anyways.

Oh, you never know. It wouldn’t be the first time player feedback sparked some pretty drastic changes. But I’m starting to get the feeling that the whole “actually completing challenges yourself” idea gives you this… deep, existential discomfort.

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KaosuRyoko#1633 wrote:

SSF already exists for your clout if you really care.

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VoidWhisperer42#5989 wrote:

Yea, no. We do have SSF, but that doesn’t fix the problem. Challenges are still designed around trade, and in SSF something like “Use X Orbs”, which are rare as hell, leading people to transfer an alt with currency into trade just to finish them. Don't think that's the whole purpose of "just play ssf.

SSF also has no unique badges and still suffers from the fact the game is built around trade.