Mercenaries need to go core!

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Sabranic_SilverDeth#2793 wrote:

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Rextec#4521 wrote:

mercs should be a 1 off and never be core, too op, not balanceable if you can put gear on them. if you can't put gear, they are very mid and will become loot pinyatas

This is not true. You can absolutely balance them and still have them be "equipable." It won't even be terribly difficult to manage.

Simply add the tag "cannot be equipped by mercs" to a select number of items is the easy easy easy way to do this.

Another option is to address how mercs can equip these types of items and not simply get pasted by the t16+ enemies. If they are so tough you can gear them out like an animate guardian, without worrying about sustain and defense, then they are too resilient, and that needs to be addressed.

If they are becoming pseudo aura-bots, then restrict them to 1 aura or one warcry or one curse maximum.

If they are clearing screens, then track their mana and force some sort of leech/regen/on-kill into their template.

If they don't have to worry about getting high defensive stats on armor and high resists, reduce their bases and make the Kitava penalty apply to them. Then you can't have them running around in a Leercast, Victario's Boots, Damage Aura Staff, and other such goodies.

This is not even close to an intractable problem. You can have these added to the game, tuned to the point they are an interesting and helpful addition, without breaking things.

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PrimordialDarkness#3913 wrote:

This only further proves the point that people who want mercs to go core have very low understanding of how to balance poe.

It's not possible to predict every future weird broken combination of gear that might appear 2 years down the line and make mercs break the balance of the game. With mercs in core, EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE ITEM would have to be checked 10 times over to make sure it's not balanced on players, but OP on mercs. Unique design especially, as they are often designed around the idea of having downsides to offset the upsides, which mercs COMPLETELY circumvent. It's just too hard.

Mercs are also in danger of fading into irrelevance like rogue exiles or grandmasters, since they are basically kinda like a "snapshot" of the game at a particular state. They use a selection of current (and custom) skills, which may make no sense 2 years down the line, and we don't want GGG to have to do merc balance passes every patch. This particular problem isn't "solved" by letting them have a curated gear selection, either.

Then there's the aspect that not everyone enjoys having a merc. However, in any state where they're not irrelevant, they become mandatory because NOT using one is giving up free power. There's no opportunity cost to using a merc. And I personally think that the arpg power fantasy is fundamentally solo, about a lone person amassing transcendent power. Mercs break that fundamental design aspect of an arpg. If I can have one merc, why can't I have 3? PoE - Baldur's Gate edition.
No thanks.

Just accept that mercs do not belong in the core game of PoE and move on. I personally want to see crucible go core, but it poses many similar problems and probably also doesn't belong in core poe, just like mercs.

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Sabranic_SilverDeth#2793 wrote:

This is untrue. You are trying to create an intractable problem where there is none. I am confident GGG can address the balance problems in a way that will leave them useful, worth the cost, and not broken. There are several other threads with some good ideas from Pizza/Caribbean that would go a long way to addressing the issues.

If some of us longtime players can manage some pretty solid solutions just spitballing on the forum, I have faith GGG's development team can effect an effective middle-ground.

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PrimordialDarkness#3913 wrote:

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Sabranic_SilverDeth#2793 wrote:

This is untrue. You are trying to create an intractable problem where there is none. I am confident GGG can address the balance problems in a way that will leave them useful, worth the cost, and not broken. There are several other threads with some good ideas from Pizza/Caribbean that would go a long way to addressing the issues.

If some of us longtime players can manage some pretty solid solutions just spitballing on the forum, I have faith GGG's development team can effect an effective middle-ground.

Very solid argument. Do you often resort to "NO U LIE WAAAAH" when you can't counterargue?

I am not creating anything by the way. GGG has often talked about not wanting mechanics that limit future design to go core. You're just completely out of your depth, both knowledge-wise and intellectually. Stop bumping these threads.

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PrimordialDarkness#3913 wrote:

Stop bumping these threads.

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PrimordialDarkness#3913 wrote:

Very solid argument. Do you often resort to "NO U LIE WAAAAH" when you can't counterargue?

I am not creating anything by the way. GGG has often talked about not wanting mechanics that limit future design to go core. You're just completely out of your depth, both knowledge-wise and intellectually. Stop bumping these threads.

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Sabranic_SilverDeth#2793 wrote:

I am confident GGG can address the balance problems