[outdated] Caustic Arrow Solo Map MFer (20/300+)

The game has generally improved, but there are legit concerns about how performance improvements are hit and miss: they help some people, but others suffer. I'm in the latter. Every patch, until my last PC upgrade anyway, the game was constantly getting chuggier for me, despite supposed "improvements."

The other main things that pop up with the game supposedly getting worse is balance/power-creep; things like double-dipping being OP; no point to life builds with CI in its current state; etc.

The game's become a lot more accessible, and generally better for most people as far as performance goes, and more and more people and succeeding in the end-game. To some, that last point is not necessarily a good thing. There's definitely a die-hard section of the playerbase that longs for the days when a 67 Cemetery map was legitimately dangerous and making it to a 77 Shipyard was a MAJOR accomplishment. And now, you grab two 10c HoWA claws and a few misc ex worth of other gear and you just murder the toughest boss in the game. Some legit concerns about balance.

Then, you throw in the xbox announcement and people just feel generally betrayed that a game which clearly still has issues to sort out is trying to latch onto a different platform, which indirectly may very well affect the development of the PC game (i.e., balance/mechanic considerations required for console that change what gets implemented in the PC version of the game) and well...

Don't get me wrong, the game's improved, but to the point where we'd be comfortable with any development time being taken away from refining the original game first? Eh, not quite.

Although they have said it hasn't taken away from PC development and, in fact, the console development is the reason we've had the performance improvements as quickly as we got them.

So... okay.

"

(The console version) has been in progress in at least planning form since 2014, so if you're happy with Forsaken Masters, The Awakening, Ascendancy and Atlas of Worlds then I suspect you'll be happy with our future expansions also. Those expansions were also developed with a console version in mind. There's no difference to how we're developing them.

- Chris

In other words, the game's balance seems to have already been dulled down for a console version for a long time right now.

Aka, they're fine with power creep, and it's probably not going away.

Which... okay, I guess. While disappointing for me personally as a player that prefers a game that's hard front-to-back instead of just T14+ being challenging... alright. I mean it makes sense for them from a marketing perspective, console or not, to give players the opportunity to feel powerful.

Which basically just leaves the normal concerns we've already had for a while, which the console development has (apparently) had no impact on:

* Life vs CI
* Double dipping
* Power creep in general

Which, GGG has all addressed and said they're working on.

And unlike what they would do previously with things like FT, RAT, etc., where they just bring a knee-jerk nerf hammer to, they're taking their time to make sure it gets right.

This is where the overreacting morons part comes in.

Until we see evidence that the planned changes for balance issues and other performance concerns are poorly addressed (HOW are these problems actually addressed), there's no real cause for concern, balance-wise, other than the fact it seems to be taking an inordinate amount of time, which to be honest probably has more to do with their rapid development cycle than anything else.

The game is still going to be the one that we've kept playing.

All of this said, there's two legitimate concerns. But the whole doomsayer attitude about it pisses me off, because again: no evidence. We have to wait to see how GGG actually handles it.

A) Eventually (like other developers have) will the console version will take precedence over the PC version, and the PC game will basically die?
B) That, in the event the console version flops (like has been the case with other games), the company is forced to fold, and the game dies.

Only time will tell.

And, "This game has gone Blizz"

Like what the fuck did you people expect? You had to know a console version was coming, because that expands the market, generates more revenue, and allows them to continue working on the game longer into the future as a result, AND hire more people to address some of the other stuff, faster.

Other than the possibility about console taking precedence / resulting in the game folding, the release is actually a great thing for everybody.

Here's my MAJOR concern regarding a potential fold, however:

IF GGG thinks they can release a console version without a trade system (because there's no way something similar to Loot 2.0 will fly in this game), and expect console players to go SSF and have the game succeed at the level the PC version has (thanks entirely to poe.trade)... then this will have been for nothing. Other than the PC improvements we got as a result of it.

So, you have to think we're getting a trade system.

Norse himself posted results from 100 runs with his method.

In 100 maps, he was only +16.

:P

As stated the 5:1 vendor recipe is a good one to keep in mind. Helms, Gloves, Chest, etc. have already been mentioned, my 2c would be also for rare jewels. They don't take up much space, and sometimes you can get 4 property jewels back.

As you start to complete the MF items you want for the build hold on to a second set of survival gear, Life/Resistance rings, high life/res/MS boots, high life/res belt. This way when your character is in the high level 80 range and you want to make a push for the next level you can increase the life/defenses of your character to make it to your next skill point.

Depending on how you have your item filter set up, this might be a good opportunity to look for good Hidden Potential gear as well. I know as a MF character you would not use the items, but if you wanted to push higher content with CA or higher levels, HP has a really high potential for damage output.

As you said the updates might be a bit sporadic, but I'm still looking forward to the updates when they are posted.

Feel free to add me, Serleth#1987

Someone posted a Shaped Coves set of 100 they did, which I find interesting.

After the jump

As far as map returns and currency goes, no point going full tilt investment.

This dude ran 123 strands 20% with any packsize mod, got back...

123 strands.

Ignoring sale items like uniques, div cards, whatever, strictly currency in ---> currency out, the guy made 376c from the runs (you can do the calc if you want, but this is just raw currency generation), and +0 profit from Strands (he refunded all 123 maps).

Rolling the maps, he spent 20% quality (1.3c) + 1 alc (0.25c) = ~1.5c per map * 128 maps = 192c spent.

To average this out to 100 maps to make this even with Norse, we go (376/128)*100 for his currency generated and (192/128)*100 for currency spent, to get +293c made per 100 and 150 spent per 100.

Net profit per 100 maps: +143c for just 20%, alc and go.

Meanwhile:

Norse spends 450c to get a net return of +16 Strands (48c) + 404c raw generated from 100 maps (not including his Atoll map drops, for sake of parity, as the above dude did not include his T13 drops), totalling putting him at a return of 452c for 450c spent.

Net profit: 2 chaos.

Differential: 190c, or 63 Strand maps that could've been purchased.

We now have definitive proof the only reason to go mass investment into Strand maps is to increase your xp/hr.