Map Changes in 2.0.4

I think there is one conclusion :

The map pyramid has to go, the system was great but it's getting so old and repetitive. Especially because the higher you go the less map tilesets you will be playing. I think it's time to make a craftable 'Zana-system'. That would be the only reason why changing to 'tiers' would make a tiny bit of sense, because now it does nothing besides confuse both new and veteran players. Doing "TIER + 67" to get your map level will get annoying very fast if you want to know the map level !
A recipe to 'craft' maps would be godsend. Of course it could be abusable but I have made a post about his before that it should come with a cost if you want a level 80, sorry tier 13 Tropical Island to prevent abusing it.

Awesome because lvling at high lvl was really to fast this league, I want enjoy my char more time !

>.< maybe i can finally run core

Path of Exile or how to cater to only 1% of the player base. Yet another episode.

Also the maps change to tiers instead of lvl is ridiculous. Thank you for making things more confusing.

I'm not sure if I'm happy with these changes or not. I haven't played PoE in some weeks because of a burn out. I am level 98 and played entirely solo. I've got over 22 days /played time and Invested far, far too much currency into maps then I've ever done before. I might probebly be able to reach 99, but honestly, the amount of resources it takes is just holding me back and makes me stop playing the game all together.

Also, changing the level maps into tiers will be confusing and not solve any issue at all. I don't think I'll play the one-month race at all.

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Lord_Kamster wrote:

Concentrate on what needs fixing. Better drop rates, more reward for doing bosses, more reward for killing unique mobs, and bring the +2 back. After all, if XP is nerfed at the higher levels, then more map drops shouldn't significantly reduce the time spent getting to 100. The game needs to feel REWARDING in some regard.

Needs to feel rewarding? Better droprates?

I feel like Diablo 3 is a good game for you. In their latest patch they've added "even more" legendaries

The droprates are good as they are. Giving you more juice will just make you want even more.
You need to start understanding that giving a buff to a lot of drops will simply make most other items lose their value and that puts you in the same boat as before. In the end every item is good and nothing feels special, just like in D3.

It will be a good idea to review your ideology on the last boss, as well as the clean caster builds.

Ground effect - cool - hopefully no more portal dc.

New changes - hmm hard to say yet.

Looks great!

I especially like the new map icon colors and the reduction of physical damage spikes.

Top 1% balancing: +1

I have said this myself in the past. At some point I just stopped supporting the game since they don't consider us apart of the population. The heavy focus on the top-end players is ruining the gaming experience for the rest of us - by which I am not directly referencing experience in-game but the players' experience overall. Not enough attention is given to important issues that have dogged the game for years because that vital attention is instead given to how best handle the top 1% (I generally refer to this as the top 5%, either way though) for the new league/challenge/etc.

For those of you late to the race, by "issues" I'm referencing: heavily RNG gated end-game content, bug-related map crashes, poor quality control and testing for new game content, a slew of nearly unusable skills that have yet to be appropriately balanced while new skills are added monthly, game-breaking unique items influencing passive tree skills (shouldn't it be the other way around?), passive tree inflation (every patch it's an extra 2-5 points to fill out the SAME tree with a lower overall impact on the character), and at the top of the list: poor game coding. This game loads slower and runs worse than any other game I own and many of the games I own have higher system and internet requirements with exponentially better graphics - AND this problem appears to be getting worse not better. This is by no means an exhaustive, complete, or extensive list - just some keynote highlights from my own personal experience with POE.

Separately: For every stalwart defender of the new game damage scaling - you were wrong. It's a problem (not because it can't be managed) but because it is improperly implemented and scaled throughout the game. Period. So quit saying everyone is whining over nothing - the fact that it's getting looked at indicates it is seriously out of whack. Early maps and ALL act 4 content are ridiculously out of line. Keep in mind I only lost (1) character in tempest and my 2nd character cleared 75 without a hiccup - then I quit playing because the league is straight dumbsauce. New bosses they added/retooled are over-the-top, especially when looked at with respect to the rest of the game.

Lastly: Tiers? Seriously why change this. A color coding system - like we're five years old or something? Put your focus, time, and energy into important changes not fluff like this. Map levels are nice because they tie directly to item levels - if more explanation is needed you're playing a different game then the rest of us.

My own faith in the devs abilities to make positive, impactful changes to the game is non-existant but I will look in on everything after the one month. Same reward for HC and SC? Get real.