Character Balance in Path of Exile: Lake of Kalandra

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MisterAbsence wrote:

Can I ask GGG few questions:

1. How many builds are capable to do hard core content and kill most of content?
2. How many builds will be able to kill all content in softcore?
3. How many people will be able to gear those builds referred in previous 2 questions?
4. How many builds that are not capable to do most of content are affected by the nerfes in this character balance manifesto?
5. Do you think is a good practice to dismantle some structural parts of all builds just to nerf those top tier builds (i think 6 meta builds) that were able to do all content?
6. Is it normal for a game with so many combination of skills and items to have only a few builds that are capable to do all content?(with god tier investment?)

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AwesomeZerain wrote:

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h_marvin wrote:

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The Reservation Mastery that granted 15% increased Mana Reservation Efficiency of Skills has been removed from the Passive Skill Tree.

Damn.. this bricks like all my builds -.-

So u will make new one? This game should be about diversity, beign stunlocked at one build is probably good way to play for people with int under shoe size but still...

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VernerHolt wrote:

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ExtraMapQuest wrote:

If you want build diversity, you should gut Seismic.

Give it the double tap - or a triple tap headshot like you did for DD.

Shake up the meta!

If you want to see players try new things, and are truly attempting to balance classes, don't half ass it. FULLASSIT

ORRRR do you want everyone to play seismic again? Because that's how you get ants... I mean...

...you know what I mean.

You nerfed fire trap with the 'trim', PLUS a top end damage nerf, but barely touched Seismic with just the 'trim'? That's... not balance.

You don't really understand just how bad the cut for trap cooldown recovery rate hits seismic. Sure, it still destroys most bosses on the first 4 stored up uses but it loses about 50% of its damage in fights against bosses with more than a breakpoint in hp that's hit by those 4 trap detonations. It gets even worse for mobile bosses like Suncaller Asha, Crusader or Sirus. It's not like Seismic was that overpowered this league. What, 3% of leaderboards were saboteurs at the end there? 6-8% at league start. We had 20% of leaderboards taken up by Righteous fire inquisitors and 32% of leaderboards were using Aegis Aurora while playing various minion builds. Seismic was a good boss killer build two leagues ago but it's been pruned to a point it's probably dead next league.
To actually introduce build diversity a sweeping set of buffs are needed as well as buffs to defenses. People don't build stuff that can't survive in t16 maps because no one enjoys 6 portal mapping experience and never going above lvl 95. And builds that don't deliver damage fast enough to clear the screen die a lot. The solution there is either to bring the rest of builds to equivalent survivability or equivalent clearing capabilities. Both translate to less deaths and less frustrating gameplay experience.
Because that's why people play meta builds. It's not the gear or the fact streamers play them. It's because the other options are frustrating to invest time in and not experience the power fantasy that POE promises you.
But it's pointless to try and convince the developers of that it seems. They're too busy fighting the playerbase in an attempt to make POE into Dark Souls for casuals and solo players while parties of 5 can clear Atlas and kill the pinnacle bosses within 48 hours of league start.
It's the bad DM experience if the DM was busy trying to make every encounter into a party wipe because the players enjoyed that one session where a lot of the party wiped.