Content Update 3.21.0 -- Path of Exile: Crucible

will this work with energy blade?

Very hyped for the league!

There are some nerfs I don't care for, but I need to play the league first before I can really cast my judgement.

Thanks again for the live streams, I like that day just about as much as league launch day!!

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Our balance goals with 3.21 are to provide more options and more fun for as many builds as possible, rather than reworking game systems in potentially disruptive ways

A quick simulation on PoB, after accounting for new mastery adjustments and skill-points reallocation, is enough to prove that literally everything coming for me is a net nerf. Curious because i'm not even using a meta build but a personal creation. And this is the 4th league in a row of net nerfs, for a damn useless niche build not even in the charts. Last league was -6M damage. Now -500k dps, -11% phys dam red, and -30% unreserved mana on an already mana starving spell caster.
Reading the full notes I imagine the effect on every single standard player will be devastating. Another massive spit in our face, as if divine/exalt swap (and that sad, out-of-touch CW's joke) was not enough.
Oh but you'll transfer what's lost in crucible crafts, right? Let's force everybody on the new lottery carousel. Let's partially recover our lost power by gambling on another botched and dishonest RNG system or pay what will presumably be the most expensive weapons ever crafted. Fun and build diversity hostage of a new massive grind wall. Monkey-pawning at its worst. Impossible not to see every single word in the quote as yet another blatant lie.
I couldn't think my level of disgust could go any lower for your game development (and PR methodology), but you surprised me again.

there's going to be a ton of new builds, excited for next week
I get why you nerfed what you did
only thing that's a head scratcher to me is some of the masteries (why all this stun stuff and every 4 seconds stuff?)
channeling stuff needs some help

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Projectiles from skills which force them to explode or otherwise destroy the projectile before checking for other behaviours, such as the Concoction skills, will now consistently prevent returning, just like this prevents other projectile behaviours.

Are Splitting Steel & Shattering steel count as this type of projectile?
And does that mean they can return without hitting anything when Vengeant Cascade is anointed?

Leech Masteries

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(New) 25% of Damage taken Recouped as Life if Leech was removed by Filling Unreserved Life Recently

That is not a fun sentence to read and comprehend. I think it's because the brain wants to skip the "if" between Life and Leech because we are so used to treat that as one term "Life Leech"

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(New) If Leech was removed by filling up Unreserved Life recently 25% of Damage taken is Recouped as Life

is a lot easier to understand and read imho. Unless I misunderstood what this actually does.

Life Masteries

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(New) 10% more Maximum Life if you have at least 6 Life Masteries allocated

Really? That's a lot of skill points not doing much for you for another 10% life. 4 Life Masteries maybe.

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+50 to maximum Life

I'm happy this one survived. Yes, it's not interesting, it's a no brainer but it's such a nice life boost early on and keeps growing with your passive investment.

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(New) You count as on Full Life while at 90% of maximum Life or above

"It's just a flesh wound!" feels like cheating but I guess it makes some builds/mechanics smoother for some. *shrug*

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(New) Skills cost Life instead of 30% of Mana Cost

Does this mean you pay 70% of a skill cost with Mana and 30% with life? Like a Matter over Mind node.

Link Masteries
I feel like Link skills are something PoE could do without but if I had people I would exclusively play with, I would at least consider them. Don't know how many people actually use these in practice.

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(New) Linked targets share Endurance, Frenzy and Power Charges with you

Is that one direction sharing or every individual in the link chain gets every charge anyone in the chain generates? I guess these are spendable charges and they only get shared on creation?

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(New) Your Movement Speed is equal to the highest Movement Speed among Linked Players

That is such a game changer for Link skills I bet. Only one has to invest into speed without someone constantly being left in the dust.

Mark Masteries
Cool options but only if you're in that corner of the tree.

Protection Masteries (previously Resistance and Ailment Protection)

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(New) 65% reduced effect of Withered on you

I hope this doesn't become the standard answer whenever someone complains about the new Profane map mod.

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(New) Your Elemental Resistances cannot be lowered by Curses

So that negates the map mod and means my gear needs about 3x30% less resistance on it?

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(New) Damaging Ailments cannot be inflicted on you while you already have one, Non-Damaging Ailments cannot be inflicted on you while you already have one

*squints eyes* this seems only usable in too few cases or better handled by other ways? Could be ok in smoothing out survivability in clusterf*ck situations I guess.

Recovery Masteries

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Every 3 seconds, Consume a nearby Corpse to Recover 10% of Life

Maybe not the most effective way of either recovery or corpse removal but such a cool passive effect and good quality of life for Necros.

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Life Recovery from Regeneration is not applied, Every 4 seconds, Recover 1 Life for every 0.1 Life Recovery per second from Regeneration

That just seems worse in a couple of ways? Obviously I'm missing something. Oh I understood it the wrong way around, every 4 seconds you get ten times your regen as recovery. Still would make it a lot clunkier but at least it could mathematically be called a buff. :D
And RIP to all new players trying to read and understand a lot of these masteries.

Spell Suppression Masteries
Seem strong if you combine some of them and a cool thematic way to get Phasing.

Staff Masteries .... can we pleeease get those looked at? I usually only take the 30% defenses one, which while effective isn't exactly interesting.
At least for my crit staff Glacial Hammer Inquisitor the rest are useless:
I don't need the recovery because I have good regen and anything not dead should be frozen so I only occasionally block (which is why the Power charge generation on block on the passive tree is also meh). Two masteries buff Stuns with Staves. Are there that many/any people playing staff stun? Unholy Might sounds good but again, I don't block regularly enough for good uptime.
The crit multi if you haven't crit recently <- surely at least that thing can be cut and replaced with something that buffs elemental damage/ailments with Staves? Or buff crits which is also a them of staves but this mastery seems to be a joke for that. I know I'm only one build and not everyone freezes but the Stun ones and the crit ones really don't feel like they are universal or good enough and the elemental or casting aspect of staves is completely ignored.

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Gubert wrote:

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Schtauffen wrote:

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Gubert wrote:

Why are you with 10 challenges done last league and two characters in it: one level 68 and one level 10 if you are loving the game so much?

Don't gatekeep bro. People can play the game at whatever rate they want to.

That has no relation with my question

Yes it is, clasic out of context questions in order to poorly discredit someone based in gameplay time.

Yikes

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Gubert wrote:

Why are you with 10 challenges done last league and two characters in it: one level 68 and one level 10 if you are loving the game so much?

Someone with a level 100 in Standard and level 90 in hardcore and 119 Achievements done and a whole bunch of supporter packs can take a league off if they want. :p
I too was burnt out this league even though I had to acknowledge that the game was in a pretty good state after the two bad leagues beforehand. And maybe like me, they really didn't like the league mechanic.

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trollkind1 wrote:

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(New) Enemies permanently take 5% increased Damage for each second they've ever been Frozen by you, up to a maximum 50%

50% increased Damage is nothing to scoff at but getting Divine Judgement now is already debatable and that one doesn't need a ramp up and works against freeze immunes.

50% increased damage != enemies takes 50% increased damage. enemies take 50% increased damage is way better than 50% increased damage.