Is Act 1 Too Hard Now?

The issue is not that PoE is hard for new people in the first part of the campaign. People love challenges. It is the fact that it lanches things at you that seem to have no tools to overcome and even more importantly, no information to indicate you should/can skip these or use specific mechanics to overcome them.

If the game would say: 'you encountered a hard enemy, you might not be able to win this fight, however you do not need to kill all enemy, you can encounter things that are impossible for your build or level, keep moving forward' it would be so much better to get people in the right mindset.

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Imaginaerum wrote:

maybe someone else mentioned it but Act 1 was "redone" some time back to be "updated" to the modern game, and I remember the post saying they would be doing it to the next 4 acts over time but abandoned that sometime later. In my opinion the only thing updating Act 1 did was increase the time it took to clear it for no reason

Yep, I mentioned that. They adjusted Act 1 and 2 and then abandoned the idea. This idea is absolute bs, because buffing mobs in the first two acts just penalizes new players and annoys veterans. They got what they got.

Yes, it is, undoubtedly so. Mobs were buffed quite a bit a while back, you can feel it in maps (their map versions), too. Some of them had to be nerfed multiple times, i.e. goatmen, and are still rippy as hell (Molten Shell).

Once you start encountering Sirens in the cave, you can legit just die to perma-Freeze, even if you know what you are doing (has happened to me before). Even before that, the Firestorm witch can stun-lock you to death, too. Or you get packs of nasty magic mobs with added Cold/Lightning Damage that shock/freeze you to death. Rhoas, while annoying af, are imo the least deadly ones in that context.

It is noticeable. I am finding it much more tedious than this act used to be.

It feels like I'm playing ruthless mode.

I hope you guys aren't talking about the newer Necro Settlers league which is designed to be as unenjoyable as possible, like poe2.

I've been playing since 2013, have done everything in the game. I got to the flooded depths in Necro settlers and noped right out of the league, deleted character. I want 5 mystery boxes for that suffering bs.

Back to my lvl100 Zenith in normal settlers, thanks Steve.

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Hrvaska wrote:

I hope you guys aren't talking about the newer Necro Settlers league which is designed to be as unenjoyable as possible, like poe2.

I've been playing since 2013, have done everything in the game. I got to the flooded depths in Necro settlers and noped right out of the league, deleted character. I want 5 mystery boxes for that suffering bs.

Back to my lvl100 Zenith in normal settlers, thanks Steve.

I dont understand your comment. On the one hand, you write "I hope you guys arent talking about..." and then in the following paragraph agree that it's sufferable.

/boggle

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Hrvaska wrote:

I hope you guys aren't talking about the newer Necro Settlers league

I certainly wasn't. There's a noticeable difficulty spike compared to a few years ago.

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Bensel wrote:

If the game would say: 'you encountered a hard enemy, you might not be able to win this fight, however you do not need to kill all enemy, you can encounter things that are impossible for your build or level, keep moving forward' it would be so much better to get people in the right mindset.

The game should also periodically tell you to blink, posture check, hydrate, breathe...

What you describe is just common sense. Why should the game tell you that?
OK... so maybe I'm too old. I remember leaving the Butcher in Diablo I in his little room until I either had levelled up enough to face him OR had found a Bow of the Bear to keep him at a distance with knockback.
There were these acid spitting hell hounds and one unique variant of them would easily ruin your day with his rapid fire acid attack - worse than Firefury's rain of fire.
The only things you HAVE to fight in PoE are Act Bosses - which ironically are often easier to kill than some rares.

I agree, though, that there should be some hints in the game as to where your weak spot was.
Like:
"Got roasted by Firefury - maybe check your fire resistance." (although that early in the game that's perhaps not to useful. So rather: "Standing still is rarely a wise idea")
"Enemies that deal cold damage can freeze you." (Oh, wait...)
"When hunting for Rhoa carry big stick and get the hell out of their way when they come running."

But now that I think of it, it might actually be a nice addition to the game if there was, in every act, an NPC that you could talk to about enemies. A walking and talking Wiki. Perhaps he could even be triggered by your most recent death to impart pieces of wisdom on you.
Like: "Uhh... that's some nasty burns. Encountered that mad cannibal Witch? Yeah, you better watch out. Better tackle her from afar or be on the move constantly. And see if Nessa has some Ruby Rings for you."

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superbomb1967 wrote:

It feels like I'm playing ruthless mode.

Play rtuthless then get back.

Remeber that Ruthless is kinda simulating what PoE was at the beginning.

Yep, I mentioned that. They adjusted Act 1 and 2 and then abandoned the idea. This idea is absolute bs, because buffing mobs in the first two acts just penalizes new players and annoys veterans. They got what they got.[/quote]
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This. For the life of me I don't understand some things GGG does. Making Act 1 so brutal turns off new players and I am quite sure many quit before giving the game a chance. It is a terrible idea. As a veteran I can deal with it - I honestly have no idea how the players in hardcore get through it (but maybe that is the answer - a bad answer but an answer).