Mektul - this might be the point I call it quits ( whiney rant, don't bother)

Hi all, hi GGG,

So for a bit of context, I'm 44, I have a job, I guess kinda casual+ POE 1 player (1800h, beat all bosses except ubers I think, but I'm not a zoom-zoomer, and I definitely use guides. There is still plenty to learn and optimise in a build without the need to hit a brick wall because you don't have the time to iterate again and again). Also that's probably why I'm still at Act 3 normal. I don't have that much time to play (but still more than many I'd say... I'm far ahead of the 3 colleagues I convinved to play the beta... guess I owe them apologies now), plus I'm taking my time, taking in the sights the lore, not in a rush (especially when I hear about the state of endgame...).

There's a lot to like in POE2. The artistic side is phenomenal, the gameplay is much improved (not sure about the dodge roll though. I can use it but I'm not sure I like it), but there is still much to improve (QoL, balance, fatty tedium to cut out...).

Which brings me to Mektul (the forgemaster), why, to me it's a special kind of bad, and why if this is the shape of things to come I'm not sure I will keep playing.

So Mektul. Basically he's a DPS check: you're on a timer to bring his health bar to 0. He does fire dmg, so I switch to a fire charm, I put on my fire rings (I keep res rings around to switch as needed), and now he can't kill me, I don't even use half my health pot by the time we reach the end of the tunnel and it's ggwp for me.

Okay, not enough DPS. I do fire dmg (this guide https://maxroll.gg/poe2/build-guides/gas-grenade-deadeye-leveling-guide) and he resists it (I put 26% fire exposure on him, may be it's not enough). Kinda sucks to put a dps check that counters some builds. But ok. I see he's vulnerable to cold dmg. A quick trip to town, I have a few uncut gems laying around, I switch my loadout to cold dmg. I try it and I do far less (like 80% less) dmg than with fire... okay then, let's ask Google if there's something I missed in the fight...

Right, I have to draw him far from the lava, so that he loses his empowered by molten gold buff, then I can do moar dmg. OK, I do that, and it really changes nothing, he pants for a second and then scampers back to the lava. I still kill basically half his life and then GG.

I was doing fine before, it says on the tin of the zone "Level 41", I'm probably lvl43 or 44, doing the content just fine, and then I face this hard fail.

If the answer is I have to overlevel, then why does it say level 41 ? Alternatively, why don't all bosses require you to over level them ? At this point it's basically random difficulty spikes (same with trials by the way, I think, ultimatum trial is supposed to be lvl38, may be I'm doing something wrong, but I just can't beat that bird). Mektul is kinda optional fight, so I'll to come to him later. But I hope this is not the intended difficulty and what is to be expected, then this game is not for me (mind, I enjoy the challenging bosses! one of the highlights of the game, but it has to be a fair challenge). I've seen something similar in Elden Ring with the horseman in the beginning. I refunded. I don't care if you're supposed to come to him later or whatever. I ain't got time for that, but at least with Elden Ring there wasn't a sign saying "yeah, this is level appropriate". Trial and error is good and all, but spending two hours getting my ass handed to me, because may be I'm not actually supposed to kill this boss now is not exactly my idea of fun.

Anyway, that was my rant. If I'm doing something wrong, I'm open to constructive advice, otherwise this is not fun, if the game remains this way I'm probably out.

PS: For the "git gud" crowd. Don't bother. You're great, you have good skills and a big pipi. Congratulations. I don't care. This is MY feedback.

Edit: went back and did the Queen of Filth. First try, no sweat. Oh, and apparently Mektul drops a lvl 11 uncut skill gem. A random mob dropped one in the next zone anyway... So either this sh*t is broken, or IF it's intended as DPS(chack before going into maps, or the next act or whatever, put it at a level appropriate spot.

There aren't any non-minion builds that can actually do damage right now. Very boring.

Its bad design and nothing good comes from beating him, skip em.

So there's a lot that's overtuned right now but it's early in EA and anyone who has played poe1 for any length time knows the GGG way is to start hella overtuned and soften it shortly thereafter. Given the holiday break, it'll be a week, maybe two prior to more changes but many more are coming.

The important thing is, this is EA and there's no need to throw in the towel as it'll be 6-12 mos to the actual release.

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Glorfndel01#6465 wrote:

So there's a lot that's overtuned right now but it's early in EA and anyone who has played poe1 for any length time knows the GGG way is to start hella overtuned and soften it shortly thereafter. Given the holiday break, it'll be a week, maybe two prior to more changes but many more are coming.

The important thing is, this is EA and there's no need to throw in the towel as it'll be 6-12 mos to the actual release.

Yeah I agree. I hope and expect this will be fixed, and is not part of their "vision" (tm).

"

Glorfndel01#6465 wrote:

So there's a lot that's overtuned right now but it's early in EA and anyone who has played poe1 for any length time knows the GGG way is to start hella overtuned and soften it shortly thereafter. Given the holiday break, it'll be a week, maybe two prior to more changes but many more are coming.

The important thing is, this is EA and there's no need to throw in the towel as it'll be 6-12 mos prior to the actual release.

It needs to be downtuned immediately, though.

Ive not made it to Act 3, and probably never will; I'm level 39 and can't get past the level 32 Act 2 gate keeper. I've essentially quit, only keeping the game installed to help fellow players who loved the game enough to talk me into buying it; but I've blown past their toons and able to help them get to high 30's, they are still teens in Act 1 and twenties just into Act 2 (thank you).

Maybe they will be able to pull this boss down. Maybe not. Then again, maybe they are not playing as much because they were also bummed by the Act 1 gatekeeper that I only got past by being 6 levels above it.

I died a lot to mektul the first time. I got him in 2 tries on the “harder” difficulty. Hes a waste of time anyways. Just skip him. No meaningful reward for beating him. He’s a menace and a major pain in the ass for melee characters due to him just standing in lava 75% of the fight

Unfortunately Mektul is the least of the game’s problems at the moment.

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eEridani#1169 wrote:

Ive not made it to Act 3, and probably never will; I'm level 39 and can't get past the level 32 Act 2 gate keeper. I've essentially quit, only keeping the game installed to help fellow players who loved the game enough to talk me into buying it; but I've blown past their toons and able to help them get to high 30's, they are still teens in Act 1 and twenties just into Act 2 (thank you).

Maybe they will be able to pull this boss down. Maybe not. Then again, maybe they are not playing as much because they were also bummed by the Act 1 gatekeeper that I only got past by being 6 levels above it.

Jamanra is pretty annoying. The fight became much easier to me when I equipped more cold res, and +0.x charge/s flasks (especially the flasks! in addition to learning the fight, I find it was a... flask-check).

Then again, maybe you already know that, and experiences vary a lot!

"

Andreuswolf#0361 wrote:

There aren't any non-minion builds that can actually do damage right now. Very boring.

Yes, that's why my warrior with only 2 ascendency points steam rolled over him... while under leveled.

That fight is honestly one of the easiest ones in the game, there's no really bad mechanics. It's just a simple "are you ready to progress to harder content" test of your DPS.

If you can't beat it, look at where your problem is and improve that.

A whiney rant is not feedback, it's... well a whiney rant, also known as bitching and complaining.