Mega Feedback and Suggestion Post 2

Let's start right at the get-go.


Overview

1. Token System
2. Sacrifice and Minion Revive Time
3. Arbiter of Ash
4. Emotions
5. Blood Mage
6. Whisper Sound
7. Breach Rings

1. Token System

I like the base idea of the new atlas, but there are a few things I would like to see improved. I thought for a while about what could be changed without turning it in the old "mapping" system of PoE1 because I think it has some problems too.

My idea is a "Token" system. Let me explain, "Tokens" are a separate currency for the Atlas with specific uses. These "Tokens" should have different rarity depending on their power (use). For example, the "Token of Creation" should be the rarest one.
To get a "Token" the player has to defeat a boss at the end of a "Tower". These "Tokens" come in different types as follows:

- "Token of Consumption" using this Token on a node will consume the "mechanics" from adjacent nodes and funnel these "mechanics" into this node. So if my tablets don't hit the node I want, I then can force it on the node of my choice.
This comes with a "trade-off".

Upside: I create a strong node to run
Downside: Adjacent nodes are blanc

- "Token of Choice" using this Token on a node changes the "layout" (map/waystone) I would open, but picks a new one from the pool of layouts related to the biome.

Upside: I can avoid layouts I really don't want to run
Downside: It's still not running one specific map forever (like only Strand)

- "Token of Travel" using this token on a node forces a new path to be created.
So I can connect a node I finished with an undone node nearby. That helps with occurring Atlas generation-related problems where we often find ourselves at "dead ends" (multiple nodes not connected to other nodes, when they should have a connection). I encountered this problem many, many times without any way to get into an area because it was fully "cut off" from my Atlas. The player would use this Token on the node he wants the connection with and the node then connects to the closest "finished" node.

- "Token of Completion" using this token on a node completes the node so I can travel through it. This would help in multiple ways. First, if someone dies in his juiced map he can then use this Token to complete the node (without rewards), but he does not need to run this node again (empty) to progress further. Losing the mechanics, loot and exp from the map should be punishment enough, running an empty map turns ppl away.
Furthermore, if a node is bugged out like "failed" or "not completed" while the player succeeded - they could fix it themselves. A good example is "Citadels". Even after killing the boss and every single mob in the "Citadel" they often don't let you travel or straight up "fail".

- "Token of Creation" using this Token on a node changes the node into an already completed Tower (so no extra loot etc. from it). This Token can only be used once in its own range. So if someone wants to use another one he has to use it out of the circle of the tower to prevent Tower-stacking.


2. Sacrifice and Minion Revive Time

I think the Spirit Gem "Sacrifice" is way too punishing and underwhelming. Even with a level 30 Sacrifice and 20% quality, it takes the minions (corpses) 7 seconds to respawn. That alone wouldn't be an issue, BUT the time resets every time a corpse is consumed. So if I use "Detonate Dead" and my first minion dies the timer starts, if I kill another minion before the timer hits 0 - it resets. Both minions are now in a "revive chain".
An easy fix would be "Minions consumed by a Skill don't affect the Revive Timer".


3. Arbiter of Ash

While I like the boss fight, one specific mechanic doesn't seem right to me.
The "corridor" mechanic where we need to run into the safe path feels too fast.
I think the timing between the bursts is ok, but the first one comes way too early.
It often happens that the player dodges a prior mechanic and the Arbiter already starts with the "corridor" mechanic. Depending on the player's position it is literally impossible to reach the safe path in time IF you don't have "Blink", a skill most builds can't fit into it.
My suggestion, expand the timer until damage for 1 second on the first wave and then let them come in like normal.


4. Emotions

Upgrading "Emotions" (Delirium) is really annoying atm, but the bigger issue is - instilling maps. Every time I prepare a tab full of maps I get "Alteration Orb Spam PTSD flashbacks". Idk why, but it triggers my autism on another level.
Putting a map in the instilling window, then the three "Emotions" - Accept, taking the map out, repeat. It's torture.
Just let us use the Emotions like every other currency per "Mouse + Hold" to apply an "Emotion" to a map. Please, I am emotional about that.


5. Blood Mage

Swapping the position of "Sanguimancy" and "Grasping Wounds" would benefit the entire Ascendancy. Right now having "Sanguimancy" as the first node is more of a downside. At the time of the first Trial completion, most characters cannot sustain the Life cost from it, not even with remnants and furthermore, not every "Blood Mage" build wants to overflow Life. Sure, I love it, but it excludes this Ascendancy from any "low life" tech and makes things like CI impossible because this node is forced onto every single "Blood Mage".

Should the positions of these nodes change I would suggest swapping "Gore Spike" with "Sunder the Flesh" too. "Gore Spike" is more like a specific extension and having the crit as a 6-pointer limits the build variety on "Blood Mage".


6. Whisper Sound

You can probably look into my PoE1 playtime so... conditioning ppl over thousands of hours and over a decade with this one specific sound, but now changing it is an interesting choice. Sure, we see the message on the screen, but the problem is when we are on the desktop looking up items on trade or planning something in PoB etc.
The amount of trades I recognized late is scary. Just an option to set it to the old sound would be nice, so you don't force the old sound onto ppl who don't like it or even know it.


7. Breach Rings

Excluding "Unset Rings", every other ring is way less powerful compared to a "Breach Ring".
I did the math on the "power gain" of rings and besides a few rare cases it's basically always better to go for a "Breach Ring" while I think other ring types should be relevant too.

The "50% quality" has such a huge impact that it outshines even rings with affix + implicit, depending on the range of the modifier.

I think it's great that we can boost a mod on a "Breach Ring" to the moon, but they don't have a "trade-off". For example, even with a perfectly rolled "Mana" implicit and prefix, the "Lazuli Ring" will have less "Mana" than the "Breach Ring". That's totally fine because that's the entire purpose of a "Breach Ring", but it makes the "Lazuli Ring" obsolete.

To make other rings relevant again I would suggest splitting "Breach Rings" into two versions. One comes from Xeth's left hand and has "-1 Suffix" and one comes from the right hand and has "-1 Prefix". Or give one version the Prefix "Prefixes have #% increased Effect in Breaches" and the other version the Suffix "Suffixes have #% increased Effect in Breaches".

This would equal out the overall "power" but specify the "how".
"Breach Rings" would have fewer mods but can boost mods to incredible numbers - unreachable by any other ring thanks to the quality, but every other ring has the upside of more different mods to adjust with, so they stay relevant - even in high investment builds.

That's it for now,

Stay sane.