POE2 is still just a meta stack that does not allow build creative freedom.

"

Aragerok#4877 wrote:

I mean...... hollow palm is kinda all the rage at the moment.....

PoE2 Ninja says 7% of characters are using Hollow Palm.

You have a strange way of using English. You say things like "everyone is doing this" when you mean less than 10% of the registered characters. If you speak more precisely, you might get less frustrated.

alright so my acoltye of chayula poisonburst herald of blood enjoyer is like less than 2% of the 2% of characters who use poisonburst. anyway it does T16 6 mod maps fine. throw some delerium on there sure. a little squishy though.

but yes only meta builds are viable which mine clearly is with a massive 0.04% of the playerbase using it

"

Cult_of_Resine#3258 wrote:

alright so my acoltye of chayula poisonburst herald of blood enjoyer is like less than 2% of the 2% of characters who use poisonburst. anyway it does T16 6 mod maps fine. throw some delerium on there sure. a little squishy though.

but yes only meta builds are viable which mine clearly is with a massive 0.04% of the playerbase using it

Have you played a meta build? Sounds like you didn't / didn't see the difference between non meta and meta clear speed and power. Nobody said that with non-meta it's impossible to do t16, but there is huge difference in speed and efficiency which is the main reason people play meta.

"

EVGENIUS#2976 wrote:

"

Cult_of_Resine#3258 wrote:

alright so my acoltye of chayula poisonburst herald of blood enjoyer is like less than 2% of the 2% of characters who use poisonburst. anyway it does T16 6 mod maps fine. throw some delerium on there sure. a little squishy though.

but yes only meta builds are viable which mine clearly is with a massive 0.04% of the playerbase using it

Nobody said that with non-meta it's impossible to do t16, but there is huge difference in speed and efficiency which is the main reason people play meta.

Exactly 💯 this!

"

EVGENIUS#2976 wrote:

"

Cult_of_Resine#3258 wrote:

alright so my acoltye of chayula poisonburst herald of blood enjoyer is like less than 2% of the 2% of characters who use poisonburst. anyway it does T16 6 mod maps fine. throw some delerium on there sure. a little squishy though.

but yes only meta builds are viable which mine clearly is with a massive 0.04% of the playerbase using it

Have you played a meta build? Sounds like you didn't / didn't see the difference between non meta and meta clear speed and power. Nobody said that with non-meta it's impossible to do t16, but there is huge difference in speed and efficiency which is the main reason people play meta.

the whole thesis of the original post is that you don't have fun if you don't use a meta build. but now you're saying sure you can have fun with a non meta build but you're not efficient.

but is efficient fun? is not efficient not fun? if i can do all of the content but it takes me a little longer is that worse?

like i am actually confused by what people want. do you even want to play the game or do you just want to see numbers get bigger? cause i can make you like a webpage that has a counter that goes up if that's what you really want.

actually you just dont realize how much slower, inefficient non meta builds are. Wait i take that back.

I played an Ice shot bowazon and it wasn't META per say but i can clear maps in less than 2 minutes, including full atlas boss which barely even gets to move.

The correct answer here should be.

Range vs Melee is the big question here.

I play both Amazon (bow) and monk (ice strike) warrior (leap slam).

The difference is so huge that it's not even a comparison.

by the time My warrior finishes a map, I've done 2-3 maps already on my bowazon with 0 risk of dying.

My warrior however, I gotta dodge, weave, run away, regroup mobs for big aoe explosions, and be at MUCH higher risk of dying.

Also my amazon stacks 150% rarity, as where as my monk or warrior, is near impossible without gimping them completely.


And yes, efficient is fun when you're getting tons of currency, and blasting maps to mars in minutes.

I think mostly all weapons are viable. The main issue with the game is a core one. In that range is just superior. So for the hardest content in the game it is basically halving the variety in builds. And then for what's left, obviously some range builds are better than others.. so that is just further decreasing the amount of viable builds. But for most of the content then players can play what they want. Melee can clear easy content as efficiently as range but not the most challenging content.

Level 96 crit titan. Can farm T3 deli and all that. So I joined party play with a same level stormweaver. We were clearing the map at a similar pace and were having fun. Then joined game with a deadeye. The difference in the mov and clear speed was staggering. Ngl It made me feel bad. I am beginning to think that they are introducing such disparity on purpose for greater engagement and financial gain. This is a product after all. That said, deadeye gameplay looks dull. The warrior on the other hand, even if it is far from meta, is much more engaging.

I feel a lack of motivation because playing off-meta is unrewarding.

Progress, especially in currency generation, is so slow that crafting, trading, and general progression feel unefficient and unrewarding.

I feel punished for not following a build or being a theorycrafter god, contrasting with games like Grim Dawn where I can reach max level and feel satisfied with any build.

I feel forced to play meta builds first to unlock the resources and freedom necessary to play off-meta without the FOMO.

PoE1 was exactly the same. So sad.

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Taqu3#7456 wrote:

Level 96 crit titan. Can farm T3 deli and all that. So I joined party play with a same level stormweaver. We were clearing the map at a similar pace and were having fun. Then joined game with a deadeye. The difference in the mov and clear speed was staggering. Ngl It made me feel bad. I am beginning to think that they are introducing such disparity on purpose for greater engagement and financial gain. This is a product after all. That said, deadeye gameplay looks dull. The warrior on the other hand, even if it is far from meta, is much more engaging.

Totally experienced and experience the sane s..t everyday when partying with Dead Eye class. Chasing the Road Runner like dissaponted wolf and never catch him even if i use running mode. Common GGG don't you see the astronomical difference?