Zoom is not fun. It's loot FOMO

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Dmo90#6022 wrote:

Removing utility and unique flasks (one of the most unique things that stood out when i first started poe).

The fact you're defending flask piano basically destroys any validity your opinions may have had.

+1

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Kotrr#0849 wrote:

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Everything_is_taken#0515 wrote:

What is funny is that all of this is meaningless if no one plays your version of the game. At the end of the day, this is business.

They tried to make POE1 harder, slower, more meaningful.

It is called RUTHLESS.

And barely anyone plays it. It does not matter if zooming is bad or not, it is just one of playstyles players have. Most players prefer it, some don't - and actually ruthless is a proof of that.

it's a zoomer game with a zoomer community. the players don't care about it and pretty much no one is gonna get on poe 1 and just play ruthless. and poe 1 players are such zoomers they can't even stay on poe 1 for a long time. just check out the steam charts.

and stripping down all the contents of a zoomer game doesn't magically turn it into a good methodical game. a good game has to be built from the ground up with a specific intention. ruthless just feels like something cheap and not cared about, which is what it is lol. it's literally just less loot and less power from passives/ascendancy or whatever, which of course will feel horrible for both zoomers and methodical players. its the worst of both worlds...

ruthless being unpopular is therefore a terrible example of what you're trying to communicate and is not proof of what you're saying.

edit: i also want to add i don't think we should be okay with things like the over consumption of mcdonalds in our society. all these extremely toxic ways of living that people try to propagate as "just another preference like pineapples on pizza" is destroying society from the inside out. just analyzing zoomer gameplay at its most fundamental level and taking a brief look at the psychological effects that makes that type of content appealing turns out to be the exact same thing as mcdonalds and coca cola and vaping and gambling and microtransactions and all this other junk ppl are addicted to, you name it. it's factually degenerate lol. but w/e

Ruthless was cared about at the launch, even got separate patch notes, but of course if you wish to discard it because it is not good for your argument that is fine.

About mcdonalds (and other addiction). It actually quite funny that you compare it to something you can't quit and then in the same comment you imply that zoomers cant even play too long. So what is it? Please, make you mind.

And if you compare zoom gameplay to the very unhealthy and dangerous stuff, please, have some evidence to back you claims up otherwise it is worth nothing, as much as the arguments of the author this thread. His dislike of zooming does not make zooming bad or wrong. It is a matter of preference. If I want ambitious gameplay I play an ambitious game, if I want to relax and blast maps, I turn on POE1 and do just that.

I am not saying that ambitious gameplay does not have place in POE2 or even POE1, but grinding implies doing something over and over and over, so no surprise players want as little friction as possible.

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b_ko#7756 wrote:

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Dmo90#6022 wrote:

Removing utility and unique flasks (one of the most unique things that stood out when i first started poe).

The fact you're defending flask piano basically destroys any validity your opinions may have had.

Bold statement.

Instilling Orbs may disagree with it. Even better, Mageblood may even say it is silly.

Partying is not fun. It's dopamine FOMO.

so true.. zoom zoom style is antique..at least meant for more simple games..like vampire survivors...and where there is not much room for other interactions because of speed issues

.

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b_ko#7756 wrote:

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Dmo90#6022 wrote:

Removing utility and unique flasks (one of the most unique things that stood out when i first started poe).

The fact you're defending flask piano basically destroys any validity your opinions may have had.

Based off your profile you've never played poe1. They have a currency item where you never have to press any of your flasks

One thing I would love to see more of in Path of Exile 2 is enemy design that specifically pressures different archetypes of builds.

Right now, once a build reaches “zoom status,” the danger often disappears outside of pinnacle/endgame content. You end up with one-button gameplay where entire screens evaporate before mechanics even matter.

What if certain rares or monsters heavily disrupted specific playstyles?

For example:

Anti-leech enemies that force recovery planning
Extremely tanky enemies that punish glass-cannon speed clear
Enemies that adapt to repeated skill usage
Fast gap-closing enemies that pressure ranged builds
Suppression or curse-resistant enemies that force flexibility
Rare packs that require target prioritisation instead of brainless rushing

Not to hard-counter builds into frustration, but enough that players need some adaptability instead of hyper-specialising into a single-button lawnmower.

Ironically, I think Path of Exile already discovered one of the greatest solutions ever with Ruthless mode.

Honestly, Ruthless is one of the best things to ever happen to the ARPG genre.

By limiting loot, movement skills, and overall player power, combat suddenly becomes meaningful again. Positioning matters. Gear upgrades matter. Enemy packs matter. Bosses matter. You stop sleepwalking through content and actually re-engage with the game world.

That feeling of danger is what made early ARPGs magical in the first place.

I also do not really agree with the “splitting the player base” argument. Different players enjoy different experiences. Some want the dopamine-fueled zoom fantasy, others want tension, scarcity, and survival. Both can coexist perfectly fine.

People naturally gravitate toward the version of the game they enjoy, whether solo or with like-minded friends. I honestly think having multiple philosophies under one ecosystem is a strength, not a weakness.

Whatever direction things go, I just hope Grinding Gear Games never loses that feeling of danger, friction, and meaningful combat that made so many of us fall in love with the game in the first place.

I think there are two separate discussions getting mixed together here.

One is speed. The other is quantity versus quality.

On speed, I don't really have a strong objection. Personally I prefer slightly slower play styles, but that might just be me getting older. These days I'd probably choose Titan Quest over PoE1 without much hesitation.

But when it comes to loot, I would absolutely prefer quality over quantity.

I hate picking up piles of unidentified trash every few packs, going back to town, identifying it all, making the same repetitive "sell or keep" decisions, then doing it again five minutes later. That isn't interesting gameplay.

I would much rather have items drop identified and let my loot filter do its job. Or at least give us some kind of automatic identification option. An "Omen of Identification", an automatic Scroll of Wisdom, whatever. If I pick up an item, let it identify in my inventory, then I can decide whether to keep it or drop it.

The current fully manual system sucks. Let me, or a semi-automated system I set up myself, decide what is worth my attention.

Then again, there is probably a reason I like pure minion builds. My brain likes automation.