Skip Acts function for the second and subsequent characters in the league

They havent indicated to have an issue with no campaign skips in poe1 in all those years. :)
They've made a few pay2win changes on the chinese client so I expect a campaign skip to only be offered there and probably be sold in the shop.

"

Argonlo#6237 wrote:

They havent indicated to have an issue with no campaign skips in poe1 in all those years. :)

Poe1 campaign is faster and shorter. Length of poe2 campaign and much of it's slogginess is pretty much why ppl having pro-skip debates since the EA launch.

"

SalamiHaze#9389 wrote:

"

Soulsniper1313#7576 wrote:

But those who don't want to are left with the choice to play or not to play. Many choose not to play. Now explain how less players is better for the game.

Yup, because campaign skip +1ers are the only one possibly leaving the game.

What makes you think not going casual road would be bigger hit for poe2 playerbase?

What makes you think not going casual road would be bigger hit for poe2 earnings?

What makes you think not going casual road would be bigger hit for poe2 engagement metrics?

1. Starting player base number - current player base number = big hit
2. Less players = big hit in money spent on MTX
3. Less players = big hit on engagement because well... there are less players

Bonus Question!

Why is adding in an alternate leveling option for alt characters "casual" If anything is casual, the constant hand holding of where to go, who to talk to, how to dodge, how to use a potion, etc is the casual side. So by adding an alternate leveling path where all of that is gone would in fact be less casual.

Can you answer your own questions in the inverse?

"

Timmy2000#0228 wrote:

"

Soulsniper1313#7576 wrote:

Explain how having to completed the campaign at least once per league before the alternate leveling option opens up is bad for the health of the game in anyway. Actually explain it. Don't just grab a straw man and go radio silent.

I can help why.


1. Just go for race build to bull rush through campaign.
2. You can insta swap for stronger endgame build
3. When op meta discovered insta switch to that after its found.

Anyone playing more casually, slowly, wanting to just play something specific has his starting block even further behind.

"

Soulsniper1313#7576 wrote:

Simply adding an option to run level scaling content or some "cow level" to level up alts would be a great change of pace and get more people to try out new classes. Forcing only one way is what limits players, not expands them.

At league start you want to be in position to afford late endagame gear as soon as posible before strong inflation hits, I believe it would actually do the reverse at this point.
Further icentivse just doing metas and stray away from own thing and experimentation if switch is so easy and you can get to farming good stuff with ready designed build recognized as go and get shit done easy and fast

If implemented in a way to limit abuse by rushing progress at start of the league maybe wouldnt be so horrible but getting a feeling that some of most vocal proponents of campaing skip may want it so badly exactly for this reason.

If it's 4th week, you got all main atals points (not boss or pinnacles), build not working wanna change or just play around with something else, maybe campaign skip crutch wouldnt be bad

And I don't see any drawbacks for SSF or standard wouldnt mind it there.

But trade league ? Nope.

Right from the start going with unlimited skips to insta switch from campaign ferrari racer > endgame heavy duty truck to UFO game breaking meta as soon as its discovered ? ABUSE

Think it could penalize progress for bigger part of player base, bring help to smaller %.

Let them reach riches even faster than their normal fast.

Drive inflation pace more to discourage slower progressers from playing.

1. People are literally already doing that. POE2 opened the door for leveling builds when respecs were switched to gold instead of hard to find regret orbs.

2. Already happening 100% now so what do you even mean?

3. Are you serious about this? Because LA, LS, etc style builds that were 60%+ of all characters above 70 didnt happen even without the requested alternate leveling path?

All 3 of the "points" you made are already happening....

Limited to prevent rushing at start of a league? Have you played a league? It is always rush to maps to try and get currency ASAP to cash in early. An alternate leveling OPTION for ALT CHARACTERS that ONLY OPENS AFTER FULL COMPLETION OF CAMPAIGN EACH LEAGUE would do absolutely nothing to this. I caps locked the parts you seem to be missing.

Your example of ABUSE is literally what happens now already.... Level up ED/Cont then unlock blood mage, then switch to CoC comet spam. Has literally happened every league. No campaign skip alternate leveling path will change this in any way either direction.

"

Azimuthus#1135 wrote:

"

Please… give us a choose how to begin the development of a new
character: Start at level 1 and act 1 or at level 65, early endgame
(T1 maps).

And lvl 100 too. Because why not?

No one being serious is asking for free high level characters. They are trolling just as you are in your reply.

"

rifraf-_-#9478 wrote:

"

Jobama#9902 wrote:

"

Soulsniper1313#7576 wrote:

How would allowing an optional alternate leveling option that only opens up after you complete the full campaign each league alienate the "target" audience? Actually explain it.

Ignore comments like those. everyone saying that don't actually have any counter arguments besides claiming it would "alienate the playerbase" ok how so? They don't explain their thoughts just shut out all opinions that aren't there own its sad, alot of people want this, some don't, GGG needs to meet in the middle

So, GGG “needs” to make an entirely new leveling method, effectively spending hundreds of thousands of dollars if not millions in the process and countless hours in order to accommodate who exactly?

Wow. That’s some top tier entitlement right there.

The game is designed the way it’s designed and it’s the most successful ARPG in the market.

Please show your work on the math problem where you came to the conclusion of what it would cost to take already in game assets with code that is already in game as well to simply add an option for level scaling zones to just level up by killing monsters and not having to do all the talk quests. The only thing they would need to code in different would be to award the "campaign rewards" at level specific intervals.

Also, please note this is the feedback forum. People are going to provide feedback. You throwing out accusations of entitlement is not only not productive but immediately discrediting any response you would have had to the conversation.

They said "GGG needs to meet in the middle" implying they "need" to bend from the no campaign skip ever old mindset to be more flexible to modern times, games, and player base. This topic and EXP loss on death are the two most debated things about the game. That alone should show you there is a large portion of the player base that would like to see something done. Keep in mind, POE2 campaign is ALREADY longer than all of POE1 and still has TWO full acts left. No matter how good it could be one day, after running it dozens of times, players will start to choose not to. This results in less players long term which means less money long term.

Interestingly enough, I am curious if you think POE2 should be slower and more methodical like Dark Souls or NRFTW. Humor me with a response if you would be so kind. Because a no skip ever and EXP loss on death always purist of POE should also be against them slowing the game down and reducing pack sizes and overall zoom. Remember, to be a purist, you need to be pure all the way through. POE2 started originally as an expansion/graphics update to POE1.

"

rifraf-_-#9478 wrote:

So, GGG “needs” to make an entirely new leveling method, effectively spending hundreds of thousands of dollars if not millions in the process and countless hours in order to accommodate who exactly?

Wow. That’s some top tier entitlement right there.

Pretty much.

If you think that asking for an alternative to being forced through the campaign again on every alt character means we want free items or free levels, you’re either stupid or being deliberately dishonest

We are asking for a different progression path, not handouts.

Stop twisting it into something it isn’t.

"

Soulsniper1313#7576 wrote:

"

SalamiHaze#9389 wrote:

"

Soulsniper1313#7576 wrote:

But those who don't want to are left with the choice to play or not to play. Many choose not to play. Now explain how less players is better for the game.

Yup, because campaign skip +1ers are the only one possibly leaving the game.

What makes you think not going casual road would be bigger hit for poe2 playerbase?

What makes you think not going casual road would be bigger hit for poe2 earnings?

What makes you think not going casual road would be bigger hit for poe2 engagement metrics?

1. Starting player base number - current player base number = big hit
2. Less players = big hit in money spent on MTX
3. Less players = big hit on engagement because well... there are less players

Bonus Question!

Why is adding in an alternate leveling option for alt characters "casual" If anything is casual, the constant hand holding of where to go, who to talk to, how to dodge, how to use a potion, etc is the casual side. So by adding an alternate leveling path where all of that is gone would in fact be less casual.

Can you answer your own questions in the inverse?

Your math is biased. As i said, campaign skip +1ers are not the only one possibly leaving so You don`t know what scenario will result in bigger minus. You assume +1ers > -1ers but have really no data to back it up. Me too but i don`t make statements like that.

I play poe2 because its not diablo4. I don`t play diablo 4 because it is diablo4. So as for your question - i said casual road. Same people rooting for campaign skip are the same people rooting for increased drops, no mistake penalty, easier ascendancies and basically easier everything = diablo4.

Campaign is a joke now, twinked char zooms through it like butter. You don`t even need to think about res on bosses nowadays because of all those nerf(puke) and yet you people prefer GGG to comit many many resources to design and balance new leveling method instead of balancing things that really matter.

The question is not difficulty. The question is time.

The campaign is easy as hell with prepared gear, but it still takes time.

Right now I can put "leveling gear" on almost any character, run through the campaign, ignore most of the actual build identity, and then respec later. It does not feel like this is how characters are supposed to be played, but when there is no skip or alternative route, why wouldn't people do it?

There is no way I am going to waste my time replaying the same campaign again and again, doing the same quests in the same order, while pretending I am "properly" playing the character. I am going to use leveling items, shortcuts, twink gear, and anything else that cuts the time down. At that point it is basically speedrunning a mandatory checklist.

And no, that does not feel good. It does not make me enjoy the game more.

So instead of gatekeeping the same repeated campaign route, GGG should either add meaningful replay value or give players a proper alternative after they have already completed it.