It’s so creative to slap an RoD in literally every so called “build” lol
Are there even builds anymore in the game? Seems like RoD and call it a day. GG I’m good.
Damn, I didn’t even know about that ring. It’s a million times better than the Battlecry Ring, which makes you only use health instead of focus, AND disables lifesteal. Why even put that ring in the game when you have this?
Anyway, balance is a finicky thing. You don’t want to make an item so insignificant it becomes useless, but you don’t want to make it so good it becomes mandatory either. I think this is the latter case. If I got that ring I’d never take it off.
Is the ring the problem or is it that by endgame you can one-shot everything?
To me they are both potential problems.
It may also be that the game doesn’t properly scale difficulty yet. Before Breach the game was easy by endgame. It has the same problem now.
It may be that they want you to be one shotting everything in the endgame like most other ARPGs out there.
Maybe I’m not the intended target but I enjoy the campaign going from 1-21ish with different builds then I do the crucible or the plague system. I have four characters that have completed the campaign and I haven’t upgraded my gear beyond 12 for weapons and probably 8 or 9 for gear.
I also do the same with POE2. I’ll make multiple characters to run through the campaign but then I find maps very boring when you are one-button spamming everything. So I quit the endgame and make a new build.
Once the game no longer presents a challenge I lose interest.
True, tho.. if we’re talking about “pre-breach” then, as mentioned in the post you’re replying to. We had the Large Potion of Focus to refill your bar in an instant.
Just chug one and run into any fight.. or after you blink across the map.
(Essentially allowing for the same gameplay as there is now, if left unchanged.)
*Especially considering that we could use realms to duplicate items back then. So you didn’t even need to waste time harvesting/gathering.. or fishing. (-.-')
Regardless, I think I would actually be on your side in removing or nerfing it.. or maybe even having a look at other things people are actively “abusing”.
However, in it’s current state, the rewards aren’t even worth the challenge.. let alone if the game was much harder.
Sure I can blow through the Crucible in about 5 mins now.. but what do I get for it?
My loot usually consists of 1-3x embers, a bunch of useless blues along legendaries that mostly just gather dust in my collection.. and handful of various potions that wouldn’t even replace the ones I’d of had to use if the content was actually challenging.
If I want to get mats to upgrade my current build or try putting another one together.. the crucible is the worst place to do so in NRftW.
Even the Outbreaks give lackluster loot, outside of the exclusive “torn” mats that upgrade your gear.
So you’re not really rewarded for completing hard content, it’s just another “daily” you need to get outta the way.
Arguably this is why I stopped playing PoE2..
*My build wasn’t good enough to spam-clear maps anymore, so venturing out would take 20+ mins running around to gain a handful of “currency” that would often go to waste due to RNG rolls.
~ tl;dr ~
I’m in the camp of gamers that enjoy playing games through experiencing challenging and engrossing content so long as I don’t feel like I’m wasting my time.
The loot in NRftW does not justify harder content, so I get my enjoyment from rolf-stomping it instead.
Granted, I get addicted to games like Warframe, Starbound and Palworld. Often wasting insane amounts of time doing repetitive tasks.
Honestly, the game I have the most amount of time in is an isometric turn based tactical MMO called Wakfu.
*Over 15,000 hours - lost count after year 3.
Even as repetitive as Hades and other rogue likes are. Those games still have unfolding stories and a variety of different gear to make for unique and fun experiences in training you to play the game.
Once you “get gud” and have beaten the story mode entirely (often taking well over 100 hours) ~ players will often start experimenting with the Pact of Punishment because they’ve become invested in the game and actually “want” to challenge themselves.
Much like beating the Valkyrie Queen in God of War made me want to play a NG+ on the hardest difficulty.. *Which took me over a 2 hours to get out of the starting zone.
Perhaps?
Personally, I’m having fun powering through content by trying out different over powered builds to find “my playstyle”. (Some don’t even use the RoD).
Right now, I enjoy blinking around maps and nuking groups of enemies with Plague Splatter and Plague Dart.
Prior to this was my Fire Dart build.. and of course, we can’t forget the subzero build I altered by adding Hoar Frost Sickle’s Ice Dart!
Honestly, the more I think about it.. the more I lean towards “gun builds” via the elemental darts.
Sure the rest of the build is great for nuking enemies/bosses but I play on a mouse + keyboard and sprint everywhere (because walking is painfully slow, even in full cloth).
So cliffs and edges are not my friend. XD
*Ironically this is why I’ll never play on a hardcore realm (due to the uncontrollable camera combo’d with my propensity to sprint).
At it’s core, I think this might very well be “the” issue with the game.
It’s trying to be many things to many different people.
*If you stripped away the beautiful aesthetic (art direction).. what do you really have left?
Boiling down the game to it’s mechanics, reward structure and gameplay loops could result in a lackluster opinion of the game.
So how do you improve it other than “make it harder”?
@thomasmahler has said we have Stardew Valley styled farming coming, along with more intricate crafting options.. but what about the game play?
He’s been asking around twitter for people to post their favorite Rouge-lite games to study for the crucible.
A worthwhile goal that could result in a great experience for those seeking it.
However, when we look at the general gameplay of having to run around collecting mats, chopping trees and mining rocks.. just to craft potions, I’m reminded of why I resorted to the item duplication bug in Tears of the Kingdom.
The item economy in that game was so tightly controlled, I almost lost interest in playing it.
That’s not to say the game wasn’t fun occasionally..
For those curious, think of an “item economy” this way:
*I wanna fight an Arch Angel.. but no one sells Dragon Teeth to attach to my arrows.
So I have to engage with the “item economy via trading” one type of item to eventually acquire the item I need to fight the Arch Angel.
In order to get those Dragon Teeth, I have to:
- Defeat dragons, (I need Mega Bombs for that)
- To get Mega Bombs, I need to defeat the Harpy Sisters with Ice Arrows
- To get Ice Arrows, I need to win a race by feeding my mount Golden Carrots
- To get Golden Carrots, I need to buy seeds and grow them with Super Fertilizer
- To get Super Fertilizer, I need to…
You get the point.
All this doesn’t make the game more interesting, it’s just a way to artificially pad out the gameplay like the “housing build timers” do in NRftW.
Indeed, you can’t please everyone..
*All the devs can really do to limit the blow back is have a difficulty settings as the primary.
- Story Mode (easy) -
- Adventurer (Normal) -
- Survivalist (Hard) -
- Cerim Trials (Hardest) -
- Custom
Indeed, I think the trick is to come up with more than just one or two types of “energy” systems.
Right now we have “Focus” as the main, with Stamina and thanks to the RoD we have HP.
But really, look at almost any MOBA/MMO or even some adventure games.
*They have Magic, Stamina, HP.. along with Rage, Momentum, Heat/Overheat, Combo Meters and of course actual “energy” gauges.
Perhaps that’s the solution?
*Limit the mandatory nature of having the RoD by simply creating more interesting/engaging energy systems?