So I decided to jump back in given I haven't played since before the Vaal update.
And I was pleasantly surprised.
First off, they must have done an experience rebalance. Because getting XP in Merciless at Level 66 used to be like pulling teeth. A full clear in an area only a few levels lower than me would be a bar or two of XP. It was slow enough that the inevitable de-sync death would wipe out XP faster than you could safely earn it, and made me question why I was even bothering to try.
Now, the gradient seems a lot more forgiving. At 9 levels lower, XP was about as slow as I remember. But at less than 9 levels below me, the XP gain was much, much quicker. I actually gained a couple levels over the weekend, where I haven't leveled in PoE on my Scion for a long time.
And oh, my Scion, how I love her. Reckoning dropped for me which has basically completed my "Joan of Arc/Maiden of Blades" build.
http://www.pathofexile.com/account/view-profile/Nenjin/charactersShield Charge with Melee Physical Damage will now wreck basically anything that isn't a champion in two hits. Reckoning fires off in every direction, so guys attacking my back are usually getting their ass kicked while I attack to my front. I've got Enduring Cry hooked up to Cast on Damage Taken, so I've got some passive damage mitigation set up too. Her other attacks are as awesome as they've always been.
I really like how my build is both thematically appropriate (a female paladin/knight), and has worked out very well for me in terms of gameplay.
Desyncs continue to be a thing, that still happen at the most perplexing time in addition to a) when there's more than 8 guys on the screen b) when you're in a narrow corridor or c) when I use Shield Charge. Combined with the fact that I don't have the resists I need for Mercliess yet, and most Vaal bosses are a guaranteed death. So I only try to do Vaal levels and bosses when I've just leveled and have no XP to lose.
But generally the game seems easier. After my respec I was dreading my first Merciless Exile fight, but it was surprisingly easy when it happened, and the next couple Exiles went down without a ton of problems either. It's still the case take taking a full hit from an elemental attack is almost assuredly a death sentence, but at least you can avoid them with pretty good success now, vs. in the past where it seems like Exile AI and speed, combined with the damage, meant you were pretty much always fucked.
The masters I'm sort of "eh" on, daily quests are not really my thing. But the Hideout is pretty cool, it's that nice bit of meta-gameplay that helps you live in a F2P game. And while I don't really have the gear to start using their crafting stuff to full advantage, I'm looking forward to doing so. It's also nice that the Forsaken Master missions can be approached in different ways and aren't all about slaughtering some guys (most are, but some are not.)
So generally, I've fallen in love with PoE again since difficulty seems to have been reduced and no longer actively makes me want to stop playing. No idea how long this fling will last this time, but it's strong enough I actually want to go back and play my other characters too.
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Topic: Path of Exile - Betrayal (Read 245403 times)