Thoughts on difficulty

[Ray64]

One reason it seems overly difficult is that the player movement speed is slow and there is no real movement skills like in poe1. The dodge roll mechanic isn't really a move skill in the same sense that the poe1 move skills were.

The slowness of what the player can do is then compounded with the fact that the movement and action speed of the enemies is just as fast as it was in poe1, although in the case of bosses it seems way faster. Like I was noticing on the act1 last boss that it does things that are so fast that you have to be out of the danger before there is even any indication of danger, and for attacks like that aoe that shoots ice from the ceiling it is very random and can be very hard to avoid cause you can avoid one to just roll into another.

Then there is the action speed of the exile just having these incredibly long wind ups. Like with my warrior I was noticing that in the time it takes to use one skill the boss can use multiple skill attacks on me (and that is with a fast weapon with speed bonus modifier and speed from the passive tree), thus making it so I either have to cancel my attack to dodge or just take hits in order to deal any damage. What really makes this worse is the arbitrary limitation on support gems, so I can only have one support gem with increased attack speed affecting one skill gem... no wonder everything is slow as heck!

In other words in poe1 movement speed and action speed were only critical at end game, but in poe2 it feels like it expects the player to be way faster from the get go than the campaign gear and the early passive tree can supply.

Like I was trying to get better boots as I had been using the same boots since like act 1 normal and now I'm in act 2 cruel, and I checked all the boots I came across and checked the vendors and tried crafting on all the whites I picked up, I spent all my gold on buying from the random vendor, and it would just refuse to give me the essential affix for boots. Movement speed is freaking rare and getting it along with a decent set of affixes.. it just doesn't happen when you need it to or ever and boots without movement speed are intensely miserable.

[Laux]

Yes, I think the devs tried to change the style from Path of Exile 1. You can't just rush through maps with a 2 clicks spam copy-pasted build from Reddit anymore.

Despite that, I don't know your level, but the gameplay can be very intense and action-packed. And, in my opinion, it's more fun than PoE1.

[cAipi_rInHa]

i dont know I dont find it slow with 30% movement boots on tier 6 maps at the moment. Lots of enemies there from all angles, moving quickly through or around them while killing stuff left and right, I think its pretty amazing ^ But I don`t know poe1 so can`t really see where you are coming from :]

[Rngesus]

Save up 1-2 Exalted Orbs and trade for boots. You can find boots with 20-25% and double-resistance for this much on official trading page.

Endgame can be fast, almost like PoE1 if you have good build and speed. (Use your second weaponset for Leap/Shieldcharge/Blink)

[robruckus65]

The difficulty comes from lack of decent gear and lack of build choice early on. The game also makes you feel like you need survivability passives early on when you don't you need to focus on your damage so you can kill the bosses faster. The best thing for survivability is keeping your resistances decent.

[ДоублиДед]

tbh only difference i didnt see rn zoom-zoom builds like non-stop flicker strike and thats it poe2 for me feels same as poe1 but with Boss Mechanics that i usually dont see cause too much damage :)

[Ray64]

"I dont find it slow with 30% movement boots on tier 6 maps"

I was specifically talking about the campaign experience.

"Save up 1-2 Exalted Orbs and trade for boots."

I play SSF mode. So I can't trade my way to easy mode, the difficulty is exactly what it is designed to be unless of course the game is designed expecting players to trade and they do not account for SSF in balancing choices, which was unfortunately the case in poe1 and still seems to be the case in poe2, so that certainly makes the difficulty way higher and the pace of progression much slower.

Like with drops, it is honestly like the game refuses to drop things my character can use or benefit from, I have had 5 jewels drop now and none of them are the strength type!

[DirtyMick]

Getting just like 20% movement speed bonus makes a huge difference. I got some unique boots that give you 0-40% move speed everytime you're hit, and it's sooooo nice. Sometimes if I get a bad roll, I'll purposely get hit until it gives me 20+%.

[DirtyMick]

Originally posted by Ray64:

"I dont find it slow with 30% movement boots on tier 6 maps"

I was specifically talking about the campaign experience.

"Save up 1-2 Exalted Orbs and trade for boots."

I play SSF mode. So I can't trade my way to easy mode, the difficulty is exactly what it is designed to be unless of course the game is designed expecting players to trade and they do not account for SSF in balancing choices, which was unfortunately the case in poe1 and still seems to be the case in poe2, so that certainly makes the difficulty way higher and the pace of progression much slower.

Like with drops, it is honestly like the game refuses to drop things my character can use or benefit from, I have had 4 jewels drop and none of them are the strength type.

Make sure to always check boots at the vendors. You'll eventually come across some with move speed bonus.

[Statesidemonk]

The hard difficulty wouldn't be an issue if the gear drops and stat balancing were better. It's good that it's not too easy, but the reason why it's almost "too hard" is what's frustrating.

As for the dodge roll, and overall need to constantly dodge, I really like that part. It's fun that they put the "action" in action RPG, and that you can't just stand there with stone feet slashing/casting away the entire time.

[Pervy]

Its ment to be less zoomie, but they are making it easier to move around on maps in the next big patch.

[Pervy]

Originally posted by Statesidemonk:

The hard difficulty wouldn't be an issue if the gear drops and stat balancing were better. It's good that it's not too easy, but the reason why it's almost "too hard" is what's frustrating.

As for the dodge roll, and overall need to constantly dodge, I really like that part. It's fun that they put the "action" in action RPG, and that you can't just stand there with stone feet slashing/casting away the entire time.

Depending on your movement speed you dont need to roll, just kite.
some times the roll kills you insted.

[FAIR]

Take my approach, kill them before they kill you.

[RYⱯN]

Originally posted by Laux:

Yes, I think the devs tried to change the style from Path of Exile 1. You can't just rush through maps with a 2 clicks spam copy-pasted build from Reddit anymore.

Despite that, I don't know your level, but the gameplay can be very intense and action-packed. And, in my opinion, it's more fun than PoE1.

if you say so.

[♥BlackSun♥]

get blink later, problem solved.
Can even blink through certain walls and terrain that normally you have to go around walking.

Blink is awesome, tho in some boss fights if u too flickery CD on it will make you die

[RYⱯN]

Originally posted by ♥BlackSun♥:

get blink later, problem solved.
Can even blink through certain walls and terrain that normally you have to go around walking.

Blink is awesome, tho in some boss fights if u too flickery CD on it will make you die :lunar2019laughingpig:

The way collision works, blink is 50/50 at best.