Don't Play Melee, Play Ranged, Understand Why.

[D.A.R.K.]

TLDR: The message is this: If you are reading this and you haven't played the game yet, DON'T start with a melee class and get frustrated, start with a ranged class, have fun, and then you can try the natural challenge that is playing with a melee class.





If you check Steam Discussions as much as I do you'll see 95% of the complaints about difficulty and "unfairness" are because the player is playing a melee class (mostly Warrior) and having a bad time dealing with bosses and On Death Effects.

Well, yes. Melee classes are bad in every ARPG game, not because this is a rule, but because melee classes suffer from a natural disadvantage that is: requiring getting close to enemies to deal with them. The problem with this appears most when you have enemies that flee from you or are ranged, and enemies with On Death Effects that cause AoE damage, explosions, or pools of something on the ground dealing DoT.

The problem isn't the melee class being bad, is the frustration that players will have because their first experience is with the melee class. If you play with a ranged class first, like what I did (Mercenary > Ranged > Sorceress) you'll see the game isn't as hard as you think and everything is pretty acceptable and nice to deal with, you won't get frustrated with the game and then when you'll have a nice and fun time playing the game.

The thing is balancing a melee class is kinda hard because you can't simply make all enemy AI be dumb or remove the On Death Effect to satisfy the melee class, you can't simply make everything slow and lazy so the melee class can close the gap to them, this is part of the game, the same way melee class suffers dealing with these situations, ranged classes (that rather stay afar from the enemies) need to deal with fast, leaping, closing gap enemies that doesn't let takes you out of the comfort zone, and this is part of the game, if everything was perfect and fit for everyone, the game wouldn't be challenging, would be boring, and nobody would like. There's a thin line between challenging and frustration that it's easier to reach with ranged classes, but harder with melee classes.

I think specific things, like Ascension, should be specific to each class, I know is hard having to do, basically, 48 different Ascension Trials to fit all 12 different classes, but at least Trials that fit better in a general way the ranged classes and the melee classes.

[D.A.R.K.]

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[Nordomus]

I think the attacks of bosses should have slightly lower frequency and their health should be lower but overall after first playthrough with monk I must say the second one and other characters are MUCH easier when you understand mechanics and how to play.

[morslicker]

Ever playerd Diablo 2? Never hat any Problem with a melee class there. Same with Grim Dawn and Titan quest. Its about gamedesign. Especially boss and abillity design.

[Jinx]

Melee more interesting than range, I think.
But players that complaining about difficulty don't use all tools game provides. Like armor, resistance, stun, armor break, regen, block, accuracy boosts.
First melee skill - boneshatter - can annihilate entire screen of trash mobs. Mace have ranged attack and it's pretty fun. Jump can be gap closer or escape tool.

[D.A.R.K.]

Originally posted by morslicker:

Ever playerd Diablo 2? Never hat any Problem with a melee class there. Same with Grim Dawn and Titan quest. Its about gamedesign. Especially boss and abillity design.

Actually, Diablo 2 was the ARPG that I most played in my entire life, more than 15k hours in it. The only issue that I had playing Barb was that exploding little piece of ♥♥♥♥ in Act VI and Haka, but then Javelin exists, so...

[Mike]

My experience with warrior is opposite i would recommend a warrior for a new comer just buy a decent weapon everything from act 1-6 dies pretty much 1-2 hits with normal basic mace attack and bossed arent that difficult just have right gear resist and stack armor they do almost no damage on normal attack and big attacks are very easy to dodge

[Nordomus]

Originally posted by Mike:

My experience with warrior is opposite i would recommend a warrior for a new comer just buy a decent weapon everything from act 1-6 dies pretty much 1-2 hits with normal basic mace attack and bossed arent that difficult just have right gear resist and stack armor they do almost no damage on normal attack and big attacks are very easy to dodge

I wouldn't say VERY easy to dodge, there are some very difficult fights there but yeah gear is very important.

[Mky]

Originally posted by D.A.R.K.:

if everything was perfect and fit for everyone, the game wouldn't be challenging, would be boring, and nobody would like.

Can't agree here cause look at what players are doing : Playing ranged. Rerolling into whatever is OP. Quite the same as what we had on PoE 1.

So yeah, the game is not perfect for every classes. But almost every players are going for a class having a perfectly shaped content around its mecanic and potency.

[Geist]

Warrior is fine but ramps up slower. I am at a point now where I can shout and block and they melt themselves. Just have to figure out what you can tank and what to stay away from. The difference between losing 0 life, 50% life, and dying.

[Snuggy Serian]

Originally posted by Mike:

My experience with warrior is opposite i would recommend a warrior for a new comer just buy a decent weapon everything from act 1-6 dies pretty much 1-2 hits with normal basic mace attack and bossed arent that difficult just have right gear resist and stack armor they do almost no damage on normal attack and big attacks are very easy to dodge

"Just have right gear resist"
Isn't that like the main problem for many people who stuck? That you are dependant from RNG inside of RNG, with (at the beginning even less) scarce "currency" to craft RNG-based?

That is the biggest just of them all.

Just wanted to point that out.

[Josko]

I started with Warrior and I've had a blast, currently at end of Act3 Cruel level 67 Titan

[TheAmazon]

YES and 100% agreed, the easiest beginner friendly build are Minion Army.

[VoiD]

Having a monk and a sorc (actually a sorc monk and a witch sorc) I'll have to agree.

If you want an easy time DO NOT play melee.
If you don't mind dying for 5h on some bosses, go ahead.

I did get stuck on many bosses on my monk, but the witch? Did them all 1st, sometimes 2nd try, even the ascension challenges were done the instant they were unlocked with ease.

[Ghost | Severage]

Originally posted by VoiD:

Having a monk and a sorc (actually a sorc monk and a witch sorc) I'll have to agree.

If you want an easy time DO NOT play melee.
If you don't mind dying for 5h on some bosses, go ahead.

I did get stuck on many bosses on my monk, but the witch? Did them all 1st, sometimes 2nd try, even the ascension challenges were done the instant they were unlocked with ease.

Meanwhile I had a hard time with my sorc, since I dislike the skills and flew through the campaign with my melee monk, deleting bosses in less than 3 seconds and rushing through maps with ease.

[TheAmazon]

Originally posted by VoiD:

Having a monk and a sorc (actually a sorc monk and a witch sorc) I'll have to agree.

If you want an easy time DO NOT play melee.
If you don't mind dying for 5h on some bosses, go ahead.

I did get stuck on many bosses on my monk, but the witch? Did them all 1st, sometimes 2nd try, even the ascension challenges were done the instant they were unlocked with ease.

I died like 255+ time, 50 time at least from act 1 boss as melee build, with Minions only die 1 time by mistake and second attempt got him in ease, even my life flask still 75%.