Heijoushin

I can't speak for the designers obviously, maybe they really did make a calculation error. But since all people/characters are different, I just don't think it's a bug if some are weaker or stronger than others. At worst, it's a balance issue.

I understand the desire for a challenge, but some people actually consider that a positive point in RPGs. You start off as a weakling, but after much hard work, you get to feel like a god.

I'm surprised the exp hasn't been addressed yet. You could get to level 8 or 9 in act one alone. I remember getting to level 12 way too early on my first play-through, but since then they've reduced the experience gain somewhat and I think it's now reasonable. Sure, if you do every single subquest and optional dungeon before continuing with the story, then you can get to level 8 in Act One... but then you deserve it, right?

Guys... you know that the stuff above aren't actually bugs, right? I'm pretty sure they're design decisions.

Yup, pre-ordered it ages ago. Every now and again when I'm bored, I go back to Starcraft 2 and play a few matches, so Starcraft has probably given me more happy gaming hours in total than any other game. I regret that the writing is still terrible compared to Star 1 (like WoL and HotS, I assume they're aiming for a lower age group). I think it's the campaign enemies that annoy me the most. In Starcraft 1, everyone was rational and did what they did for good reasons. In Starcraft 2, the enemy is a classic "let's destroy the universe for the evulz!" and everyone else is "corrupted/mind-controlled/fanatics". But I am happy that

That was cool, but the writing is still aimed at a lower age group (like WoL and HotS). Every enemy you face is "mind-controlled" or "corrupted" or a fanatic trying to destroy the universe. It's like a Saturday morning cartoon. Remember when people in the Starcraft universe were rational and had free will? Though despite how I complain, I'm very happy at the moment. We have Starcraft 2 LotV, Fallout 4 and I'm also busy doing a Trial of Iron run in PoE. So much entertainment, so little time. Wish I didn't have to go to work this week!

I dunno. I see where you're coming from but I think there would still be a certain degree of mistrust and racism among the species. But as someone mentioned on another thread, racism, while realistic, is kind of an ugly theme, and not one that everyone wants to explore in their game. Much better to keep it a conflict of ideals. Which Pillars gets right, although there's a bit of an information dump near the end.

Me too mate. Just a few more hours (depending on your time zone). Wish I could take the day off work tomorrow....

We don't have to win! Just distract him until the bomb goes off;)

I liked the setting, didn't like the hero's personal story. The Hollowborn epidemic, Waiden's story and some of the ideas about souls are all pretty interesting. You just have to dig a bit to find out the details. Like the story Eder tells about animancers implanting an animal soul into a little girl? Great writing! But yeah, maybe it would have also been interesting to play during Waiden's reign. Then OP could have his war/grand conflict, and Waiden could have been the final boss;)

Yeah... people have been known to do this. I still think PoE needs some clothing shops. The Old Vallia clothing looks pretty spiffy (if you're playing a noble character) but I always have to kill Verzano for it(^_^)

Ha! I called this one out as well: https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/82047-lol-ultimate-spell-against-the-2-tough-dragons/ That spell really helped me in certain optional dragon fights.

I find that PoE has a lot of replay value. You could enjoy a vanilla game run now, and again when the final expansion comes out? Also, the vanilla game is pretty solid now. The new patches just tweak around with the balance a little.

Fair enough, though I'm not sure how fun it is to plan a whole character around a single weapon... though to each his own. Hmmm... that's a really tricky one. The difference that dexterity makes can be hard to see with the naked eye. In a longer fight, more dexterity allows you to reload faster and thus get more shots off. But more accuracy can make the difference between a crit and a hit, or a graze and a miss... If you're confident that you can keep your guy out of the melee, you could steal a point or two from constitution or resolve? If you don't want any negative stats, then maybe dex and light armour is the way to go, since guns in PoE are pretty damn slow to begin with.

Haha! Nothing like getting trapped in the Endless Paths without enough camping gear! Happened to me as well on my first play through. It seems frustrating now, but you'll remember it with fondness later;)

What do you mean "tank summoner"? Ciphers can't summon anything can they?

Would that influence the build?

Hmmm... I may be wrong here, but talents don't seem too big a deal for a wizard. Besides the elemental stuff, there just isn't anything that directly boosts your magic. (And the spell damage types are spread out so there isn't really a "best" element.) I would say that playing a wizard is more about what spells you use. There are lots of threads on the best spells, but for example, on level 1, I always use: Slicken (great for putting the enemy on their backs), Fan of Flames (good AOE damage), Concelhaut's Parasitic Staff (awesome magical melee weapon) For weapons, I recommend anything long range. Wands/Scepters/Guns... take your pick!

You're not convinced? Well I don't think anyone is trying to convince you. No one can convince someone of something if they already are set with their preconceived notions. You have been skeptical with every reply from the beginning, making it quite obvious that your question was rhetorical (you dont believe a Hatchet should have this ability in PoE). Most of the replies have just been fun for the sake of discussion. Also, your supposed "summary" is very misleading. People said that Axes started off as tools and then became weapons, dual-use. You chose to rephrase this to, "Its a tool not a weapon." Anyway, here's an article that does a great job of discussing hatchets in combat: http://www.brownsafe.com/blog/top-10-tactical-tomahawks/ I'm sure there are other great articles as well. None of which will convince anyone of anything tho Wow! I'm very sorry everyone for the wording that I used! m(_ _)m And for my closed-mindedness! Didn't mean to imply that it was your duty to convince me. *Please remember that on the internet, it's impossible to accurately read voice tone and body language! That skeptical voice you hear me speaking in isn't necessarily there! Can we continue the discussion instead of taking offence?

So you're going to put him in the back row and use guns? Should work fine. How about a little perception for accuracy? As for spells, IMHO you just need to spam mental binding over and over (which is why I'm not wild about cipher's myself... it gets monotone)

Briggs-Myers is a nice test, but the problem as I see it is that unless you're pretty extreme in each category, it gets vague. For example, I always score extreme introvert, but on the other 3 scales, I score about 50-50, so it doesn't really mean anything. I could be any of the Ixxx's depending on the day.

Uh, yeah. I didn't mean to imply that convincing me was the ultimate goal, or suggest anyone was disrespecting. Was just summing up the arguments. ​Yup. By this kind of logic, any of the higher quality weapons should also have that bonus. Here's the thing, the hatchet is listed under "peasant weapons". Peasant weapons = low quality things that anyone has access to. Maybe make them super cheap compared to other weapons? Or give the monk bonuses when using them (not just fists, but the full range of peasant weapons). Another idea: Make a "vambrace" item (I think that's the right term? An armguard thing that can be used to deflect strikes). It could give some deflection points, and I think it would look cool.

So, started a new character/party the other day: Rogue Fighter Paladin Barbarian Chanter Priest (okay, the last two aren't really martial, but the main point here is: no wizard) It's really fun! At first I was worried that things would be boring without a dedicated caster, but actually, things seem to go more smoothly. When you have a squishy caster, he gets 80% of your attention and micro-management. But now I'm spending more time on group placement and weapon management etc. Also relied way too much on paralysis/petrify spells when playing with a wizard. I'd probably die if I had to go up against a dragon without them, but feels refreshing to do without for a bit. And Trial of Iron adds a bit of tension before the big fights! Anyone else done a run like this?

So far, the arguments we've got: 1. It's small and fast (so are many other things) 2. It's a tool not a weapon, therefore it has utility, therefore it can block (what?) 3. The head is heavy, so it can move other weapons off course. (Hmmm... maybe..?) 4. Someone mentioned "hooking axes". Another person mentioned tomahawks. This sounds plausible, except that the in-game art is a pretty boring tree cutting kind of hatchet. 5. Game balance. Nuff said. I'm not very convinced, but thanks for all the opinions!

Nah, I am sure what they will deliver will be more corny, sorry, EPIC and full of one liners. Zertaul already has a dramatic "My life...for Aiur! *psionic blade ignites", I suspect Raynor will have a dramatic visor close with turn and some angel symbolism for Kerrigan. This was an interesting read - https://seanmalstrom.wordpress.com/2010/10/24/the-problem-with-starcraft-2s-story/ Oh yeah, there are loads of good essays on the topic of why Starcraft 2's storytelling is so terrible. I wonder if Blizzard has read some of them? I'll still buy Legacy of the Void of course, but it's sad to see the storytelling fall so far. I loved Raynor and Zeratul in Star 1. In Star 2... yup, just cheesy Hollywood one-liners all round.