A major problem of the new ability system, way to solve it.

[Rillifane]

It might be too late, but...

 

First, let's face it, there are spells/abilities better(or say more useful) than others in each level for every class. In old D&D or POE1, when spells are memorized, you will have slots filled with more general purpose spells and occasionally replace them with a more specialized spell to deal with special conditions. (cure poison for spiders,mind shield for mindflayers.......) All those *less useful* spells are actually good under certain circumstances, though less/rarely used, have their places.

 

Now, when ability point is super important in POE2 when leveling, what are you going to choose? Wizards are somewhat saved by the grimoires, but priest/druid/chanter... will suffer most from their spell selections. There are some spells going from less used to never used, from sometimes useful to totally useless. You have a lot of spell selection but they are just decorations now.

 

Any chance for remedy?  Now back to the empower system, imho, it's what break the hard core experience and thus the balance, especially for those want to experience higher difficulty setting. Instead of empower or replenish your spells/abilities, won't it be better that it acts as a source that you can use to cast those spells abilities  that haven't been chosen when leveling up? It can be restricted like what empower does, one per encounter, and some before rest.

 

And yes, to be honest, I think empower should be removed completely(leave it to prestige levels) to make this game more challenging, especially at POTD or veteran setting, but I am not asking that since I know there might be some people love it.

 

At the very least, please, let the orange button be the source of the never seen spells/abilities. Dear devs, you have design the spells/abilities and make those cool animations, and now, please give us the chance to use and see them!

 

 

 

[Tigranes]

Oh, that's a really cool idea - Empower allowing a once/encounter ability to cast a spell you don't know. Far better than empowering a Minoletta and blowing everything up in one go, and really ameliorates both systems it touches on. I'm sure it might lead to other issues, and I suspect Obsidian have invested too much on the current idiotic empower (e.g. the feats) making it hard to rip it up, but one can dream - maybe a mod?

[Shadenuat]

I wanted to say just return basic slot casting since you replenish everything anyway - players could just pick their spells for battle any time they want and that's it, but using empower to cast spells unknown is a p. cool idea.

[Loren Tyr]

And yes, to be honest, I think empower should be removed completely(leave it to prestige levels) to make this game more challenging, especially at POTD or veteran setting, but I am not asking that since I know there might be some people love it.

 

While I'm not much of a fan of empower myself, why should it need to be removed? If you want to make the game more challenging, you can easily just opt not to use it, after all. 

[Rillifane]

 

And yes, to be honest, I think empower should be removed completely(leave it to prestige levels) to make this game more challenging, especially at POTD or veteran setting, but I am not asking that since I know there might be some people love it.

 

While I'm not much of a fan of empower myself, why should it need to be removed? If you want to make the game more challenging, you can easily just opt not to use it, after all. 

 

 

The same logic can apply to all those overpower stuffs,weapons....., no nerf is needed if you avoid to use them. But that's not my point. You can clearly see that I am aware some people might love what empower currently is, *so I am not asking to remove it* but instead give an option for another possibility.

 

My opinion that empower shouldn't be there is the 1st place is, at most, a personal opinion that is not from the designer.

[InsaneCommander]

Interesting idea. It would be cool to be able to use the other spells. Maybe empower could open access to them for a time and you could cast those spells at double cost, that is, one per level.

[evilcat]

Having abillities just plain inferior is a problem, and should be adressed by buffing less used abillities, or just one which are skip at balance check and are now dump.

 

However... it is possible to specialize our character one way or another. Like caster could be CC, Heal, Support, Nuke, or Martial or Summons.

With 5 party members there is a room for specialization.

But you cant specialize if your "spells" cant fallow any pattern, and are randomly ok or bad.

Like Priest, is not even good healer, most nukes are weak or absent, CC is like two spells, and best buffs are all at one level.

With enought spells total, and buffing the weak, at least there will be specialization.

Also specialization for casters with passives could be stronger, passives "deal even more dmg with fire" or "use wands to great effect" would allow it.

[Rillifane]

Having abillities just plain inferior is a problem, and should be adressed by buffing less used abillities, or just one which are skip at balance check and are now dump.

 

However... it is possible to specialize our character one way or another. Like caster could be CC, Heal, Support, Nuke, or Martial or Summons.

With 5 party members there is a room for specialization.

But you cant specialize if your "spells" cant fallow any pattern, and are randomly ok or bad.

Like Priest, is not even good healer, most nukes are weak or absent, CC is like two spells, and best buffs are all at one level.

With enought spells total, and buffing the weak, at least there will be specialization.

Also specialization for casters with passives could be stronger, passives "deal even more dmg with fire" or "use wands to great effect" would allow it.

 

That's one way of doing it, I somewhat agree. But no games,not even one, I've played can achieve that.

 

Balancing is a tricky thing, making all selections equally enticing are nearly impossible and have a risk to make all things monochrome.  I agree some spells and abilities could use help to let people  consider using them, but I doubt those balancing would reach a satisfying level even after last patch is done.