How does PoE II Compare to PoE?

[thelee]

I thought of one more difference between the two:

 

-random enemy encounters on the overland map - this is a staple of old RPGs vs the mini-quests in POE2 - both allow you to get that extra experience or a level when you need it < this is a tough one for me but I think Pathfinder so far found a good balance where I think POE2 made experience gain a little too accessible with the point A to point B quests.  I mean you need the option to get a level but would rather fight for it

 

i hate hate hate hate hate hate hate random encounters

 

when i can't avoid them (most jrpgs of a certain age) they are tedious and annoying and can frequently be abused as filler for content (and a way to force you to grind).

 

when i can avoid them (BG, Fallout, IWD), they are basically just moments where I reload the game, because most of the time I don't want them compared to the handful of times I might actually.

Edited November 2, 2018 by thelee

[Marceror]

 

i hate hate hate hate hate hate hate random encounters

 

when i can't avoid them (most jrpgs of a certain age) they are tedious and annoying and can frequently be abused as filler for content (and a way to force you to grind).

 

when i can avoid them (BG, Fallout, IWD), they are basically just moments where I reload the game, because most of the time I don't want them compared to the handful of times I might actually.

 

I think they work pretty well in Pathfinder, at least based on what I've seen in chapter 1. There should be some uncertainty and danger on the road for a group of adventurers. Just make sure you have someone with Knowledge Nature, and you should be able to avoid most of them.

 

In PoE II this is for the most part replaced with the risk of having your ship attacked at sea. I'm still not sure what I think about the naval combat system as I haven't engaged in it much yet, but I'm feeling that having a fast ship that can avoid combat is probably what I will want to do most often.

[Marceror]

Well, based on having played around 50 hours in each game now, I'm feeling that the scales have tipped heavily in Pathfinder's favor. Both are great games, but I think it's really the more prevalent D&D tone of Pathfinder that I'm enjoying. This feels much closer to the Baldur's Gate successor. I hadn't realized it, but I missed the more obvious good vs. evil factions and decisions. I guess it's more satisfying sometimes to accomplish something that is clearly good. I'm playing a Paladin main character, by the way, so I'm going all out good.

 

I also feel like character decisions and classes matter a lot more. PoE's "no bad builds" concept somewhat cheapens character decisions. The grognard in me likes that build and class decisions matter, and that I should take my time to make good ones. It's also great to see the more flexible multiclassing and prestige class options. It's a bit like going home!

 

The travel mechanics and kingdom mechanics are a bit cumbersome at first, but as I'm getting used to them I'm liking them quite a lot as well. I'm finding a level of immersion that I haven't in a long time, and frankly, have gotten really hooked in by the game. I had a much harder time getting hooked in PoE 2, which is why I went back to Pathfinder.

 

So for me, at this point, Pathfinder is the better game, and I really haven't encountered any bugs yet a good way into chapter 2. The 15 odd hotfixes have definitely made a dent. Another 1,000 fixes should hit soon in the first official full patch release. That an impressive and at the same time frightening number of bug fixes!