Combat in PoE

[juanval]

I'd like to ask you how great is combat in PoE. In comparison with other RPG games that I've played:

 

1 Is PoE combat better than Dragon Age Origins combat?

2 Is PoE combat better than NWN2 combat?

3 Is PoE combat better than BG1/2 combat?

 

I'll be happy if one of those questions is affirmative. Thanks in advance.

[Mazisky]

I prefer  people to answer why, other than yes\no

Edited March 1, 2015 by Mazisky

[Gromnir]

poe combat on difficulty o' hard or more is hobbesian:

 

"Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of war, where every man is enemy to every man, the same consequent to the time wherein men live without other security than what their own strength and their own invention shall furnish them withal. In such condition there is no place for industry, because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no culture of the earth; no navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by sea; no commodious building; no instruments of moving and removing such things as require much force; no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

ps is a big mistake to imply that bg1 and bg2 combat were the same.  

Edited March 1, 2015 by Gromnir

[juanval]

I would like to see how Poe combat is more or less good with a simple comparison. I've read lots of critics about poe combat from RPG purists but perhaps I like it.

 

I hope someone can answer this simple questions.

Edited March 1, 2015 by juanval

[Leferd]

I definitely prefer the combat of Eternity to the Dragon Age and the NWN series.

 

Still remains to be seen if it's going to be better than the IE games. Still a work in progress but a step in the right direction. Will probably improve with the XP and presumable sequels.

[Gromnir]

I would like to see how Poe combat is more or less good with a simple comparison. I've read lots of critics about poe combat from RPG purists but perhaps I like it.

 

I hope someone can answer this simple questions.

perhaps some folks don't see the question as simple. perhaps there is aspects o' dragon age: origins combat that folks found appealing, but others they disliked... greatly.  

 

the question is framed wrong if you genuine want a simple answer from Gromnir.  

 

"1 Is PoE combat better than Dragon Age Origins combat?"

 

is no simple answer for Gromnir.  

 

change

 

"1 Do you like PoE combat more than Dragon Age: Origins combat?"  

 

now that is a simple question and we can give a simple (meaningless) answer too.

 

do you like chocolate ice cream more than vanilla ice cream? do you care if leferd or Gromnir prefers chocolate or vanilla? why?

 

*shrug*

 

HA! Good Fun!

Edited March 1, 2015 by Gromnir

[juanval]

  

[Gromnir]

  

now you know how Gromnir feels when confronted by your "simple questions" for which you want an affirmative (or negative) response. 

 

was renoir better than pollock, yes or no? 

 

...

 

wait, what?

 

 

HA! Good Fun!

[h3st]

  

What do you think is good combat? Do you prefer realtime or turn-based combat? Are you a fan of strategy or do you just want to bust some rectums? Do you like foo or do you like bar? What about baz?

[ManifestedISO]

Is Hobbesian combat an indictment or endorsement, asking for a friend with only a right-brain. 

[Gromnir]

Is Hobbesian combat an indictment or endorsement, asking for a friend with only a right-brain. 

for folks with only a right-brain, we suspect it is an endorsement. visceral and brief is positives for your friend, yes?

 

HA! Good Fun!

[SupidSeep]

I tried a little of the Beta and all I will say is:

I s*** at PoE Combat

 

The only way I could make any headway on Easy difficulty was to use my character as the key to tank / out-last enemies ... 

 

(I should go back and see if I can learn to actually kill enemies faster instead of turning into a rock and buy time for my team to whittle them down)

 

Additional comment:  I played through Baldur's Gate 2 by learning to cheese the tough enemies ("Evil, meet my Cheese.  Cheese, MEET EVIL!")

Edited March 1, 2015 by SupidSeep

[Gromnir]

I tried a little of the Beta and all I will say is:

 

I s*** at PoE Combat

 

The only way I could make any headway on Easy difficulty was to use my character as the key to tank / out-last enemies ... 

 

(I should go back and see if I can learn to actually kill enemies faster instead of turning into a rock and buy time for my team to whittle them down)

perhaps you are trying to play poe with your left-brain?  try covering your right eye while playing poe.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Leferd]

 

I tried a little of the Beta and all I will say is:

 

I s*** at PoE Combat

 

The only way I could make any headway on Easy difficulty was to use my character as the key to tank / out-last enemies ... 

 

(I should go back and see if I can learn to actually kill enemies faster instead of turning into a rock and buy time for my team to whittle them down)

perhaps you are trying to play poe with your left-brain?  try covering your right eye while playing poe.

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

 

To quote Kaneda's greatest philosopher:

 

"Roofles."

[Sensuki]

Path of Exile has pretty good combat

[Failion]

I think anything better then neverwinters combat system. 3rd edition dnd combat is trash in general. ALL the fights are decided by the plethora of buffs before the fights happen. Neverwinters combat was fun to watch and thats about it. 

[juanval]

If pillars of eternity combat is at least better than NWN2 combat, for me is enough. I liked playing NWN1/2 and the mods.

 

Sorry for my bad english.

[Cantousent]

I personally think the combat would be great in PoE if they included kill XP.  :Cant's trolling grin icon:

 

So, for a somewhat serious answer, there are things that I liked in principle when I played the beta last, which was a while back.  To me, it has a more potential for strategy than NWN, but it could very quickly devolve into a cluster **** mass of bodies all piling on one another.  If I weren't careful, battles would often start to resemble a Caligulan incestuous orgy.  However, the way the spells worked and the fact that you control a party of characters with quite a large number of special abilities and spells made it appealing to me and I'm absolutely certain they've improved things to make it easier to employ tactics.  Even when I played it in the past, I could engage in tactical and strategic thinking if I weren't lazy.  Having separate health and... endurance? whatever  The thing is, having two different stats for overall character health, one which is quickly lost and regained and one which is slowly lost and hard to regain made for a bit more depth in terms of resource and time management.

[GreyFox]

I think some of the mods will clean up PoE combat...can't wait to get rid of the lame moshpit and terrible design decisions.

 

PoE modded will probably play just fine compared to the IE games.

[PrimeJunta]

My personal ranking?

 

P:E  > BG1/2 >> DA:O >> NWN2

 

As everything this is subjective. I like the "Total War-ey" feel engagement gives to the combat: positioning and control of the battlefield space becomes important, and makes possible cool special abilities that let you deal with things that arise from that (Escape, Shadowing Beyond, monk kicks, various spells and specials that push enemies around).

 

If you're a big fan of IE-ey combat with units rushing through enemy lines to gank high-value targets, you will certainly prefer BG2, and possibly prefer BG1. There are lots of people like that so I'm fairly certain there will be lots of pixels spilled over the BG/P:E combat comparison, assuming the grogs haven't driven away/exhausted everyone else here by then.

 

(On balance, I do prefer IE-system magic though. P:E's magic system feels shallow by comparison. It was IMO a mistake to throw out core features of it wholesale, such as counterspells. OTOH P:E is better at low levels; a level 4 P:E wizard has way more possibilities than a level 4 AD&D wizard.)

 

As to DA:O, I liked the spell synergies, but disliked the cooldown-based ability use and that everyone had to have Awesome Buttons for things. I can see why someone would like that though... kinda. Even so I think only a pretty small minority will preer DA:O combat over P:E combat.

 

And NWN2, anyone who prefers that combat over any of the others listed needs to have their head examined. It's just plain bad, at every level. NWN2 has strengths -- massive numbers of spells and really rich character build options to name two -- but combat ain't among them. So no contest there.

[Gfted1]

For me, PoE combat is an unfun dogpile that I cant clearly understand. Im greatly hoping that I will benefit from starting at level 1 and learning at a more granulated pace.  

 

BG2 > all.

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

Personally, playing on hard in the backer beta, I'd say the combat is about on par with DA:O, better than BG 1, much much better than DA2. In some ways it's more similar to the old Gold Box games. Tactical positioning is very, very important. It takes a fair bit of micromanagement but in a good, fun way.

[Voss]

Personally, playing on hard in the backer beta, I'd say the combat is about on par with DA:O, better than BG 1, much much better than DA2. In some ways it's more similar to the old Gold Box games. Tactical positioning is very, very important. It takes a fair bit of micromanagement but in a good, fun way.

I can't actually reconcile these statements.   On par with something poor, better than something better than the first, much better than something rather similar to the first, and more similar to something vastly better than any of them.    Though having watched some of the PoE beta stuff in action, the only one it really seems at all similar to is the second.  

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

I'm on my phone, and it's been a few years since I've played most of these games, but I'm basically judging by how much tactics and positioning mattered. It mattered some in DOA, didn't really in da2(however you set up, mobs would just *poof* in behind you), and sort of mattered but not really in bg1(because bg1 didn't implement ad&D's attacks of opportunity rules).

 

The gold box games are still the gold standard. I see poe's system as an attempt to hybridize the tactical strengths of the gold box system with rtwp gameplay. It's sort of a bad idea and the game would be better if it were pure turn based but this is a decent compromise.

[CaptainMace]

I'm basically judging by how much tactics and positioning mattered. It mattered some in DAO

 

If by tactics you mean clicking an ability when the cooldown is up, then DAO is somehow tactical indeed. Mage gameplay is especially tactical.

Edited March 2, 2015 by CaptainMace