Does XP from white march break the game?

[tedmann12]

I just started a game on POTD and absolutely love the challenge. Im eager to jump into xp at level 5-7 but if I understand correctly I will be over leveled for the rest of the game when Im done with expansion?

 

If this is true, I really wish the devs would have taken the time to auto scale the whole game from that point on. Seems silly to only auto scale expansion, making you way over powered for the rest of the game. I really hope they fix this!

[mungomunk]

Thats exactly my concern. unless the original content reveoves a boost in difficulty its gpnna be not very challemging in the lpng run. However i dont believe its gonna happen, since the devs would have to rebalance the game for players with WM and players without WM. Concidering 4 difficulty settings that would meam 8 individually balanced playthroughs lol

[Killyox]

How should I put it. WM @lvl 5 is harder than the rest of the game anyways :D And you can always visit Cragholdt @12-14

Edited September 4, 2015 by Killyox

[MunoValente]

Yeah I did white march starting at level 5 and it was a good challenge, but when I came the main part of the game was really easy.

[Starwars]

It definitely screws up the main game in terms of difficulty.

[PIP-Clownboy]

It definitely screws up the main game in terms of difficulty.

 

Late-mid game was never difficult on POTD anyways. 

[Starwars]

Agreed, but it's a shame that it gets even more easy now I think.

[Karkarov]

 

It definitely screws up the main game in terms of difficulty.

 

Late-mid game was never difficult on POTD anyways. 

Yeap that's the simple truth right there, there is plenty of exp and loot in the game to make mid/late game easy with or without white march so I don't really see white march giving even more exp and loot as having a bearing on the main game.

[jsaving]

If you do the White March relatively early, the mid-game critical path definitely becomes easier.  But there is no real way around that in an expansion, unless you want to block players from entering it until Act 3.  Baldur's Gate had the same issue with its expansion pack -- the XP (and gear) .gained from Durlag's Tower made the rest of the game (even) easier.  I'd suggest postponing White March until Act 3 and then choosing to upscale it when you get there.   

[Gunnar.Maluf]

Im playing the white march on POTD, I didn't scale and I started the expansion content with a higher level party.

Or it scaled itself even if I chose standard or the expansion is challenging. I couldn't do Cragholdt with my lvl 12 party.

Some encounters felt like impossible at first until I figured it out. 

 

My main problem with the game is that it is balanced for those that tackle the main game with no side quests.

If you do the side content, the game becames easy for the most part. It needs a serious xp balance.

 

Also, gold is not a problem....I bought everything I wanted and I sitill have 60k with the stronghold fully upgraded.

[PIP-Clownboy]

What we need is a Heart of Fury mode on steroids for the non-casuals. 

[ISC]

I suggest using IEmod with +50% exp requirement to level. But I agree on there being a serious problem with difficulty in general and exp in particular in PoE that should be addressed by the devs.

 

Given that PoTD is intended for 'hardcore gamers' (i.e. powergamers, completionists, old school IE fans etc), I personally think that increased exp requirements should be an integrated part of PoTD as a way to increase difficulty from previous settings without just bumping enemy hp/dmg.

[Kilburn]

What we need is a Heart of Fury mode on steroids for the non-casuals. 

 

I support this. Id love a game that stays challenging through the whole thing, not just the first 1-4 levels.

 

Its not just pillars that has this problem. It crops up in a lot of games ive played and is always disappointing.

[Nague]

cant have non scaling non linear without the ability to trivialize content.

 

its not possible, thats why modern games often now scale stuff, so you can do all the sidequests and then still return to mainquest and not be bored.

 

 

 

 

and yes WM screws the mainquest, i am now lvl 10 with the new enchantments and my mainquest is at the beginning of defieance bay lol

[wanderon]

So does this mean that they abandoned the concept that was presented early on that only the main quest line would be scaled? So you could get your patootie kicked on some of the side content if you got there too early but the main quest would scale so both the completionist and the main quest only players would face appropriate difficulty for their level?

 

Or was it that this was only done in relation to the main game and not the game + expansion?

[View619]

I think scaling is only for the late game or Thaos battle.

[AndreaColombo]

Yeah, my understanding is that Sun in Shadows can be made to scale with level; the rest of the game stays as is.

 

The improved A.I. + immunities do make encounters generally more challenging, though. On PotD I find I can't steamroll everything in Act III (though some things I definitely can.)

Edited September 5, 2015 by AndreaColombo

[yaggaz]

I just started a game on POTD and absolutely love the challenge. Im eager to jump into xp at level 5-7 but if I understand correctly I will be over leveled for the rest of the game when Im done with expansion?

 

If this is true, I really wish the devs would have taken the time to auto scale the whole game from that point on. Seems silly to only auto scale expansion, making you way over powered for the rest of the game. I really hope they fix this!

 

No the game itself does a great job of breaking the game in this giant, "we love evil" angst fest that is Pillars of Eternity, a game that is only 1/100th of the game Baldur's Gate 2 was

[sucinum]

Yes, it does break the game. I restarted for the expansion and completed Defiance Bay, White March, Caed Nua until level 13 and the quests from Dyrford Village. My next target is Cliaban Rilag and then the hearing and Act 3. But my characters are already level 12! The next few hours will be mindless slaughtering.

 

I have written a few ideas about that already, maybe in the wrong forum or not: http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/81620-white-march-balancingdesign-ideas-so-so/

[ISC]

+50% exp!! oh well..

 

 

...this giant, "we love evil" angst fest that is Pillars of Eternity...

 

Care to elaborate on that? I'm just curious, because I have no idea.

[Darkpriest]

I am cool with the way it is now... go to some areas too early and you get your ass handed too you. Go to other areas late, when you became powerful, and enjoy your power by kicking ass... I despise level.scaling. I won't mind a few extra enemies or swapping some creatures to elder type but other than that i want to feel powerful if i.managed to complete more difficult side content.

[Psychevore]

I have no idea how you guys do this stuff at level 5.

 

My party gets utterly destroyed on PotD at level 5, right from the beginning.

[Darkpriest]

There is no way you can do wm on level 5. Level 7-8 is when you want to get there and even then it is not a piece of cake...

 

On level 5 you might get through the first area if you will be smart and pick a fairly safe route to the boss and kill him but further than that you will get your ass handed to you by fishmen or constructs or even larger packs of ogres

Edited September 7, 2015 by Darkpriest

[sapientNode]

The issue with scaling and overall design today is that we no longer have game design with a focus on the interconnectivity but rather with pleasing everyone and making sure it has lots of stuff in it.

 

Also games that even offer a hint of non linear progression have to retool their designs incredibly to make sure they think out as many possible scenarios to make sure the balance is correct.

 

Unfortunately the answer to this today is auto scale or dump tons of stuff in game constantly which ends up trivializing everything.

The age of the difficult challenging game has given way to the age of the game which is more a interactive movie and character equipment is often cosmetic not functional.

 

However with this large of a budget they definitely could of had a more robust design with great attention to challenging progression for those who chose it.

[AndreaColombo]

PoE's budget wasn't large by any definition of the term, though.