3.00 patch teased by Josh on SA

[Mazisky]

Is there a way to activate the scaling since start ?

[AndreaColombo]

^ as in, making Act I and II also scale up? I don't think so.

 

Re: cipher nerf. Looks like there's no more room for a cipher in my parties. Pity; I was planning to hire a Backlash Beldam for one of my next play through. Will have to figure out a different character.

Edited January 23, 2016 by AndreaColombo

[Mazisky]

^ as in, making Act I and II also scale up? I don't think so.

 

 

 

No, i mean activate act 3 high scaling since start without being asked somewhere during the game

Edited January 23, 2016 by Mazisky

[Boeroer]

With the Beldam it might be not too bad because at some point the focus generation was so fast that I couldn't cast fast enough to get rid of it. But all the poor bow using ciphers out there.

 

By the way: another hidden cipher nerf is the fact that Carow Golan now does +20% focus instead of +4. Bye bye Blunderbuss.

Backlash Beldam works without it if you compensate with potion of flame shield.

[Kriber22]

Can anyone tell me if the new spell mechanics made it in? Where instead of making all low-level spells per encounter you got a signature spell or whatever it's called?

[AndreaColombo]

No, i mean activate act 3 high scaling since start without being asked somewhere during the game

 

BMac's console commands should do the trick; just type them in upon starting a new game.

 

By the way: another hidden cipher nerf is the fact that Carow Golan now does +20% focus instead of +4.

 

And Blacsonn doesn't give +20% Focus any longer. It used to be +2 PER, +20% Focus which was pretty good for a Cipher. Now if you want +20% Focus, you need to chew Carow Golan and suck up a -4 INT with it, which is pretty non-ideal for a Cipher (and of course the option to get +4 Focus is no longer there.) I thought drugs were getting a boost in this patch? Doesn't look like it.

 

Ciphers really got nerfed into a nadir for no apparent reason; what Josh mentioned on SA doesn't justify a nerf of this magnitude imo.

 

Goodbye Cipher; it's been good while it lasted, but now pretty much any other class is better than you to have around.

 

 

Can anyone tell me if the new spell mechanics made it in? Where instead of making all low-level spells per encounter you got a signature spell or whatever it's called?

 

It did. It's called Spell Mastery.

Edited January 23, 2016 by AndreaColombo

[Boeroer]

Why do they always have to make one class the worst with overambitioned nerfs? Small steps would be better than this two big steps forward and one back.

 

 

"Let's nerf Constant Recovery and Ancient Memory so that is has a limited duration (nobody called for this, but still... I'm bored) - ok now it's total crap - let's buff it again and double the endurance gain. But to make it really awkward, lets nerf the duration again - yikes! we totally messed this up! High five! Wait! Let's also nerf that to high four!"

Edited January 23, 2016 by Boeroer

[why]

Why do they always have to make one class the worst with overambitioned nerfs? Small steps would be better than this two big steps forward and one back.

 

 

"Let's nerf Constant Recovery and Ancient Memory so that is has a limited duration (nobody called for this, but still... I'm bored) - ok now it's total crap - let's buff it again and double the endurance gain. But to make it really awkward, lets nerf the duration again - yikes! we totally messed this up! High five! Wait! Let's also nerf that to high four!"

To be fair, though, Boeroer, this is a beta. They can still fine tune things based on input from the beta testers. Assuming they read folks like you (and other erudite folks), then it's not out of the question that the nerfblade might be blunted a bit to preserve some cipher lovin'.

 

Although, to add, I clearly don't have access to the beta as a non-backer, so I can't beta test. That, and I don't have the skill or smarts to offer anything useful if I did. :D

Edited January 23, 2016 by why

[Boeroer]

Huh? Why can't you beta test, why? I'm also not a backer of the PoE game. But now look at my installation: it says 3.0.

Just go to you steam library, right klick on PoE select properties, selet beta tab, choose beta branch in the dropdown field and enter "BETAPASSWORD" into the text field.

 

What you said is true - but how can they know it's too much if you don't comlain? A LOT?

 

Not that I'm against nerfing certain spells like Amplified Wave. It's AoE was way too big and the damage part was too high. But they did this ONT TOP of this focus inflation. Would be ok if they buffed some higher level powers that nobody uses anyway because they are bad compared to others. Or invent some more useful. This statis shell is so useless... They also nerfed Tactical Meld so that it's complety unattractive now. You pay 50 focus so that you can hit foes better that... whait, which foes? They are all dead because the wizard, druid and priest started with their spell mastery CC and then turned then into pulp while the monk was spamming Torment's Reach and Forge of Anguish like crazy because he run around to catch some flimsy disengagement attacks. 

 

What will happen: every cipher will now spam low-level powers because nobody has the time to wait for 60 or 70 focus to build up. CC is great when you can apply it at the beginning of a fight and not when 50% of the enemies are dead anyway. If they are afraid that a cipher ruins every encounter because he can start with a high level CC then they should think about nerfing the initial focus a cipher starts with at the beginning of every encounter. They did that once and is was painful, but just. But with this cost increase they turn the cipher into the old chanter while buffing the chanter so that he can do things quicker.

 

I beg that they will withdraw this focus nerf. It's totally ok if they balance the spells though. 

[HawkSoft]

What will happen: every cipher will now spam low-level powers because nobody has the time to wait for 60 or 70 focus to build up. CC is great when you can apply it at the beginning of a fight and not when 50% of the enemies are dead anyway. If they are afraid that a cipher ruins every encounter because he can start with a high level CC then they should think about nerfing the initial focus a cipher starts with at the beginning of every encounter. They did that once and is was painful, but just. But with this cost increase they turn the cipher into the old chanter while buffing the chanter so that he can do things quicker.

 

I beg that they will withdraw this focus nerf. It's totally ok if they balance the spells though. 

I completely agree with this and will add that most of my ciphers' focus was spent on low level spells because so many of the higher level ones were too expensive for what they achieved, even reading a low level scroll was better than wasting focus on the high level dross.

 

My experience with (mainly ranged) ciphers, playing fairly casually on normal (I make some mistakes) is that in a tough fight they can run out of squishies to harvest focus from and end the fight as sub-par archers/gunners, saving their last points of focus in case it can make a difference.

 

It all depends on the DR of your opponents:

• Lots of squishies = Focus glut (how do I spend all this?)
• Few squishies/foes invulnerable to piercing = Focus famine (cipher useless after initial barrage)

[HawkSoft]

• You can always turn the Crippled option off, I've currently got it ON whilst testing the Beta but I'll probably turn if OFF as it just adds more micro.

I've turned crippling injuries off. It's just no fun with a rapid attack monk as protagonist and very few decent bits of kit.

 

A monk MUST take damage to power their abilities and a rapid attack build can't afford long recovery times from standard issue armour so can take a lot of damage quite quickly against some opponents. This results in the monk getting KO'd more often than other characters and most crippling injuries seem to affect attack speed and/or staying power so a rapid attack monk gets nerfed possibly more than most (a tank might just need another potion or two).

 

Late game, when the party has lots of fancy kit, crippling might have some play value. Right now it's just a PITA.

[Boeroer]

My experience with (mainly ranged) ciphers, playing fairly casually on normal (I make some mistakes) is that in a tough fight they can run out of squishies to harvest focus from and end the fight as sub-par archers/gunners, saving their last points of focus in case it can make a difference.

 

It all depends on the DR of your opponents:

• Lots of squishies = Focus glut (how do I spend all this?)
• Few squishies/foes invulnerable to piercing = Focus famine (cipher useless after initial barrage)

 

That's exactly my experience with ranged ciphers. In fights against dragons they can be especially useless - now even more because Tactical Meld is total crap now.

 

That was also one reason why blunderbuss ciphers were still viable: you would focus your fire on low DR foes anyway. 

 

If there was a weapon with raw damage it would be cipher's no. 1 (or two).

 

Edit: i turned crippling off. To annoying if you don't want to play with a party of 6 turtles. My experimental Vengeful-Defeat-Barb just had a nervous breakdown because of them. 

Edited January 24, 2016 by Boeroer

[Boeroer]

The bonuses you get from Survival are really strong. Maybe too strong. I just loaded an old savegame in which a barb had 11 Survival. +4 DR for example is quite a lot. I suppose these stack with resting bonuses from taverns/inns? Good decision to integrate the consumables' duration buff into this system I think. The change of the skills is nothing I will rant about. I like it.

 

But I didn't have the time to test out Second Wind yet. Is it getting any better if you pump Athletics? At lower levels the healing is quite whimpy.

[HawkSoft]

Second Wind increases with Athletics and can be quite significant, I don't like it though, it seems more like an adrenaline booster from cyberpunk than a physical ability from a *realistic* fantasy setting. It's too quick, I'd prefer everyone to have some form of constant recovery that scaled with Athletics and for Fighters to get a significant boost to it. At present Second Wind just functions like a scaleable per encounter potion.

 

I think the DR boost is too strong to be the default Survival bonus, I feel the default should be healing bonus.

Some of the abilities seem like they should be tied to Athletics (EG faster movement) whilst other (EG racial damage bonus) requires fore knowledge of what you are going to fight (breaks forth wall a bit).

[Ineth]

Why do they always have to make one class the worst with overambitioned nerfs? Small steps would be better than this two big steps forward and one back.

 

 

"Let's nerf Constant Recovery and Ancient Memory so that is has a limited duration (nobody called for this, but still... I'm bored) - ok now it's total crap - let's buff it again and double the endurance gain. But to make it really awkward, lets nerf the duration again - yikes! we totally messed this up! High five! Wait! Let's also nerf that to high four!"

 

Isn't that officially Sawyer's game design philosophy though?

 

Maybe I misremember, but I think there was some old backer update or press interview where he said that he shuns balancing in small steps, and uses the rule of thumb "If it feels too powerful, half it; if it feels too weak, double it." Then if it turns out you overstepped, at least you have an upper and lower bound to take into account for the next balancing pass...

 

[HawkSoft]

^That may be a reasonable approach at v0.9 but much less so at v3.0

[Ganrich]

I don't think the issue is that balance approach, but combining halfing the abilities effects at double the cost. You do one or the other, but not both. But yes, I remember that video with Josh as well.

[Karkarov]

^That may be a reasonable approach at v0.9 but much less so at v3.0

He will make changes during the beta itself, he intentionally over nerfs or over buffs to get reactions from testers because if he makes small changes he feels they may go unseen.  He feels like with two extreme examples it is easier to find the "sweet spot" of where things should be for the actual non beta release.

[Leferd]

 

^That may be a reasonable approach at v0.9 but much less so at v3.0

 

He will make changes during the beta itself, he intentionally over nerfs or over buffs to get reactions from testers because if he makes small changes he feels they may go unseen.  He feels like with two extreme examples it is easier to find the "sweet spot" of where things should be for the actual non beta release.

Yup. When Sawyer adjusts, he starts by doubling or cutting in half. That's been his M.O. for a while.

[Boeroer]

Or both?

[Faldorn]

I am quite asthonished that class-balancing is such a big issue for some players. Even after several months of not playing, I didn't feel the need to adjust my playstlye when I started my first PotD-game (I am currently some 30-40 hours in, in the middle of act II without having done anything in the White March, but most of the act II content).

 

It may have to do with the fact, though, that I never felt the need to min-max any of my characters or to delve so deep into the game mechanics that I was able to squeeze out the very last inch in terms of combat strengh.

 

Maybe I am just lacking the understanding of game mechanics or special builds that some people have here. Or I haven't gotten to some of the very hard parts of the game yet.

 

I find it a lot more bothering that there is such a steep decline in difficulty after the first few levels. Sure, some boss fights are really quite difficult, but the overwhelming majority of the fights do not need perfectly crafted characters or super-special tactics to beat.

 

That's my experience, at least. I do not want to step on anybody's toes hers, I just find it very fascinating. Do some people really build their entire party and playthrough around one or two abilities that are very strong at the time (patch) they start their game?

[Boeroer]

Sure thing

[Karkarov]

That's my experience, at least. I do not want to step on anybody's toes hers, I just find it very fascinating. Do some people really build their entire party and playthrough around one or two abilities that are very strong at the time (patch) they start their game?

Yeah, that is what min maxers do.

[PrimeJunta]

That's my experience, at least. I do not want to step on anybody's toes hers, I just find it very fascinating. Do some people really build their entire party and playthrough around one or two abilities that are very strong at the time (patch) they start their game?

Uh... yes?

 

(That said, I actually dig all the rebalancing that's going on. Forces me to try new classes and approaches.)

[Cyseal]

How to test level cap with 3.00 beta?

Is it possible to test the maximum level cap on a level 1 character with the console?