PoE 1 Errata & Notes for PoE 2

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

There are a lot of things in PoE 1 I'd like to see changed for PoE 2. 

 

Some of them already are being changed (buff stacking rules, for example).

 

There are a lot of mechanical issues that need to be straightened out, too (attack speed mechanics, etc), and I was working on a comprehensive post on that front, but it looks like MaxQuest's excellent post detailing all the mechanical inconsistencies in PoE 1 has simplified a lot of what I was going to say on that front.

 

I've still got a fair number of disorganized thoughts and "notes" I'd like to throw against the wall and see what people think. Here they go:

 

 

Itemization Issues 

 

-- Customizable and Enchantable hats and cloaks. This is bigger than it seems. In isometric format, cloaks and hats are by far the most visible feature of your character, but they aren't customizable or enchantable at all in PoE 1. I'd really like to see that changed. If it can't be changed, please make sure that each hat "type" (i.e., frog helm, fancy hat with feather, etc) has a couple of different variants that would be appropriate for different builds. 

 

-- Why wasn't there a single soulbound gun? Why didn't we get fun period weirdo guns like the Nock Gun or Pepperbox Pistol? Or, for that matter, sword pistols?

 

-- I really disliked how certain "gate-keeping" items like the Gloves of Mechanics, or "build-critical" items like the Gloves of Swift Action, were random-drop-only and thus easily missed even in multiple playthroughs. If you're going to have items like this, please make sure there's at least ONE place in the game where they are placed manually.

 

Balance Issues

 

All the missile weapons in the game, with one soulbound exception, use the same damage type (piercing), but then there are piercing immune creatures everywhere. I'd really like to see more ranged weapons that use alternate damage types.

 

It's really difficult to give weapons with on-hit effects to any class other than Barbarian because of how powerful the interaction with Carnage can be. Fighters (and maybe Paladins) need something on this front to help balance out -- maybe allow some auto-attacks against Engaged targets?

 

Chanters really need improvement (especially in light of PoE's movement away from per-rest abilities for other classes); similarly, priests are a little too necessary (because you need their immunity spells at high difficulty). The obvious change would be to give Chanters immunity chants at earlier levels than priests get their immunity spells. 

 

 

A few things I'd just like to see in PoE 2

 

Please steal the Witcher 3 bit where reading books adds to the bestiary for relevant creatures. 

 

That bird pet? Haast's Eagle ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haast's_eagle ). Just sayin'.

 

I'm still pretty leery of the announced health/endurance changes. That was a system that worked.

 

If there's no belt with a ship's wheel buckle, it'll drive me nuts.

 

Edited March 5, 2017 by Dr. Hieronymous Alloy

[Madscientist]

Regarding the problem that all missle weapons cause piercing damage: add slings

[CottonWolf]

Please steal the Witcher 3 bit where reading books adds to the bestiary for relevant creatures. 

 

Yes! I'd want that more generally though. Read a book about the political issues in Neketaka, unlock a dialogue option you'd otherwise require a high lore skill to have known without looking it up. Dig through some Engwithan ruins and read a tablet guarded by a strong mob and learn something you'd otherwise need really high metaphysics to have worked out. There were a few choices that could be unlocked by multiple routes in PoE1 (the Galawain choice in the opening when talking to the people who slaughter your caravan could be unlocked by Lore 1 or Int 15, for example). I want more stuff like that.

[gogocactus]

 

Please steal the Witcher 3 bit where reading books adds to the bestiary for relevant creatures.

Yes! I'd want that more generally though. Read a book about the political issues in Neketaka, unlock a dialogue option you'd otherwise require a high lore skill to have known without looking it up. Dig through some Engwithan ruins and read a tablet guarded by a strong mob and learn something you'd otherwise need really high metaphysics to have worked out. There were a few choices that could be unlocked by multiple routes in PoE1 (the Galawain choice in the opening when talking to the people who slaughter your caravan could be unlocked by Lore 1 or Int 15, for example). I want more stuff like that.

That would make for a lovely little addition and a wonderful incentive to actually read all those books.

[Koth]

 

There are a lot of things in PoE 1 I'd like to see changed for PoE 2. 

 

... 

 

Itemization Issues 

 

-- Customizable and Enchantable hats and cloaks. This is bigger than it seems. In isometric format, cloaks and hats are by far the most visible feature of your character, but they aren't customizable or enchantable at all in PoE 1. I'd really like to see that changed. If it can't be changed, please make sure that each hat "type" (i.e., frog helm, fancy hat with feather, etc) has a couple of different variants that would be appropriate for different builds. 

I'll just speak to this one issue. I don't mind the idea of enchantable cloaks. But the problem with being able to enchant hats / head gear items is that it will further discourage players from choosing godlike characters (that can't wear any head gear).

 

It's already a pretty big downside to choosing a godlike as it was in PoE1 due to weighing up some of the best headgear (Maegfolc Skull +4 might) vs passive godlike abilities. But if you were to enchant an item like this with more bonuses, then there'd be no reason outside of pure RP reasons to choose a godlike, as the potential loss in stats would be too great. 

[blotter]

 

 

But the problem with being able to enchant hats / head gear items is that it will further discourage players from choosing godlike characters (that can't wear any head gear).

 

That's more of a problem with godlike racial pros and cons than with enchanting head gear. Hopefully, the developers have something in mind to make godlike racial abilities/their progression less abjectly out of sync with what the race loses.

 

If not, then I don't think that headgear enchantment options are going to be the thing that tips it all over once and for all since the equipment itself is likely to do that anyway. The new level cap is 20 and what godlike miss out on through lack of access to headgear may be that much more pronounced given the likely introduction of new and more powerful headgear to match this extended progression. 

[tinysalamander]

Ritual of unlocking teh hidden potential of a godlike, or something. Assuming it wouldn’t be a built-in part of character progression.

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

 

But the problem with being able to enchant hats / head gear items is that it will further discourage players from choosing godlike characters (that can't wear any head gear).

 

That's more of a problem with godlike racial pros and cons than with enchanting head gear. Hopefully, the developers have something in mind to make godlike racial abilities/their progression less abjectly out of sync with what the race loses.

 

If not, then I don't think that headgear enchantment options are going to be the thing that tips it all over once and for all since the equipment itself is likely to do that anyway. The new level cap is 20 and what godlike miss out on through lack of access to headgear may be that much more pronounced given the likely introduction of new and more powerful headgear to match this extended progression. 

 

 

 

Right. I thought about the godlike issue but when you get down to it, if PoE 1 had let me slap a +2 stat enchant on any random piece of headgear, that's not a balance issue, that's a *cosmetic* issue, because I can already find SOME piece of headgear that has +2 (whatever stat), what I can't find is a piece of headgear that has +2 (whatever stat) and also looks good. 

 

Basically how can you put a fancy hat with a feather in the game and then not put good magical variants of said hat in the game, it's just cruel

[blotter]

 

 

Ritual of unlocking teh hidden potential of a godlike, or something. Assuming it wouldn’t be a built-in part of character progression.

 

I've seen various ideas on approaching the matter, like giving godlike parent race attribute bonuses on top of or in place of their own, racial abilities that scale more strongly, having "inherent" customizable headgear of their own like Devil of Caroc's armor (I've suggested this myself, suggesting that the features might emerge from talent selection, but rjshae also proposed a variation on the concept where the headgear would progress like a soulbound item), allowing access to lesser model-free headgear, etc. A lot of these ideas can be found here (http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/91650-what-about-headbands/),where they were discussed in more detail.

[molotov.]

I agree with you, we NEED some type of bird companion. It doesn't make any sense that we can have a stag, boar and even an antelope but we can't have a bird as a companion... they are much more tameable than the animals that I mentioned and now with the pirate theme it's even more logical.

[draego]

I agree with you, we NEED some type of bird companion. It doesn't make any sense that we can have a stag, boar and even an antelope but we can't have a bird as a companion... they are much more tameable than the animals that I mentioned and now with the pirate theme it's even more logical.

 

I wonder if they are going to make the bird companion unique to only Maia like they did with Sagani 

[Aleh1811]

For me the biggest issue with Pillars is not related to gameplay. Its the terrible loading times. I have a laptop with a relatively slow hard drive and its really an issue that took a lot of the enjoyment from me. I will buy an ssd soon and they say they will adress the loading times. I hope they do it very well.

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

For me the biggest issue with Pillars is not related to gameplay. Its the terrible loading times. I have a laptop with a relatively slow hard drive and its really an issue that took a lot of the enjoyment from me. I will buy an ssd soon and they say they will adress the loading times. I hope they do it very well.

 

 

It's much improved since release, but even so, yeah, this is something they've said in chats etc. that they're working on already and will be improved with PoE 2.

[fiddlesticks]

All the missile weapons in the game, with one soulbound exception, use the same damage type (piercing), but then there are piercing immune creatures everywhere. I'd really like to see more ranged weapons that use alternate damage types.

 

Isn't that the idea behind implements? Giving up some base damage in exchange for two damage types and thus more flexibility.

[hilfazer]

-- Why wasn't there a single soulbound gun? Why didn't we get fun period weirdo guns like the Nock Gun or Pepperbox Pistol? Or, for that matter, sword pistols?

Soulbound weapons are ancient artifacts and guns are not so ancient.

[CottonWolf]

The Unlaboured Blade is brand new.

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

 

All the missile weapons in the game, with one soulbound exception, use the same damage type (piercing), but then there are piercing immune creatures everywhere. I'd really like to see more ranged weapons that use alternate damage types.

 

Isn't that the idea behind implements? Giving up some base damage in exchange for two damage types and thus more flexibility.

 

 

 

Yeah, but implements are poor damage-wise unless you're a wizard, and have big problems from a RP perspective. Those are for wizzards!

 

I'm talking more like a gun that shoots fire damage type, or a blunderbuss that you load with rocks for Crushing, etc.

 

 

 

-- Why wasn't there a single soulbound gun? Why didn't we get fun period weirdo guns like the Nock Gun or Pepperbox Pistol? Or, for that matter, sword pistols?

Soulbound weapons are ancient artifacts and guns are not so ancient.

 

 

 

There are like at least four soulbound weapons that are crafted in the course of the game (unlabored blade, steadfast, abydon's hammer, stormcaller). The text for Steadfast even implies that Watchers can create soulbound weapons.

Edited March 6, 2017 by Dr. Hieronymous Alloy

[JerekKruger]

Basically how can you put a fancy hat with a feather in the game and then not put good magical variants of said hat in the game, it's just cruel

 

So true! I want to wear a duellist's hat all the way through the game!

 

There are like at least four soulbound weapons that are crafted in the course of the game (unlabored blade, steadfast, abydon's hammer, stormcaller). The text for Steadfast even implies that Watchers can create soulbound weapons.

 

It's not clear whether Steadfast was forged during the course of the game or shortly before it, but it's definitely not old; Stormcaller's description describes several owners and a journey across the Deadfire Archipelago, so I wouldn't call it new; as for Abydon's Hammer, well it might have been crafted during the course of the game, but it's crafted from something pretty ancient and powerful.

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

 

 

There are like at least four soulbound weapons that are crafted in the course of the game (unlabored blade, steadfast, abydon's hammer, stormcaller). The text for Steadfast even implies that Watchers can create soulbound weapons.

 

It's not clear whether Steadfast was forged during the course of the game or shortly before it, but it's definitely not old; Stormcaller's description describes several owners and a journey across the Deadfire Archipelago, so I wouldn't call it new; as for Abydon's Hammer, well it might have been crafted during the course of the game, but it's crafted from something pretty ancient and powerful.

 

 

 

True, but it's easy to imagine (for example) a storyline equivalent to Abydon's Hammer where you forge the metal into a gun. Each of those you can argue a bit about but overall it seems at least *possible* to stretch the lore to fit something relatively recent like a gun.

[Ninjamestari]

The stacking rules are kinda stupid; I really see no reason why the same character shouldn't be able to equip multiple items that give a bonus to the same stat. Stacking up that strength to create a monster is fun, nitpicking bonuses based on some arbitrary stacking rules is the very antithesis of fun.

[JerekKruger]

The stacking rules are kinda stupid; I really see no reason why the same character shouldn't be able to equip multiple items that give a bonus to the same stat. Stacking up that strength to create a monster is fun, nitpicking bonuses based on some arbitrary stacking rules is the very antithesis of fun.

 

Well the good news is it sounds like Deadfire is doing away with stacking rules. The bad news, for you at least, is they're replacing them with a system that means each attribute will only appear on certain pieces of gear, meaning there's be very limited ability to stack them.

[fiddlesticks]

 

Isn't that the idea behind implements? Giving up some base damage in exchange for two damage types and thus more flexibility.

 

Yeah, but implements are poor damage-wise unless you're a wizard, and have big problems from a RP perspective. Those are for wizzards!

 

I don't think damage is an issue with implements. Scepters/Wands do one less damage on average than Hunting Bows, for which the dual damage type easily compensates in a lot of situations.

 

I can see the roleplaying argument, though. Maybe switch the Arbalest's damage type to Crush/Pierce? They're supposed to hit with great force, after all, and it would futher differentiate them from Arquebuses/Pistols/Crossbows.

Edited March 7, 2017 by fiddlesticks