This could just be because I am not a math player like most everyone here seems to be. But combat seems inordinately and unnecessarily complex. I know many here really look for the "balance" and some sort of realistic corollaries with things like recovery (which still baffles me to no end) and interrupts.
But even now I am not sure when my character's inaction is a bug or if it is a feature. I watched my paladin last night die as I tried to heal him from another character casting a spell, drink a potion, and even using Second Wind. Nothing took. If he was affected in some way to preclude any of these attempts I couldn't see it.
I am still unclear when my character is actually finished with an action and ready for a new "command". I have it set up to pause when action is complete, but the little marching ants marquee is still active around the last action I selected, so I am not sure when I can do something. I am a little tired of interrupting a previous action/command thinking it is done. If the whole shift-select-next-action thing works, I can't tell.
Even when all I need my ranger to do is keep shooting arrows, the little three dots pop up as if he is not doing anything. Then I feel like I need to pay unneeded attention to him.
It seems like, especially in this recent build EVERYTHING is too slow, not just casting times.
Limiting spells for spell casters really throws a wrench in enjoying them, never mind the whole casting time issue. My wizard is better off blasting away with his wand/scepter combo at this point. Why do I have a wizard if that's his best offense?
I am a pause player (never really liking what most any AI thinks is important, so I never use it). Sometimes the game keeps going after I hit pause. I am just not sure if that is a computer performance issue, a game performance issue, or a feature of letting certain actions finish before allowing a pause. Between the automatic pauses and my trying to pause everything things get quite comical.
I know many of the new features add some depth to skills and abilities, but so far nothing really contributes to a more enjoyable game over PoE I. Not for me anyway.
I am still unsure why this whole "Mana pool" thingy for abilities is even necessary. There seems a billion things that nerf their effectiveness anyway, why limit the use of abilities and skills?
At least it doesn't seem like my potion quaffing doesn't get constantly interrupted like it used to.
Anyway. Just a rant. Maybe the full game will make things clearer and this is just the effect of such a limited campaign in the beta. Maybe I just need to put the beta away for a little while.
I am finding less and less to enjoy about this game.
Thanks for listening,
Joe