Some feedback from a lover of sneaky game play styles.

[Excerpt]

First, I would like to say that overall I have really enjoyed POE II. Also, having enjoyed the first game several times through, I have to say this is definitely a step up in terms of gameplay mechanics, story, and a much larger variety of play styles.

 

It makes me happy as someone who almost always roles a rogue-like class of some kind for their first playthrough in games like these, that the class seems to have been drastically improved in many ways from the original.

 

I have a couple of points already that I would like to give some feedback on though.

 

1. I really love games that allow my rogue to pickpocket people. However, the way it has been implemented in this game (Currently I mean, I hope it will be improved in future updates) leaves something to be desired. Or rather, I should say too much to be desired. Stealing as I have found it so far in this game (after several hours of gameplay) is not only extremely easy, but there is literally no downside that I can see to not robbing every hapless unaware person blind.

 

2. Pickpocketing and stealing from containers should have some kind of different system (or even additional if you like to go down that road) to the sneak/stealth system. I understand and love RPGs and their need for fantastical suspension of disbelief, but there should be a balance, and especially one that adheres to the actual reality of the game world. I shouldn't be able to just waltz right up to a stranger practically from the side (where they would definitely see me in peripheral vision) and just grab tons of their jewel's, wages, and potions. Especially with literally no risk of being caught/reprimanded/put in jail or really anything negative. As it stands now there is simply no reason not to pickpocket every single person you come across unless you are VERY strictly sticking to the role play of a specific character and are only playing a "lawful good" sort of guy/girl.

 

3. The number of traps I can lay, I have actually been looking for a way to mod this particular aspect of gameplay in the data tables which are exposed to us modder types this go around (thank you for that btw, big improvement over the last game). But I have a feeling that this particular aspect is hardcoded or scripted in some way. I was really happy to see that traps were kind of buffed in this game compared to the last one (there are also more of them). That said, so far I have not found a way to use more than 1 trap (maybe there is something later that I am missing). I would just really like the ability to lay more than one trap as a master of stealth, who has sunk many points into mechanics and has several stacks of traps. I accumulate them faster than I can use them which I find rather frustrating honestly.

 

I might add more later these were just my initial criticisms. Overall good job, I know there are still many bugs that others have cited (I've encountered a few myself), but I have faith that they will be mostly fixed in a reasonable amount of time.

[Purudaya]

There should be a penalty to relationships with certain party members if you steal excessively while they're in the group. I take a hit with Xoti when I employ a little skullduggery in dialogue, but not when I rob blind every impoverished home in the Gullet?

Edited May 14, 2018 by Purudaya

[Slotharingia]

I agree about the traps. I get why we can't use a ton, as it would be op, but 3 or even 2 would be nice.

[Excerpt]

I agree about the traps. I get why we can't use a ton, as it would be op, but 3 or even 2 would be nice.

 

So in actuality, you CAN technically use more than 1 trap at a time. It seems that there is a limit to 1 trap per party member.

 

This presents the annoying frustration of rotating out traps into quick slots, and running all your party members to different locations to set up traps, which if you want everyone to trap a location can take a while. Add to that those of us that would like to set up other things before some harder fights (like buffing with drugs/spells etc) and this can add up to arranging things for a solid 2 minutes. I find myself quicksaving before and after I have things set up in some fights, simply because it is easier to revert everything with traps and stuff by loading an earlier save.

 

An alternative to this problem I think, is to tie damage/effectiveness to a member's mechanics/alchemy skill(s), nerf the base damage/effect durations and allow for multiple traps usage of a single character. I would like to make a mod to do exactly that, and I think I could do the former stuff but I have yet to find a way to change the ability to lay more than one trap without it disarming.

[Excerpt]

There should be a penalty to relationships with certain party members if you steal excessively while they're in the group. I take a hit with Xoti when I employ a little skullduggery in dialogue, but not when I rob blind every impoverished home in the Gullet?

 

Yeah, I was thinking this exactly. I take back what I said (a bit), after having played a bit further. Efficiently getting in range to pickpocket in some areas is much harder because of the NUMEROUS npcs placed and walking randomly in crowded areas (like taverns/palaces). If you do not sink a ton of points early into stealth (like a member's total of at least 5 and a party bonus of at least 3), I find it is nearly impossible to pickpocket/steal in certain areas. I would give a couple of specific examples I have encountered already (but no spoilers forum).

 

A quick tip for those that are having trouble: use the spark crackers explosives. They do not aggro or initiate combat on non-hostile npcs, and they will go look at the area (very briefly).

 

I would like to see companion reactions to stealing, and also a higher requirement for looting items (especially more valuable ones) in terms of the "sleight of hand" talent score. Right now I can have like only 3 or 4 points into this and rob tons of gold/items from everyone and every container without being noticed. It makes no sense in both an immersion sense or a balanced sense to not have this higher for certain items compared to others.