Quote (Wretch @ Feb 27 2021 02:58pm)

First, botting isn't a thing. I contribute code/programs to a ...very specific site... and see things like inventory management programs, craft spammers, things like that, but have yet to see or hear about a bot.

Stats on gear and mechanics are a lot more complex in PoE. If you like minmaxing and theorycrafting, you may enjoy it. Progression is so much more fun and involved than buying a shako and enigma and doing baal runs over and over.

There is a lot more content in PoE. And all of it is, in it's own way, rewarding. This can be overwhelming to some, in comparison to running baal and chaos over and over.
Each league there's a new mechanic, which after the league ends, eventually gets incorporated into the core game. This league alone, there was a new league mechanic (Rituals) on top of an Atlas expansion. All free.

PoE is a lot more difficult than D2. A lot of people don't like this one, but there is no god character. Even the strongest players with the best gear and strongest builds get killed sometimes. Things like map and monster modifiers keep you on your toes. Boss fights have some light mechanics that make you pay attention to what you're doing.

GGG (the game who develops PoE) is also a different beast than Blizzard. Their transparency, responsiveness to feedback, and speed at which they fix problems in the game sets the bar very high for dev teams. Their ethics and sheer ability is a huge driving force on what keeps the game thriving, IMO.

PoE feels like what D2 would have been, if Blizzard would have kept up with the game with a snowballing fervor instead of almost abandoning it. It is a true spiritual successor. There are quite a few nods to D2 as well; if you decide to try it, see if the first major boss doesn't remind you of somebody :P

TLDR: It's a fuckin' masterpiece. But it isn't for everyone.

Quote (Savethebitties @ Feb 28 2021 03:26pm)

Hey Wretch,

Thank you so much for the detailed message. This information was EXACTLY what I was looking for. Tbh, I love min-maxing and making optimized down to the single stat to optimize dps output while maintaining good survivability.

The fact that there is no botting makes the grind that much more satisfying. D2 is unplayable without a bot in its current state, and blizzard DGAF about it anymore. People are legit botting (very obviously) in most public games. While I have my own bots up and running, I find i'm just perusing D2JSP and selling my MF loot as opposed to actually playing the game.

Taken altogether, I think i'm going to give PoE a shot! Sounds like a really fun game that's continuously evolving and no meta clearly dominates.

Do you have any recommendations for builds for a newbie? In diablo 2 I normally run lite/cold sorc or Hdin. Back in the day in WoW I loved playing rogue and hunter (although not sure how much transferability that will have here). Are there certain builds that have an easy learning curve, but down the line have some advancements to make it more complex? I like to respond to the environment and make quick decisions to stay alive. In other words, I don't want something that just melts mobs and takes the challenge out of things.

Thanks again to everyone else's input as well. Much appreciated!

All the best,

STB

Quote (Savethebitties @ Feb 28 2021 02:26pm)

Hey Wretch,

Thank you so much for the detailed message. This information was EXACTLY what I was looking for. Tbh, I love min-maxing and making optimized builds down to the single stat to maximize dps output while maintaining good survivability.

The fact that there is no botting makes the grind that much more satisfying. D2 is unplayable without a bot in its current state, and blizzard DGAF about it anymore. People are legit botting (very obviously) in most public games. While I have my own bots up and running, I find i'm just perusing D2JSP and selling my MF loot as opposed to actually playing the game.

Taken altogether, I think i'm going to give PoE a shot! Sounds like a really fun game that's continuously evolving and no meta clearly dominates.

Do you have any recommendations for builds for a newbie? In diablo 2 I normally run lite/cold sorc or Hdin. Back in the day in WoW I loved playing rogue and hunter (although not sure how much transferability that will have here). Are there certain builds that have an easy learning curve, but down the line have some advancements to make it more complex? I like to respond to the environment and make quick decisions to stay alive. In other words, I don't want something that just melts mobs and takes the challenge out of things.

Thanks again to everyone else's input as well. Much appreciated!

All the best,

STB

Quote (allience @ Feb 28 2021 04:06pm)

There are thousands upon thousands of bots.
Trade bot being the most common. lol

Quote (Wretch @ Feb 28 2021 05:33pm)

Trade bots are 100% trivial to the game. I think what OP was talking about are the bots like D2 has - the one that either partially or fully play the game for you. Those don't exist, and if you disagree, better have proof!