Support NeoGAF

[neurosisxeno]

Kinda crazy how on reddit the poe subreddit has 10 times the concurrent reader count of d3's subreddit (6k and 600) but on gaf it seems 50/50 on poe/d3. My personnal feeling too is that most arpg players migrated from d3 to poe over the years.

It's more like people who like ARPG's play ARPG's. PoE probably has more right now since a huge patch just launched. That dwindles over time. Whenever a new Season starts D3 is usually bumping as well, but since it's been a bit and they haven't added a ton of new content per say, it's kinda quiet on the D3 front. People who like ARPG's generally at least give them all a shot. I like Diablo 3 a bit more than PoE, but I'm not actively playing either. I also liked Torchlight, Grim Dawn, Titan Quest, Diablo 2, and am looking forward to the Warhammer 40K ARPG that's in Early Access.

You can prefer a game without saying the other is garbage. Diablo 3 does a lot of things incredibly well. Path of Exile does a lot of things incredibly well. They both have severe shortcomings. Play em both, or play neither.

 

[texhnolyze]

Still no controller support on PC.. still a deal breaker for me (even though it's free).

 

[Stephen_drewz]

I've tried many times to get hooked on this game and end up quitting because the combat is dull.

If I'm not grinding diablo 3 it's destiny. The thing these two things have in common is the combat is immensely satisfying and fun to me.

 

[SpiceMelange]

It's more like people who like ARPG's play ARPG's. PoE probably has more right now since a huge patch just launched. That dwindles over time. Whenever a new Season starts D3 is usually bumping as well, but since it's been a bit and they haven't added a ton of new content per say, it's kinda quiet on the D3 front. People who like ARPG's generally at least give them all a shot. I like Diablo 3 a bit more than PoE, but I'm not actively playing either. I also liked Torchlight, Grim Dawn, Titan Quest, Diablo 2, and am looking forward to the Warhammer 40K ARPG that's in Early Access.

You can prefer a game without saying the other is garbage. Diablo 3 does a lot of things incredibly well. Path of Exile does a lot of things incredibly well. They both have severe shortcomings. Play em both, or play neither.

The last few seasons bumped the activity subreddit of D3 to 2k-3k, well below PoE. It was pretty close to 1:1 at the start of the necromancer patch but it quickly went down after a couple days. I think most ARPG players at this point have migrated to PoE more or less permanently and checks out D3 on tourist mode whenever a new patch comes out. Also no one said the other game is garbage lol.

 

[LCGeek]

Like one that put your hp at 1 but makes you immune to a type of damage, another one that makes you enable to crit but you always have 100% accuracy, or another one that removes your mana globe completely but you spend life now instead of mana for your skills.

Chaos Innoculation.

I'm also a huge fan of aura bots using life as mana reserve.

 

[neurosisxeno]

The last few seasons bumped the activity subreddit of D3 to 2k-3k, well below PoE. It was pretty close to 1:1 at the start of the necromancer patch but it quickly went down after a couple days. I think most ARPG players at this point have migrated to PoE more or less permanently and checks out D3 on tourist mode whenever a new patch comes out. Also no one said the other game is garbage lol.

The Diablo 3 subreddit has never been super popular. Blizzard games in general never seem to take off like crazy on there. I used to follow the WoW subreddit and even when the sub numbers were over 10m there was minimal activity on there. SC2 is the only exception I've come across, it's pretty active to this day.

People definitely were in the first 2 pages. It's since toned down quite a bit with a lot more thoughtful posts. For some reason there always has to be rivalries in games; LoL vs. DOTA2, D3 vs. PoE, CoD vs. BF--and people get really defensive about it. PoE is a great game, Diablo 3 is a great game.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I think GAF is largely PS4, and PoE isn't on PS4.

Based on this thread, GAF also seems to just prefer mindless casual ARPGs. I was sceptical of PoE, but 3.0 really got its hooks into me, and I completely get why it's the better game.

"GAF" isn't some monolithic entity and you're not some contrarian outsider observing the community from afar.

 

[Liliana Eileen]

Kinda crazy how on reddit the poe subreddit has 10 times the concurrent reader count of d3's subreddit (6k and 600) but on gaf it seems 50/50 on poe/d3. My personnal feeling too is that most arpg players migrated from d3 to poe over the years.

That's because PoE is the vastly more popular game and "GAF" in general is very casual.

 

[quest]

I played the hell out of D3 starting on the PS3 and then on the PS4. I just started Path of exile on the Xbox one. I am level 47 in about 20 hours or so. Each game is great in its own way. D3 the combat just feels right when I hit a monster with a big attack it feels right there is weight behind it. I love the loot drop system that is tailored to the class I am playing at the time. It just feels rewarding to find your own loot. It might be given out a little to easy I grant you that. The class sets are an issue since they limit builds.

Path of Exile so far the strengths are the incredible skill tree, gem system and the world is great. The loot system being designed around trading is just not there for the Xbox version. To search the trade board is just a complete pain with only 1 basic filter by type. The whole thing is a mess so the game is basically self found at the moment. So it is a real struggle right now to progress in the game since RNG has been horrible and my gear especially weapon are 10-15 levels behind. I can imagine this issue will only get worse as I get further into the game. Even gems I need for my build are a no go unless I make an alt. If a game is forcing trade it really should have a robust trade system. The combat outside of boss fights is very fun so far. The boss fights are at times just a real pain and feels like the game is giving me an FU with bosses that hit way to hard and fast. They also have super armor no spoilers but once act 5 boss probably died 30-40 times on was not very fun. With exact mouse controls I could see using movement to escape some attacks but I can't use blink arrow to go to an exact spot I want. They need to either add toughness to classes that depend on those exact movements but can't or de-tune the bosses some. If the exp penalty in the future becomes to much of a pain before even finish the game I'll be done. I don't think the console port was well thought out and they must of not really listened to the feedback during it. I want to stick this out long term because I can see the depth and want to try different play styles. If I can't get gear or gems to progress what is the point.

 

[UberLevi]

I really liked this game but every time I've tried to play it I fall off somewhere in Act 3, around the mid 30s range. Can't seem to stick with it even though I love the loot and skill progression.

 

[Evolution of Metal]

What is the consensus on the difficulty and the power creep ever since the VAAL expansion?

The new act system kind of ruined the difficulty for me. I think I need to grind underpowered content until ACT 6 because I am over-leveled.

 

[Fallout-NL]

I'll give it another shot. But often it just makes me long for Diablo 2 and I play a couple hours of that for old time's sake.

Hope Blizzard is working on a remaster.

 

[Thretau]

In my opinion it's easily the best Diablo-like out there but I feel it's not for everyone.

I've put ~1700 hours in PoE and I think I've finally burned out on it. Only played the new expansion for two weeks.

I can highly recommend everyone to try PoE who like Diablo style games. The fact that it's free is just incredible.

 

[sleepykyo]

The game has insane depth, great combat (yes, it's really good and responsive these days with a lot of oomph), a really good campaign, a fantastic end game, a high amount of viable builds each patch, and it's addictive as hell.

Out of Diablo 3, Marvel Heroes, Grim Dawn and Path of Exile, I've found Path of Exile (even after Fall of Oriath) to be the least responsive.

 

[Cels]

Poe is great. Except for the way it handles trade. The actual process of trading with other players sucks and it is sad GGG refuses to do more to make trading less frustrating. I came back for 3.0 and have had a good time so far, currently doing maps, but the lack of improvements to trade in 3.0 is a sore spot for me.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

Poe is great. Except for the way it handles trade. The actual process of trading with other players sucks and it is sad GGG refuses to do more to make trading less frustrating. I came back for 3.0 and have had a good time so far, currently doing maps, but the lack of improvements to trade in 3.0 is a sore spot for me.

Trading works well for me most of the time but the fact that I have to alt tab the game is a bit annoying. I don't see why that isn't in the game. Also, many people simply not responding to your requests especially with currency. When people offer something for sale, you should be able to buy it instantly for the price mentioned and have it transferred to you whether the other person is on or not.

 

[Cels]

Path of Exile so far the strengths are the incredible skill tree, gem system and the world is great. The loot system being designed around trading is just not there for the Xbox version. To search the trade board is just a complete pain with only 1 basic filter by type. The whole thing is a mess so the game is basically self found at the moment. So it is a real struggle right now to progress in the game since RNG has been horrible and my gear especially weapon are 10-15 levels behind. I can imagine this issue will only get worse as I get further into the game. Even gems I need for my build are a no go unless I make an alt. If a game is forcing trade it really should have a robust trade system. The combat outside of boss fights is very fun so far. The boss fights are at times just a real pain and feels like the game is giving me an FU with bosses that hit way to hard and fast. They also have super armor no spoilers but once act 5 boss probably died 30-40 times on was not very fun. With exact mouse controls I could see using movement to escape some attacks but I can't use blink arrow to go to an exact spot I want. They need to either add toughness to classes that depend on those exact movements but can't or de-tune the bosses some. If the exp penalty in the future becomes to much of a pain before even finish the game I'll be done. I don't think the console port was well thought out and they must of not really listened to the feedback during it. I want to stick this out long term because I can see the depth and want to try different play styles. If I can't get gear or gems to progress what is the point.

There is an npc in act 3 that sells every quest gem. And another who appears starting in act 5. No alts needed.

 

[xuchu]

I love build of the week:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9A-BUjHibc

 

[Stevey]

While I do prefer the combat of Diablo 3, PoE is an amazing game.

 

[Mozendo]

It stopped being good at a certain point?

 

[Laieon]

I tried playing it a few years back, didn't really like how combat felt and it took way too long before it felt fun. Wasn't a huge fan of the art direction either.

My go to ARPGs are Grim Dawn and Diablo 3. I don't a ton of time to devote to gaming these days, so D3's very pick up and play and it immediately feels fun aspect really appeals to me.

I used to follow the WoW subreddit and even when the sub numbers were over 10m there was minimal activity on there.

Something must have happened, it's really active these days.

 

[quest]

There is an npc in act 3 that sells every quest gem. And another who appears starting in act 5. No alts needed.

That is just quest gems for my class from what I can see. I need gems that are not quest rewards for my class. So it is wait for them to drop or an alt from what I can see. Maybe the next vendor will offer every gem so I can try and get an aura started to help with defense. Also to get my secondary attack up to par.

 

[Frankenstrat]

Played a bit today on the Xbox. This shit will have me neglecting my entire life if I'm not careful, goddamn.

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

It's been tremendously good for years.

Yup. The day they fixed that strange lag/synch-problem it became a great game. That was several years ago.

 

[nkarafo]

How good is the music? Is it memorable or is it generic ambient stuff?

Music is important for me with these games because you can spend hours upon hours in a single level/instance, so i need good music with long loops to keep me company.

 

[Raide]

How good is the music? Is it memorable or is it generic ambient stuff?

Music is important for me with these games because you can spend hours upon hours in a single level/instance, so i need good music with long loops to keep me company.

Pretty much forgettable. It's mostly ambient effects etc. Probably best to just have background music of your own choice.

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

That is just quest gems for my class from what I can see. I need gems that are not quest rewards for my class. So it is wait for them to drop or an alt from what I can see. Maybe the next vendor will offer every gem so I can try and get an aura started to help with defense. Also to get my secondary attack up to par.

Side quest NPC in Act 3 offers all gems that you've done a quest for and is NOT class-specific. And then there's another NPC with similar services that starts showing up in towns starting in Act 5.

The loot system being designed around trading is just not there for the Xbox version.

Once you know what you're doing, I find the game much better balanced for solo self-found. With all the crafting options, it's not hard to keep your equipment up-to-par. Makes the pre-endgame content a lot more fun IMO when you're not ridiculously overpowered thanks to buying cheap leveling gear.

 

[xuchu]

How good is the music? Is it memorable or is it generic ambient stuff?

Music is important for me with these games because you can spend hours upon hours in a single level/instance, so i need good music with long loops to keep me company.

It's nothing special. Just put your own music on or a podcast in the background.

 

[Bootsy]

PoE is infinitely more interesting than D3 and I've played more of this latest league than any prior league. That said, I still think D3 does some things better in the gameplay department. I wish most builds didn't boil down to buffing and spamming one or two single spells with maybe a movement spell and there was more incentive to have others with cooldowns to time and utilize in different situations. Vaal skills definitely help a bit but I think the game could do with more powerful, cooldown spells to vary the gameplay up (not necessarily slow the game down though).

 

[Imp the Dimp]

How good is the music? Is it memorable or is it generic ambient stuff?

Music is important for me with these games because you can spend hours upon hours in a single level/instance, so i need good music with long loops to keep me company.

No clue to be honest. I always have a podcast running or some YT or Twitch channel.

 

[Krabboss]

I just wish they'd add an adventure mode like D3. Starting a new season is several times more tedious than it is in D3. The game isn't terribly exciting once you finally get a build together either.

 

[StrategyFan]

Still no controller support on PC.. still a deal breaker for me (even though it's free).

this is why i haven't tried it

i'm not going to play a point and click action game
give me some directional controls

 

[Soulblighter31]

this is why i haven't tried it

i'm not going to play a point and click action game
give me some directional controls

You hold the left click mouse button down and you have the sort of control you want. This whole genre is infinitely better with the tools it was invented around. Inventory management, reactions, aiming, looting, movement, all better with a precision instrument.

The game wont have pad support on pc because same as Diablo 3, its a redesigned game on consoles in order to function with a pad.

 

[Harmondale]

Does this game have a hardcore mode meaning if you die its over?

That was/is the appeal for me, it becomes so more fun when stakes are high, like in D3

How does this game play without xbox live gold, can you trade items with other persons without gold?

Might pick up a cheap xbox s for this game I browse gaming communities/forums/channels a couple of hours every day but this game has never caught my attention before, good thread!

 

[danowat]

Does this game have a hardcore mode meaning if you die its over?

It does (well, over in the fact that your character gets put into standard mode), but I can't remember seeing the option to do hardcore when I started a character on xbo, maybe you can't on your first one?

 

[Vincent Grayson]

You hold the left click mouse button down and you have the sort of control you want. This whole genre is infinitely better with the tools it was invented around. Inventory management, reactions, aiming, looting, movement, all better with a precision instrument.

The game wont have pad support on pc because same as Diablo 3, its a redesigned game on consoles in order to function with a pad.

Diablo 3 really benefits from the controller, IMO. I find the console version feels better overall. I'd almost certainly enjoy PoE more with a controller.

 

[Tiops]

The game is REALLY good, and also really complex. I can see people getting turned off from the game when trying to read discussions about it. The community mostly discusses end game stuff, with details that new players will definitely do not understand (and not even see in the first 20 hours or so of playtime).

I'm currently on Act 8 and I think I've finally understood how every game mechanic works. And by that I mean that I can understand what people are discussing, and not the appropriate ways of using said mechanics. But I think that's part of what makes the game good.

Diablo 3 (which I like a lot) is better at being satisfying in lower levels. It streamlines things to you and gives you a complete set of abilities early on. But that also causes a lack of build variety and limits your creativity a lot. By the end of the game you'll be farming for a very specific equipment Set that is designed with the obvious intention of being used with a particular skill. PoE gives you that absurd, open Passive Skill Tree, with different pieces of equipment working for a great number of builds. This makes PoE way more interesting and satisfying at higher levels. If it was streamlined and simple as Diablo 3, the game would not have the replay value and end game community that it has.

The only thing I would change is maybe add a default, beginner guild for every class. It would make things less frustrating for new players and give them time to learn the other game systems that I believe are more important for a new player than trying to create a decent build in the first playthrough.

 

[MagusMaleficus]

Does this game have a hardcore mode meaning if you die its over?

That was/is the appeal for me, it becomes so more fun when stakes are high, like in D3

How does this game play without xbox live gold, can you trade items with other persons without gold?

Might pick up a cheap xbox s for this game I browse gaming communities/forums/channels a couple of hours every day but this game has never caught my attention before, good thread!

Hardcore: yes.
Without Gold: You can solo everything but you can't co-op or sell to other players (you can however buy).

 

[diablogod]

How good is the music? Is it memorable or is it generic ambient stuff?

Music is important for me with these games because you can spend hours upon hours in a single level/instance, so i need good music with long loops to keep me company.

Yea turn off the in-game music and then throw on this track and everything will be fine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XheJnmLAwhk

 

[Mockerre]

Is there a story? I mean, a decent plot, narration and characters? Or is it rudimentary and servicable? Or is it Diablo 3-level rubbish?

 

[jim2point0]

I played it after the new stuff came out, and combat still feels like garbage compared to D3, IMO.

This is my issue.

It's really hard to go back from a really fun class like Demon Hunter. So many mobility options and skills that feel satisfying to use. From what I've seen, Path of Exile is just running around and spamming a single attack.

 

[danowat]

Is there a story? I mean, a decent plot, narration and characters? Or is it rudimentary and servicable? Or is it Diablo 3-level rubbish?

There is a story, but I've not really taken much attention of it, it's fully narrated, and seems to have a fair bit of depth and lore attached.

But I'm not here for the story so..............

 

[arts&crafts]

The best part about Path of Exile is that they keep adding new mechanics! Over the years they added Prophecies, Torments, Divination Cards, ect. all which drastically add to the game.

Speaking of divination cards, I turned in a set of Gamblers last night and for the first time ever I got a good card (The Fiend). Sold instantly for 350 Chaos.

 

[Keinning]

From what I've seen, Path of Exile is just running around and spamming a single attack.

Guess you need to look better because any ARPG can look like "running around and spamming a single attack" if you choose a bad video, including D3 demon hunter

Is there a story? I mean, a decent plot, narration and characters? Or is it rudimentary and servicable? Or is it Diablo 3-level rubbish?

There is, but you reeeeeally need to go out of your way to look for stones/talk to people/read things, story barely gets in your way during the game, i'm on act 3 and i kinda forgot what am i even supposed to be doing storywise

is nowhere near as stupidly offensive/bland as D3 though. more in line of "forgettable, but serviceable" like D2

 

[diablogod]

Is there a story? I mean, a decent plot, narration and characters? Or is it rudimentary and servicable? Or is it Diablo 3-level rubbish?

I'd say it's bad-ok in Acts 1-3 and really starts to take off for me and get good in Acts 4-10. You can really tell they got better at story telling since the beginning.

 

[arts&crafts]

Guess you need to look better because any ARPG can look like "running around and spamming a single attack" if you choose a bad video, including D3 demon hunter

Well Diablo 2 was actually just 1 attack. Blizzard sorc? Whirlwind Barb? ect. ect.

 

[Shinypogs]

Logged in after waiting forever for it to update. I'm a little further along in act 3 than I remembered ( not far enough to unlock scion sadly) but I have no real idea wtf I was doing and have forgotten what passives and such I was using in my ethereal knives build plus I imagine a tonne has changed over the years.

Should I just strip my current char of their gear to put it in the stash and start fresh with a new shadow or perhaps a witch this time? I've got so much stuff in my stash I should be able to get back into the swing of things easily and I'm not sure I could carry on with my current char even if I knew where to put all their points now. I'm not in a rush to unlock scion as I'll likely play the full story with whatever character i end up using and then give her a whirl in a harder league afterward.

 

[Nere]

I played and finished it like 2 years ago and I didn't like it that much.
My main gripes were:

1. The first 3 acts were a walk in the park then wtf happened on the 4th act? Me and my gf literally had died once or twice the whole game until act 4 on which the difficulty turned into ninja gaiden in master ninja all of the sudden. There were some bosses shooting shit across the whole screen that made me feel like I was playing space invader. Difficulty wise it wasn't balanced at all.
2. I was using only 1 spell and the rest of the spells were just passive auras to buff that 1 spell.... boooring.
3. And while they nailed the moody feeling they ruined it with the enemy design, I mean on act 2 you fight monkeys..... and on act 3 I think? there were ribbon enemies......... literal ribbons and there was a ribbon god or something you had to beat, if I remember correctly. My gf and I couldn't stop laughing when we reached that part, who the fuck tries to make a spiritual successor to d2 and puts ribbons and monkeys in the game....? Did they forget the demons?

As I said I played it 2 years ago I don't know if they fixed the above issues or not.

 

[jim2point0]

Guess you need to look better because any ARPG can look like "running around and spamming a single attack" if you choose a bad video, including D3 demon hunter

Watched a few videos with high-level or end-game content from Kripp on Youtube. I never got a sense that you're utilizing all that many skills.

I have my own issues with Diablo 3, but at least the combat feels great.

By all means, feel free to toss me a video of PoE combat that looks interesting.

 

[Eridani]

Logged in after waiting forever for it to update. I'm a little further along in act 3 than I remembered ( not far enough to unlock scion sadly) but I have no real idea wtf I was doing and have forgotten what passives and such I was using in my ethereal knives build plus I imagine a tonne has changed over the years.

Should I just strip my current char of their gear to put it in the stash and start fresh with a new shadow or perhaps a witch this time? I've got so much stuff in my stash I should be able to get back into the swing of things easily and I'm not sure I could carry on with my current char even if I knew where to put all their points now. I'm not in a rush to unlock scion as I'll likely play the full story with whatever character i end up using and then give her a whirl in a harder league afterward.

If you're only in act 3, you can start a new character and get that far in a couple of hours. If that's the furthest you've gotten I'd just make a new character in Harbinger league, since it has some new mechanics/items. Your stash won't carry over, but if you've never gotten to the endgame it probably doesn't have anything really valuable in it.

I played and finished it like 2 years ago and I didn't like it in particular.
My main gripes were:

1. The first 3 acts were a walk in the park then wtf happened on the 4th act? Me and my gf literally had died once or twice the whole game until act 4 on which the difficulty turned into ninja gaiden in master ninja all of the sudden. There were some bosses shooting shit across the whole screen that made me feel like I was playing space invader. Difficulty wise it wasn't balanced at all.
2. I was using only 1 spell and the rest of the spells were just passive auras to buff that 1 spell.... boooring.
3. And while they nailed the moody feeling they ruined it with the enemy design, I mean on act 2 you fight monkeys..... and on act 3 I think? there were ribbon enemies......... literal ribbons and there was a ribbon god or something you had to beat, if I remember correctly. My gf and I couldn't stop laughing when we reached that part, who the fuck tries to make a spiritual successor to d2 and puts ribbons and monkeys in the game....? Did they forget the demons?

As I said I played it 2 years ago I don't know if they fixed the above issues or not.

The difficulty is more balanced now that there's 10 acts. It's still a bit too easy for the first 4 acts, but it gradually ramps up later. The only thing that's a bit unbalanced is the act 10 boss, which is a bit strong, but I think that's fine for the last boss.

And I personally love the enemy variety.