#combatdesign

[marcos-chill-spot]

12//10//24 Path of Exile 2 Notes

I played on release up until my head was to foggy from covid to really play well. And I took some notes.

My first observation was that they 'really' dont want you to be hit.

In the first game, getting hit was completely expected. While not optimal it was hardly not expected. Their desire for you to react to incoming damage was high.

My kneejerk reaction wsa that i didnt see how being a tank could be an option. Although i have thought of some ways after plaing a bit more, at the time i couldnt see it with the resources available to me.

They removed most resistances from the tree, and percent health bonuses too.

The game pushed chaos damage in the early game as well. And heavy fire and ice bosses early on with almost no way of getting adequat resistances like you were expected to in the first game.

They nerfed energy shield regen times too.

But It was great. Extremely fun.

I went into it decalring I wouldnt really use the dodge button as it wasnt my style. But I was reflexicely using it like it was my second nature a few hours in.

The bosses felt interactive instead of how they felt in Path of Exile 1.

In POE1 Many bosess were a staring contest where the boss and I stood still, eye to eye until one of us dropped dead. In POE2 its a dance.

I also noticed that there were two enemy types in act1 that were immune to my ranged physical damage until stunned, then they took damage normally until unstunned. That confused me for a bit as i looked for the pattern in their invincibility.