Misinformation Spreading about "optimal Builds"

Hello,

I have watched some YouTubers talk about optimal builds in Path of Exile 2 and I often wonder where they get their information from? Did they crunch analytical data about builds? Clear times? Or is it just a gut feeling that makes them say that specific builds are the strongest builds?

I am just wondering whether some YouTubers/Streamers try to profit from seeming like they have some kind of expert opinion about the game, while nobody is really fact checking them.



In kind regards

"

Naharez#3496 wrote:

Hello,

I have watched some YouTubers talk about optimal builds in Path of Exile 2 and I often wonder where they get their information from? Did they crunch analytical data about builds? Clear times? Or is it just a gut feeling that makes them say that specific builds are the strongest builds?

I am just wondering whether some YouTubers/Streamers try to profit from seeming like they have some kind of expert opinion about the game, while nobody is really fact checking them.



In kind regards

Well, I don't know how experienced you are when it comes to content creation. First and foremost you need some way to attract viewers whether it's a bait, an exaggeration, or something. Whatever it is you need something to catch your audience.

With that in mind, when you see the word "optimal" always take it with caution. It might be true and it might be not. In most cases it often equates to a build that can blast all content. I am not just speaking for PoE but in general.

Yes, some of them are actually the optimal possible way you can do for a build but often optimal is just a placeholder for something strong, crazy broken, or godly. Replace it with any adjective that catches attention also works.

I don't think it's misinformation as long as you can read between the lines.

I think it's possible to derive some rough estimate of which build archetypes will do well from the reveal and the patch notes, combined with sound game knowledge from the previous leagues. But I call BS on anyone talking about "optimal builds" at this point in time, where a lot of information is still missing. The biggest missing piece is probably the passive tree, which got a massive rework but has not yet been released.

So I would file those streamers away under "attention grabbing crook" and move on to other more reputable content creators.

"

Naharez#3496 wrote:

Hello,

I have watched some YouTubers talk about optimal builds in Path of Exile 2 and I often wonder where they get their information from?

I tried to copy a lot of build over the years I play POE. It never works as advertised, unless you have the meta build for the specific league. These guides are often re purposed guides from older leagues which don't even make sense. Or are theory crafted only. Like with Inspiration and mana cost reduction. You need to spend mana to get inspiration charges if you make the skill cost 0, it no longer works. Usually what you get is like 1/5 of damage the build claim you get, 1/3 if you are lucky. So either wait and go for meta build, or may as well make your own and don't look at the numbers YT videos claim they get, they always lie

Well, it's their job and they have to promote their things somehow, they know what they talk about and just promote their stuff by sharing videos about their ppredictions on what could be optimal and what not.

No need to be a genius or follow a streamer to understand that deadeye will dominate 0.3, right?

It is also legit to ask you about your knowledge to tell that all of these videos are misinformations, they're just predictions, some pretty obvious and others less obvious.

You can't call it misinformation if you can't prove that they are wrong.

"Content Creators" will do whatever brings in the clicks/views.

There's no such thing as a nuanced opinion or stance. It's either the best, worst, nerfed, buffed, meta, unviable, over-powered, under-powered - just apply whichever hyperbolic superlative is going to drive the most controversial narrative and slap the :o face on the thumbnail.

New players don't have the knowledge or context to distinguish good info from bad info.

So they gravitate towards clickbait, and that's what frames their introductory experience.

It's a shame.

Nobody knows the optimal build at this point for 0.3, not even the game designers.

With enough experience, educated guesses can be made about general builds that will probably be strong. But it is all speculation at this point.

The strongest builds usually find an interaction that the designers did not expect but not so egregious to cause a midseason nerf.

Once 0.3 is live after a week or two, you will be able to go to poe.ninja and see actual characters and their builds to see who is at least leveling the fastest as well as the gear they have found. That normally points me in the right direction to create something of my own.

I mostly just wing it unless I start having problems at endgame then I can respec or modify if needed.

"

FanaticGuru#2780 wrote:

Nobody knows the optimal build at this point for 0.3, not even the game designers.

With enough experience, educated guesses can be made about general builds that will probably be strong. But it is all speculation at this point.

The strongest builds usually find an interaction that the designers did not expect but not so egregious to cause a midseason nerf.

Once 0.3 is live after a week or two, you will be able to go to poe.ninja and see actual characters and their builds to see who is at least leveling the fastest as well as the gear they have found. That normally points me in the right direction to create something of my own.

I mostly just wing it unless I start having problems at endgame then I can respec or modify if needed.

The problem with poeninja, from what I've seen, is that there are many people that "build" characters that have a lot of dmg/def on paper, but don't actually work as a playable build.

They mix certain passives and gear items that game the system to display high stats that wouldn't really happen in game.

At least that's my understanding.

It's not a useless tool, mind you. But it's lot a like YT videos of "best more OP build" and it turns out to be engagement bait and/or the creator doesn't really show you how to properly build into end-game content.

Well there are some people that if you listen to what they are saying and have read patch notes etc... what they are saying is at least logical. Then you have some that talk like something is a fact, but don't really have anything to back it up.

Heck even on the forums people say X will be ok because it hasn't changed much... and you immediately know they haven't read the changes.

Just like how once it's live there are plenty of builds on websites that aren't going to work. Then there are others that will... sometimes like in 0.2 something is so broken you don't really have to put much thought into it.

I'm torn this time because since there is no new class/ascendency I just want to play Witch again. I don't follow build guides I just do whatever weird thing I decide on as I play. However, way back in the early days of EverQuest I always played a monk and I'm really wanted to go that way this league.

Sometimes I don't think the "misinformation" is always what you think... like sometimes I think some youtubers like to purposely underrate something hoping people won't play it. Because when someone explains why they think Deadeye will be so OP (as an example) and you want to play that all along.. now you'll be one of how many? Also if you need to buy anything off market how many others are also trying to buy that item... Oddly have you noticed how nobody is really talking up Sorc at all despite all those amazing looking changes.