Returning Player, Mixed Feelings on 0.4

I skipped leagues 0.2 and 0.3. Performance being horrible as well as the 24H2 windows version made it practically impossible to play the game.

But in league 0.4 the performance is not only rock solid but 25H2 is not giving me any problems, so far.

The main issue I have and it's a point of feedback that has been said over and over and over again...

To put it bluntly, I thought in 0.4 perhaps the Sekhemas Trials (Sanctum 2.0) would of been improved. Although, it feels as bad as it did in 0.1. I'm sure the intent was to make the process of getting an ascendancy more rewarding. Although, it's clear it's still not enjoyed. Not to mention I strongly disliked the feeling of sanctum in PoE1, I actually got a headache when I learned PoE2 ascendancy was based around the sanctum mechanic. I got a headache cause I was trying to genuinely process how GGG actually looked at "that-specific" league mechanic and thought, the players love it! It was hated by the vast majority. A minority sought to exploit it to print divines. I genuinely could not believe it. like, I still to this day can't wrap my head around why on earth or any parallel universe GGG would of said, "Yep, you know the best most fun and engaging mechanic for ascendancies is the league mechanic so many hated... Sanctum!" It's like Archnemesis. I still remember the horrors that rot. Having to have to restart entire zones multiple times just to avoid the hulk combined with superman coming at you. Even though, AN isn't in PoE officially, let's be h-onest. It bloody is! The watered down version had to get watered down again cause that's how not enjoyable it is. Nobody wants on death effect stuff! So glad to see it's far more tame now...

The only way Sekhemas could be enjoyable. Is if the resolve was overhauled out of the mechanic. Bringing it closer to Chaos trials. I'd say people enjoy the chaos trials a lot more than Sekhemas.

In fact I actually actively farmed the Chaos trials because I found it enjoyable. I do believe if the honour system was removed from Sekhemas GGG would see a surge in player satisfaction when participating in the event.

In PoE1, doing labs was straight forward. I never ever once had to use in-game currency to get help getting my ascendancy. Now in PoE2 I believe the vast majority of players are either not completing their ascendancy(newer players most likely) or they are using in-game currency to pay another player to complete the ascendancy for them.

I get "rewarding" but a mechanic should be doable by the average player. I have 1k+ hours in PoE1 and I would still say I'm a casual player. I usually followed build guides but sometimes I made my own builds. Point is as a casual player I was still at-minimum capable of attaining my ascendancies.

I just really really don't want to play this honour based ascendancy system. I'd rather never complete get all the points than to sit there and waste time on it.

Ya I get chaos trials is an option but that's not the solution. Even from what I remember I had to do chaos trial for the second set of points and then the final boss is just forget about it.

I just want my labs back, do my run, get my points and piss off to maps. So simple, so elegant, so practical... List goes on and on in positives. The best part is I could do it all by myself-HA!

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OH and the vaal temple thing league mechanic can burn in hell. Was fun at first but after awhile you are like okay Augment item to have socket... oh well those are cheap to do. Turn item into rare... well hmm so what an alc?! Those are cheap too. Oh but I go into the this alchemy room with zero space to move around in as a ranged character and I'm locked to the room! Ya fun! So much fun being swarmed by multiple rare monsters and one of them just two taps me cause having a rare monster that does more damage than the boss is *perfecto*.

Overall a fun league mechanic at first glance but the more you engage with it the more you feel like Vaal Temple is being turned into an open world Sekhemas trial. Like someone has this fetish for rogue lites and was given creative control over the direction of PoE2. Don't get me wrong Hades is a fun game but I'm here to play PoE not Hades 2.

Genuinely you want a suggestion, league mechanics that will actually make players happy: Delve, Harvest, Legion... Honestly Delve and Harvest are awesome. I think more enjoy Delve but I love Harvest. It's been my favourite league mechanic through all it's changes. I think given PoE2's position and how it's taking longer to finish the 1.0 release. It's better to grab something like Delve or Harvest that is already enjoyed by many and would be easier to implement given the resources and foundation is practically already done for ya. Can overhaul things later.