Feedback and Suggestions (Path of Exile 1) - Defensive Problems; Melee, Evasion, Energy Shield, Auto Attacks and Physical Damage - Forum

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ihasmario wrote:

Evasion and Energy shield as a defensive mechanism is severely underpowered against simple mob auto attacks that deal physical damage. The game is significantly more rippy with this setup by default unless you have the following;

1) Block and/or spell block, or an enfeeble/blind setup
2) High leech or LGOH with high DPS or Attacks per second (and vaal pact if the former)
3) Fortify
4) Enduring Cry and Immortal call
5) A granite and/or jade flask up at all times, or sustainable MoM.

For the left hand side of the tree which will focus on either Armor/ES or Armor/HP there is significantly less required to run a build that can sustain mob attacks almost indefinitely.

The issue deals with how the Entropy System works, rather than how Energy Shield works (though the inability to use a potion for the majority of the game doesn't help, but I like ES design). If you are encountering mobs as an evasion character, you will always take a hit as the mob progresses and it will deal relatively high damage. When you take multiples of these hits, before you can regen or leech your lost life back, your energy shield does not recharge and this requires you to either leave the action or die.

This is not something you encounter as frequently as an Armor/ES, and definitely not an Armor/HP character.

The secondary issues come from the way certain things interact with evasions. You cannot evade physical spells, so you require other forms of mitigation, where Armor does not. There are mechanics that spawn on entire mobs that ignore your evasion, but I am not familiar with mechanics that ignore your armor. Physical DOT is significantly worse for you.

I like the game a lot, but I think that the addition of more physical damage in spell damage and also the general boost to mob damage (compensated for by adding fortify and also more HP per level) has hurt ES/Eva melee characters - and they were already the worst in the game, defensively.

Armor and HP is straight up better than evasion/ES - especially for melee.

My question is why?

Block and spell block are functionally the same as evasion/dodge/spell dodge so you're saying evasion is bad while saying block is good makes no sense. Its just as bad or as good. I think good. The whole acro and phase acro keystones are the most overpowered in the whole tree. For 5 nodes you have to spend like 10 for block to matchup. And wear some shitty gear for spell block to matchup. While you can have 46% spell dodge wearing most excellent Atziri Steps.

As far as mitigation. flat mit is most OP which you entirely forgot. Taste of hate is 27.5% flat mit with 85% cold res which you will have poping flask. Granite are a complete joke compared to that.

Lightning coil is 22.5% flat mitgation with 75% lightning res. Lightning coil alone is better than 40,000 armor.

Legacy is 30% flat mit better than 60,000 armor!

So I play CI with no armor. I play evasion as well but have zero problems in the high maps due to those things. Also I have heavy leech as you note for when the hits do come in, at least 4%

As far as why? Well phys was a complete joke before 2.0 and you know GGG over nerf over buff way of doing things:P

Git R Dun!

Last edited by Aim_Deep#3474 on Jan 8, 2016, 11:12:48 PM

Posted by
Aim_Deep#3474
on Jan 8, 2016, 10:53:58 PM

Quote this Post

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Boem wrote:

Ok then to answer the OP, no melee AR is not better then EV melee, it is different.

Peace,

-Boem-

It has far less natural hardcounters than Evasion. You can play around elemental damage in the form of flasks and such, you basically totally rely on RNG against physical damage spells/attacks that have RT.