Development Manifesto: Harvest Crafting

So...Players "without life" can adquire all the items that they want as always, but normal players can't because GGG don't spent sometime thinking how make a one balanced patch...interesting.

These nerfs are fine. POE crafting is gambling, no matter if you know what you're doing or not, and harvest goes against that.

It will continue to exist, so there's no reason to whine, but obviously part of this whinny community will whine until the next league begins, just like they do every time GGG change/nerf something. In this case the casuals that want the game balanced around them.

Your design philosophy is unbelievably short-sighted and ignorant of the common player experience in your community.

I'm embarrassed I ever recommended this game to people.

"

This sentiment was summed up by a member of our design team who recently said "We don't want to take away the feeling of closing your eyes and Exalting an item, scared to see whether you ruined it or not."

I hope your devs REALLY REALLY enjoy playing YOUR game.
As they maybe the ONLY ONES playing it. Good thing you all built it for yourselves.

Since blight, I have ~1,500 hours played. 500 of those hours have been Ritual. I REALLY enjoyed this league - it was the first time that I was able to make an item that was close to what I saw popular streamers use (explodey chest, etc.). It was the first time I had about 50 exalts at one time because I spent hours alt spamming, awakener orb, and hours farming for harvest to adjust and was able to sell. My build is now worth over 200ex - about 190ex more than any previous league.

I've enjoyed spending an entire evening crafting. What else would I be doing? Mapping non stop with no gear drops anywhere near that? Basically, just currency farming so I can buy someone else's lucky drop.

Harvest crafting gave me a new way to play the game. I could spend time using my brain and get the adrenaline rush of hitting rare mods via alt-spamming items. Are my items perfect? No. Do I have T3 resists or bad life rolls on items I spent 20+ex crafting? Yes. I'm okay with that - because I made the item and didn't just buy someone else's luck.

Sorry, but this manifesto was hugely disappointing and deflated my excitement for future leagues, unless more changes are made to gearing/drops.

You guys have everything mixed up in your understanding.

1. "Using currency items like Exalted Orbs or Chaos Orbs on your gear is a powerful, risky and exciting way to improve it"

- this is NOT a way to improve items. It's to CHANGE them. If you'd use Chaos Orb on your crafted influenced Body Armor with life and resistances - it will be changed unpredictably. Not improved.
You actually need SECOND item to craft on. And you realistically CAN NOT start and end crafting in one go. This second item will sit in stash till next crafting session and possible good output.


2. "Our goal was to make a system that was so attractive that players would try to improve their items by throwing a few crafts at them in almost every area that they play."

and

"many, many mirror-worthy items"

are Incompatible, as if you want people to drop an EX on the item, why would you not want them to use Mirror on an item?? Then any item people mirror will be "mirror worthy".

People don't do that, because (and you are agree with it) it is not optimal.



P.S. For me personally Harvest League was good. I crafted some shitty ilvl 70 gear and was moderately happy with them. You know - all this "swap resist type".

In curent league harvest was pretty bad. But I know that there were people, who had "fun" with it... on Discord. I'm not one of them. And I suffer alot form 10\10 Horticrafting station and from not being able to Scour my items from the map.

"

illidian81 wrote:

Why not do an open survey for EVERYONE and see what the community really wants? or are they just guided by what some youtubers / streamers say?

They don't have the skills to make a good survey.

The one for watchstone divination card said that they are making a div card for a unique watchstone when 60% voters said magic one but spread on 4 different options...

"

bauermayers wrote:

These nerfs are fine. POE crafting is gambling, no matter if you know what you're doing or not, and harvest goes against that.

It will continue to exist, so there's no reason to whine, but obviously part of this whinny community will whine until the next league begins, just like they do every time GGG change/nerf something. In this case the casuals that want the game balanced around them.

those casuals you explicitly talk down on.. are people with actual lives, a wife and kids + a full time job!!!!

99% of the playerbase is unable to play the game because of how much time they have on their hands... not how skilled they are!!!

99% of playerbase is people in their 30's if not 40's!!!

we don't have time to play 12-18 hours each day because we're working to pay for MTX, which they're gonna lose out on if everyone walks away when this decision is implemented!

[Removed by Support]

this change hurts everyone, including you, even if you think it won't.. it will hurt you as well!!

"

kakaniania wrote:

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Aim_Deep wrote:

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nimbukie wrote:

I missed harvest league due to real life, but I was really enjoying the mechanics in this league.

In a primarily single player environment I don't see the issue with harvest as it currently is. I have crafted items other ways in the past and have gotten decent gear, this was slightly easier, but still required a massive amount of time investment.

I find more diversity in builds due to this system and more people willing to try different builds because of it.

As far as TFT goes, this is the first league where I have looked at it. My suggestion with all things that can get you scammed is never partake in something you cannot afford. Another words if you can't afford to lose an item, don't use a service like TFT. If you can afford to lose the item then make an adult decision to either risk it or don't, but do not whine and complain to the rest of us that own up to our decisions and risks.

TLDR:
1. Harvest is ok without changes it adds spice to life.
2. Measure risk vs reward before making decisions and own the result.

Really you enjoyed it? I fucking hate it.

Spending 20 minutes in grove in middle of mapping so you dont waste any crafts. Total buzz kill. The whole forcing all-Hamlet-all-the-time because Havest is miles above every other SSF system in game. Fossils and Jun mods are damn good but nothing compared to Harvest.

This implementation has been totally unfun for me.

You forget that noone forces you to complete the harvest.The same way you skip breach,abyss,legion and all other leagues that have been nerfed to the ground , you can skip harvest.The real problem from your point of view as i understand it is trading harvest crafts and not harvest itself.

I don't trade. No my biggest problem is Harvest is all consuming for SSF player if you want good gear and it's unfun. Like 20 minutes pouring over crafts. Like the three tabs I got setup to use all crafts. Like farm same area since I hit red maps and probably for eternity until all gear mostly perfect. So boring. Yes I could play everywhere but is second rate and we all go meta.

Finally
God items were being acquired too easily, and most of them don't even required for you to play the game, just keep pressing the remove/add button until you hit something good.
And Path of exile is a game o knowledge, you can play infinite hours and acquire nothing if you don't know what you are doing. If you feel like the game doesn`t have the tools to create powerfull items without harvest, i suggest you guys study a little more