For me PoE always had two big problems that prevented me from being best aRPG: 1. Desync and 2.Gem socket system on items.
1. This was fixed "recently" with introduction of lockstep system. Now I get delays here and there but I can actually trust that what I do in the game happens exactly.
2. This is still shit although it was made better with introduction of Vorici master.
Why is this a problem? Because you rarely get upgrades to your gear, especially when leveling through normal content. It is always oh I got good stats but sockets and colors are wrong. It just creates too much randomness in loot system. Diablo 2 has enough randomness in this, Grim Dawn has enough randomness (maybe even too much with so many different damage types and resists needed for them), Diablo 3 has too little. PoE is 3x worse than all of them.
Even when you are rich (which you accomplish through mindless grind) you will need to waste a lot of that to get good mods and good sockets and links and colors. And this shit is made like this on purpose to promote its online only features like trading and grinding that works with trading. This forces more people to play longer, and most of those are young kids (read: retards) that will think I spend XYZ time in this game and it was all for free, I need to support it with my parent's money.
This also feeds into the "lets skip normal content and do endgame only" problem. There is no fun to be had in normal content. You will not feel satisfied in getting good loot because you will either get 4L and half decent colors or decent rare with no sockets and colors you need and you will not want to waste currency on that shit that in other aRPGs you replace every 10 levels because useful stuff drops that you can use immediately.
For example I had most fun playing Diablo 2. Every loot drop was exciting throughout the game, if stats were good I could equip it. The end game items people later farmed in D2 were not required, that was just to optimize characters for those that felt they needed to. The rest (people like me) had same amount of time ignoring that shit. I cannot ignore that shit in PoE because chance of good rare or unique dropping with right colors and links every 10 levels for every body slot on my character is equal 0! ZERO! Zilch! Nada! Nothing!
How to fix this shit: (I had a huge topic on their forums back in the day before I quit POE because of 1. and 2.)
Short version is to make another character screen where you got your paper doll and your slots shown. New slots unlock as you level up. You can do 4S4L at lvl 40, 5S4L at lvl 50 5S5L at lvl 60, 6S5L at lvl 75 and 6S6L at lvl 90. So people that want to fucking grind go and have a goal to get to. When you access there levels all those slots on all available body parts unlock. It still takes into account what weapons you use, you can still have two setups you choose yourself. Chromatics, Fusions and Jewelers should be given another purpose that will not fuck the fun of loot hunt but still give something for those obsessed about optimizing their characters. Maybe each slot can be individually rolled with those orbs to give minor bonuses (something similar to how you can now roll individual map types with cartographer orbs) but they should never need players to roll individual colors, numbers or links.
#MAKELOOTFUNAGAIN
BTW, I like the current one shot meta of PoE. Since loot hunting it a chore and I get 99% of good items through poe.trade (shit design btw, I felt satisfied playing diablo 2 with SSF) one shotting mobs and clearing maps fast is only fun thing left in this game.
