Path of Exile is a MAJESTIC incline

[Peachcurl]

So i noticed sometimes when you get awarded with missions, either from any of the mechanics (Alva, Niko etc) or Kirac, it just adds a number that stays there if you defer from doing them. Does it mean that's better to wait to them when higher maps? Likewise for Kirac, does his roster of maps you can chose from get better over time, and you can use previously awarded missions you deferred from doing for better maps?

Only up to a point. The color of the number tells you what type of map color they are limited to. So you can't wait it out and use a "white mission" on a "red map". But you could wait for higher levels of the same color

 

[Lyric Suite]

Jebus, T6+ map need to be rare to award an atlas point.

I have a feeling i won't complete this toon before the end of the league. Not that it matters since it's ssf but still.

 

[Lyric Suite]

BTW, i finally had my full temple run, and i liked it enough that i think i'm just going to go with this:

https://poeplanner.com/atlas-tree/B...jP-Qz9cCyaIfUoNYUAB-LCAAAAAAAAAMDAAAAAAAAAAAA

I basically already committed to the lower part so there's no turning back now. I grabbed Niko as well since i also found delve interesting, even if my last incursion was a mess.

 

[Lyric Suite]

BTW, let's see if i got them all. The mechanics that actually change the gameplay in levels are Labyrinth, Incursion, Delve, Syndicate and Heist right? Everything else is just stuff that happens in the map itself, like the Grove or Metamorph etc right?

Now that i'm getting used to them and i'm not as overwhelmed in having to learn so much at what is usually an inconvenient time (since they are all foisted on you against your will) i'm actually starting to like that they are there. At least it adds variety. Granted i'm on ruthless where all the mechanics have been gutted. Maybe on normal they truly are as obnoxious as everybody says. I know there's some that have not been just reduced but outright disabled on ruthless.

Ho btw, they had a tab sale yesterday and had to cave in and buy a bunch of them. I already had 12 special tabs which i bought when the game just came out but i had to grab a few of the special ones as well. The tetris management on some of the stuff you get, like maps for instance was getting too obnoxious. Ironically on ruthless the currency tab is actually kinda of useless but i got it anyway.

 

[Nim]

BTW, let's see if i got them all. The mechanics that actually change the gameplay in levels are Labyrinth, Incursion, Delve, Syndicate and Heist right? Everything else is just stuff that happens in the map itself, like the Grove or Metamorph etc right?

Metamorph has Tane's Lab, Expedition has Logbooks. Blighted maps are also kinda their own thing.

 

[Jason Liang]

So I started doing Heists yesterday and I just found a 6L ES body armor. Couldn't believe it. Unfortunately it's a pretty low level item type Mage's Vestements. Still is it worth doing a little light crafting on it, like a few alts and a regal?

 

[Lyric Suite]

Lmao, i gotta share this my build is getting a little crazy:

https://pobb.in/5qcTtMyd2TUo

Sadly, on ruthless i doubht i'll ever manage to 6l that chest piece (six sockets drop frequently and they vendor for 7 jeweler orbs, which is like almost 2 fusings, but not frequent enough to really make it worth it), but with that scepter i just got i don't think it matters anymore.

I'm still short of capping my resistances but that's only because i want to try to keep those unique rings and amulets as long as i can. Also because of the items i have i had to split defences between armor and evasion which is bad but i can fix it if a good rare drops with the resistance combination i need. That or if i get lucky and get my hands on purity of elements.

Leveling is SLOOOOOW now. T6-7 maps get me around 3-5% of my xp bar and i still have trouble sustaining them so sometimes i have to drop back to T5 maps. One of the reason i decided to focus on Alva is that the last time i unlocked the temple i got a fuck ton of XP. I think what i'm going to do before anything else is shoot for that node that doubles the time bonus for killing mooks during incursions. That should give me the time to unlock everything so that when i open the temple i can have the run of the whole thing and just mow everything down for massive XP gain.

Target level at this point is 90, while gameplay wise i'd like to get to T16 maps and try whatever else is there by that point (uber bosses or whatever). I don't think it's likely i'll ever make it to 100 on ruthless/ssf, 90 seems to be a common stopping point from a lot of people i've seen in the chat.

 

[Jason Liang]

... you could really use a Blessing for your Eye. Sadge.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Is that with those divination thingies? I haven't seen a single one, not sure if they are available in ruthless.

Guess i could put some ointment.

 

[Jaedar]

One of the reason i decided to focus on Alva is that the last time i unlocked the temple i got a fuck ton of XP

The level of the temple is the highest level you did an alva event on for that temple. So if you do one T9 map then the temple is equivalent to T9.
I think syndicate safehouses work the same way.

while gameplay wise i'd like to get to T16 maps

Good luck if you can't sustain low tier yellows.

 

[Jason Liang]

Is that with those divination thingies? I haven't seen a single one, not sure if they are available in ruthless.

Guess i could put some ointment.

It is a drop from the Breach boss Chayula. Idk if Breaches are disabled in Ruthless.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Wow, today was terrible.

Zero map drops besides low tier crap, no Kirac missions, no Alva, no Niko. Had to abandon a T6 map because the modifier made it imposible and i died twice losing dozens of maps worth of xp.

If this keeps like this i might actually brick this character. Running out of high tier maps. Yesterday i had four uniques drop i wonder if the game is throttling the rng down to compensate or some shit lmao.

 

[Jaedar]

If this keeps like this i might actually brick this character.

Map progression and atlas tree are per league.

Had to abandon a T6 map because the modifier made it imposible

Reflect? No regen?

 

[Jason Liang]

I've been grinding my Heists for the past few days. Was able to get an Ivory Tower for 1c and luckily 6S'd it for < 10 jeweler orbs, and got a Prism Guardian for 40c so now only missing Presence of Chayula, a Watcher's Eye and a good helm to finish the build. Found out that they buffed Araku Tiki, and I've had one since like Act 2. It now gives permanent Phasing on low life so it's basically perfect for Heists until I can get the Watcher's Eye and the Presence.

What do you guys usually do for Crucible? I did my first one at 100% and it spawned a Snow Forger boss that could one shot me through 5K ES :/

 

[Lyric Suite]

If this keeps like this i might actually brick this character.

Map progression and atlas tree are per league.

Had to abandon a T6 map because the modifier made it imposible

Reflect? No regen?

No regen. Went in assuming mana pots would at least work but nope.

 

[abija]

Just get out of Ruthless. Most end game systems atm are tuned for a steady map flow. SSF is enough to not trivialize the game.

 

[Lyric Suite]

The problem is that there doesn't seem to be a bottom limit. Just had a T1 map drop in a T7 mission. So the higher you go, the harder it is for high level maps to drop because the rng has to compete with maps ranging all the way back to the first tier.

 

[Jason Liang]

The problem is that there doesn't seem to be a bottom limit. Just had a T1 map drop in a T7 mission. So the higher you go, the harder it is for high level maps to drop because the rng has to compete with maps ranging all the way back to the first tier.

Quantity is also useful since you can sell 3 of the same map for a map 1 higher tier. You also need to work towards defeating the big Atlas bosses to get their Voidstones. Finally the game tracks a "map equity" value that will give you higher chance of generating higher tier maps.
There is a youtube video that details strategies for sustaining maps on Ruthless. It does seem pretty difficult overall and honestly you probably need a better optimized build to get much further. If you do want to continue character progression, Delve is probably a better mechanic.

 

[Lyric Suite]

I actually got around 10000 sulphite or some shit lmao. I've been post-poning delve and to stretch it out i've blown most of my azurite on the sulphite storage thiny. Once i get around doing it i'll probably do it a whole lot of it in one swoop.

Got around a dozen T6-T7 maps left. If i run out, i may actually end up abandoning this playthrough and wait for the next league. Ruthless was perfect for me up to this point but grinding isn't fun for me long term and even less if the grinding involves backtracking to content i've already grinded to death.

 

[abija]

The problem is that there doesn't seem to be a bottom limit. Just had a T1 map drop in a T7 mission. So the higher you go, the harder it is for high level maps to drop because the rng has to compete with maps ranging all the way back to the first tier.

Pretty sure it's more than that. The higher the level of the map, the lower chance to drop it has (the higher rarity is needed). You are supposed to buff the higher tier ones to "maintain" them. I don't remember running out of high lvl maps being a real issue since they introduced the atlas tree but you playing ruthless might be in that scenario.

Keep in mind, ssf already requires serious levels of mindless grind if you want to see all the game has to offer.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Right now i have 11% of a map dropping and 50% it's an higher tier one. I'm also one node away from getting to the "hat" and that whole row of +2% higher tier map nodes.

At what level do i have to get in Delve to start seeing yellow maps dropping? I think my issue right now is less about the grinding and more about having to redo content i've already seen to death. If i can use Delve to increase my income of maps it would help a lot just by virtue of being fresh content.

BTW this morning i've decided to clear the roster of Heist maps i had and i don't really like this one. I don't like the fact you have to leave most of the loot behind, and i don't like how dangerous it is for how little reward you get (at least for now).

 

[abija]

Start with a map sustain guide for Ruthles like the one linked by Jason Liang.

I think my issue right now is less about the grinding and more about having to redo content i've already seen to death.

This is the name of the game for SSF. For you is worse, MUCH worse. You get considerably less/worse loot and will progress much slower than SSF through content. You're going to have to grind over and over and over again the lower tiers for bits of this and that.

 

[Lyric Suite]

Map drop rate is still unusually low. Got a dozen of white T6-T7 maps left but i'm holding on to them for now, reverted back clearing my T3-T5 and trying to level up before i get into Delving as last time i was there it was pretty dangerous and i'm too close to leveling to risk it now.

If i can manage to complete the canopy or "hat" however they call it in the Atlas tree that would be a total of 80% chances for an higher tier map. Surely that ought to help.

BTW, before this dearth of maps started i had a flurry of uniques drop, including Bitterdream. Wonder if the game has some secret formula to "punish" you if you get too lucky with the drops lmao.

 

[abija]

1 tier higher maps. So if your bulk is 1-6, it will be 2-7.

 

[Lyric Suite]

So for the sake of variety i've been focusing on delve exclusively those past two days. I blew a lot of azurite on upgrading the sulphite storage thingy so i had a lot to burn and i'm finally getting how this thing works.

Only thing i don't like is the ease by which the instance you are in resets. I'm autistically inclined to try to map all corners in an area and suddenly i got out to restock my flares or i click on the next node and the whole things resets from scratch. Kinda of annoying. Also it seems the game marks whether you cleared a particular section so if you explore it aknew you won't find anything, which is well and good except i'll never remember if i cleared an area or not, especially as i start to wade deep into the thing.

I also saw a guide that suggested going to low level areas since you can find some valuables there despite spending very little sulphite (and being near night invulnerable to the dark) but i found it too boring to be honest, even though i did find a gem node and an artifact thingy.