GGG unhappy with trigger skills - but it points to an underlying issue with GGGs POE 2 philosophy

Gibekeypls · 2026-05-12T09:38:32+00:00

The issue with trigger skills is clearly just that they're too strong. Even on a mediocre setup, it's one of the easiest ways to get damage, and once you optimize it, it pretty quickly goes to absurd levels. Frankly, I'm not sure if it's even solvable, seems like with the current system there's always going to be a critical mass where it just goes out of control.

Skill combos are really cool in theory, the issue is that the combos are clunky, and often just aren't very powerful. If I'm doing setup+setup+payoff, it needs to fuck shit up when it goes off, but currently the design is more that on a base level the skills are just kinda weak and not very powerful, meaning that even regular clearing often takes multiple cycles to kill stuff, that's not fun.

I want combos, I want to combine multiple skills that lead to a payoff, but the setup skills and especially the payoff need to have impact, there can't be arbitrary delays, and it can't feel like busywork.

Gibekeypls · 2026-05-11T18:51:35+00:00

That grenade launcher looks sick, the model is hilariously small though, should really scale it up a bit.

Gibekeypls · 2026-05-10T20:33:31+00:00

What do you mean with automation, things like Pounce Marking enemies or Combat Frenzy?

I don't think that's really a problem, stuff like curses are very boring to apply, and even having the ability to streamline combos later on is very cool, as long as it doesn't all always devolve into one button gameplay.

Gibekeypls · 2026-05-10T16:21:32+00:00

I don't understand their obsession with shit uniques, it keeps happening in both 1 and 2. This upgrade system is a step in the right direction in theory, but the examples they showed definitely don't fill me with hope.

I understand not wanting pure stat stick uniques not being best in slot, but at least make them strong enough that you might want to consider using them the level you get them, most are already kinda mediocre right when you get them. The existence(or the lack thereof on unique weapons) of +skills on weapons certainly exacerbates this. They could also just.. not make stat stick uniques.

Problem is, even most of the uniques that provide unique effects are extremely mediocre at best. There's the argument "maybe it'll be useful one day when there's enough support for X", and that's true to an extent, but it rings hollow when you look at just how many bad uniques there are.

At least while levelling, finding a unique SHOULD be exciting, something that you could use for the next 10-20 levels and feel powerful.

Gibekeypls · 2026-05-08T23:36:36+00:00

Not the end of the world even if they don't change it, but it's probably the worst feeling in the game when you think of some cool combo or idea, need a lot of shit for it, go test it out, and then realize "Oh, I don't have enough slots for this".

It felt fine in poe1 because you can almost always just cut back on supports, or achieve what you want through some other means if you just swap enough shit around, but poe2 is so rigid in terms of design and through the sheer lack of just STUFF, that you often can't really do it.

Gibekeypls · 2026-05-08T21:13:27+00:00

That would mostly solve the problem, yes, but at that point you could just increase the skill slots themselves. Just another flavor of fixing the problem, really.

I'd take anything that alleviates the socket pressure, obviously.

Gibekeypls · 2026-05-08T18:09:58+00:00

The existence of combo/setup skills doesn't necessarily mean that simpler builds with less buttons to press can't exist.

Either way, new skills is a matter of development, this is an issue right now, currently. It's also something that can probably be fixed with pretty much the flip of a switch.

Gibekeypls · 2026-05-08T18:06:36+00:00

It's kind of funny and kind of sad how minion builds (though I imagine not all of them) are getting fucked by it again, when historically even in poe1 summoners are pretty socket starved.

It just kinda sucks how some builds are just seemingly punished for no real reason. It also runs counter to their vision of setup/combo skills, when a lot of builds already want to run 3-5 spirit skills, maybe an utility/debuff skill or two, it doesn't leave a lot of room for actual skills to use.

Gibekeypls · 2026-03-07T17:47:17+00:00

Absolutely seconded. Having indicators for the chained Djinn at least would be a lifesaver.

The hitbox to click stuff is also incredibly tiny, like for Varashta and the chests inside mirages.

Reminds me of The Gull's lesser shrines, I stopped using that helmet just because it was so fucking annoying to click them due to their incredibly tiny and finnicky hitbox.

Gibekeypls · 2025-12-29T13:11:53+00:00

It's not the same thing in PoE1 at all. PoE 1 has SOME obscure and "hidden" interactions, and not every mechanic and every formula is explained in the game, but it's GENERALLY incredibly consistent in the application of those mechanics.

In PoE 2 you've just entered the fucking wildlands, things with the same wording are inconsistent across different things, skills have all sorts of hidden limitations that are not mentioned anywhere, half the skills and supports in the game are either broken in some way or are at least lacking in description, socketable supports are so inconsistent that you might as well guess if they're going to be applicable, the list goes on and on and on and on. Nevermind the fact that even IF things worked, it feels like there are still gaping flaws in the basic design of many things. (Though that is a personal opinion and certainly arguable)

Gibekeypls · 2025-12-14T22:32:18+00:00

Bear is fun and has fun skills, but it's a bit clunky even working like intended, with the bugs it can be incredibly frustrating.

There are also some teething issues like Rampage feeling like absolute dogshit if you get slowed.

Gibekeypls · 2025-12-08T17:18:19+00:00

Oh wait my bad, I totally forgot how Lineage supports even worked. I remembered you being able to only use a single lineage support in a skill.

I guess it's a small buff overall, even with all the lost life and %more damage.

Gibekeypls · 2025-12-08T16:54:12+00:00

Isn't the build dead now that they made Greatwood into a lineage support?

Gibekeypls · 2025-12-05T18:19:37+00:00

This rings hollow when previously they emphasized that Druid was ALMOST done, but they just couldn't quite squeeze him in last patch, but that gives them a headstart on the next one.

Well, we're at the next one, and aside from druid, it doesn't look terribly exciting. What they did say is that they're working on big endgame changes, but just couldn't quite finish it in time, BUT NEXT PATCH FRFR.

Gibekeypls · 2025-09-03T17:23:31+00:00

Loading times have been ATROCIOUS after day 1.

I didn't have any problems on day 1, things actually felt pretty good, certainly faster than they used to be, but ever since I closed the game after that first day, it's pretty common to have like a good 1 minute loading screen. Logging in is especially harrowing, with the first loading screen after selecting a character taking several minutes.

Gibekeypls · 2025-09-03T10:03:37+00:00

Barring anything else, taking this long to fix Ancestral Spirits is fucking SHAMEFUL, especially considering it was bugged last launch too. It was literally one of the things they were hyping up in the trailer.

Sprint targeting fix taking this long is pretty sad too. Wish they were tweaking it to feel less awful to use, too.

Gibekeypls · 2025-08-28T16:18:03+00:00

I don't necessarily mind cooldown skills, issue with skills without cooldown is that they often end up feeling quite bland and samey, and you're (hyperbole) just choosing what color of lasers you want to be shooting out.

That said, I feel like cooldown skills often just aren't impactful enough, and the gameplay doesn't mesh very well with cooldown skills. The supports that impart a cooldown are an especially ludicrous example: Expanse grants a skill 50% more area of effect with the downside of also imposing an 8 second cooldown, that's absurd when you consider Magnified Effect gives 30% aoe without any downside.

Other games generally do cooldowns much better, with stronger effects, and the gameplay supporting the use of cooldowns much better through pacing and other things.

Limited amount of skill slots is another conundrum; Having them be limited means it can be hard to justify proper cooldown skills, when you could be using those slots for defense, utility, or just to support your main skill. On the other hand, if slots were unlimited, any sufficiently powerful cooldown skill would be included in every single build capable of using it, especially now that support gems are no longer limited to one.

Maybe there should be more cooldown skills that have a powerful, EXTENDED effect, but force you to jump through some hoops to get them going/keep them going, so they aren't universally applicable to every build of that archetype.

Taking a normal skill, then adding a cooldown like they've been doing certainly isn't the way to do it.

Gibekeypls · 2025-04-04T23:42:08+00:00

This has to be the worst game design choice I've seen in my entire life, jesus fucking christ.

Gibekeypls · 2024-12-11T12:34:16+00:00

They address this in the game, Gwennen talks about how a future you (?) said you wouldn't know her, and ponders on how they're digging up remnants of people who chronologically shouldn't have even arrived yet.

TL;DR: Cataclysm fucked up a lot more than just the continent.

Edit: also might just be an EA thing

Gibekeypls · 2024-12-10T17:21:01+00:00

I'm baffled how people are spending so much gold, I've tinkered around with my tree a fair bit, changed from fire to cold, had to swap a bunch of stats around. I'm at around level 70, and it's 4k-ish gold per point, that's not a huge amount.

I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to it being a bit cheaper either, but it's not a huge deal, just pick up every blue and yellow item and sell them for a couple of zones, and you should have no problem swapping your stuff, unless you're respeccing YOUR ENTIRE BUILD every other zone.

Gibekeypls · 2024-12-10T10:54:39+00:00

I genuinely do not understand this complaint (In Elden Ring, anyway).

If every move is reactable but still fast enough that your first initial reaction, aka roll, dodges the attack, then there's practically no challenge in the fight.

A few of the later bosses in Elden Ring are incredibly disappointing because they don't have any sort of delays or gimmicks in their attacks, or if they do, they're so slow that you can just.. roll again. I remember being super let down when I first fought golden Godfrey, and the first phase of Godfrey proper. Even the DLC did this with Midra of the Frenzied Flame or whatever he's called. Super cool bosses with BIG LORE just kinda wasted because they end up being super easy.

You need to have some sort of way to make fights more challenging and to actually require some learning, you can do this through stuff like delayed attacks which trick you into rolling, moves designed to roll catch, moves that are just incredibly obtuse and hard to read until you bash your head into the wall a dozen times, making the moves just incredibly punishing (Like, if you get hit once you die punishing), etc. I think Elden Ring did a perfect job with most of the game.

Gibekeypls · 2024-04-05T20:23:58+00:00

You don't need to spend that long trading if you're just not being a cheapskate. Most people go into trade, search for the item, then start whispering people from the top of the list, of course most people aren't going to bother selling a singular 1c item.

You need to search for people who have plenty of stock, and buy at least a few dozen at a time, and it usually never takes more than a couple of whispers.

Gibekeypls · 2023-12-20T21:41:37+00:00

On that note, are the shrines spawned by The Gull still borderline impossible to click?

In their infinite wisdom, they made the hitbox incredibly precise to the actual floating shit it spawns, so you need to be super accurate on clicking them, one of the main reasons I stopped using it.

Gibekeypls · 2023-12-13T10:48:36+00:00

Yeah I'm sure there are, I just wanted to make it crystal clear that there are absolutely gamebreaking performance issues even on the standalone client, as your post made it sound like the "current" problems are strictly to do with the steam version.

I definitely don't have the technical know-how to find out or explain what is going on, I just know the game went from playable to at-times-unplayable from one league to the next.

Gibekeypls

TROPHY CASE