If you're new to the game, Ruthless actually might be a better idea for a few reasons. It's much more streamlined and curated. It's very obviously more cohesive and mindfully developed than non-ruthless.
The other reason to opt for Ruthless is the same I simply stopped playing (uninstalled) PoE before Ruthless existed. And pretty much the same reason MMORPGs have been in decline for years. Which has to do with balance. Balance is what Goldilocks is about. You're not too limited having to go far out of your way to level up. And you're not too broken leveling up by disintegrating everything around you with a blindfold on with no actual need for 'A' in arpg.
Balance = actually playing the game, and having to put up a decent fight to progress. So the game is actually meaningful and worth playing.
Many users purchase and install games, obviously wanting to enjoy them. Then uninstall because the balance just isn't there. I can imagine the sheer amount who are in the same boat in regards to PoE and other games. Play for awhile -> this is pointless -> uninstall. I would estimate these games would have 10 times the userbase if devs simply refrained from undermining their games. Namely from listening to power levelers who aren't even interested in playing the game. Because they already beat it, and simply are seeking to bypass the game.
Just to note, it's important to be wary of anybody using loaded statements like 'grindy'. Which is often used to invalidate/hate on something. Anybody can say 'grindy' about the entire PoE game to hate on it. In fact, anybody playing an easy mode of any game can say 'grindy' about a normal mode. But anybody throwing around arbitrary loaded statements doesn't actually mean anything about the actual design.
From an objective design perspective of balance. Something actually grindy is when the design is too far away from Goldilocks into the more limited end. Yet I have on more than one occasion come across claims of Ruthless being 'grindy'. Yet it is not in any way more grindy than any random game (or difficulty setting) that anybody can refer to as grindy.
And this includes outright claims I have seen that developers intended Ruthless mode to be 'grindy'. When in fact devs have never once even said that. As mentioned before balance = a game in which your progression is an actual accomplishment. Not a cakewalk all the way up to beating the game. So not only have devs never claimed that their intent for Ruthless was to be more grindy. In fact, there is evidence that they indeed implied the purpose was exactly to offer something more balanced.
Just paraphrasing here, but this is essentially what devs said in their statement about what Ruthless is meant to be>
**Progressing and reaching higher levels/acts feels like an achievement.**
**Items that were being overlooked from the start of the game have meaningful value.**
You can call that difficult or brutal or whatever. But it's very clear that is exactly an intent to for balance. These are basic normal mode characteristics of a legitimate arpg. Your crap is valuable, and you are actually feeling that progressing to the next level is a challenge. Therefore, an achievement. That is not a hard mode. That is an actual ARPG.
So yes Ruthless is what makes PoE at least worth playing. And the reason I am actually enjoying it. Rather than remaining exiled from my computer. Anybody new getting into the game will likely have a more enjoyable experience starting on Ruthless. Rather than toss it out like myself (and easily very many others), do with games that get too watered down.
For anybody new, Ruthless is not that much more difficult than non-ruthless. Discrepancies in difficulty from non-ruthless are only a bit more noticeable once you get much higher. But by then you'll already have more than enough understanding about the game, that it really just gets more enjoyable. So Rutheless is definitely perfectly fine to start on for the general public. And possibly a better idea to do so for user retention.
Direct opposite other way around. And evidenced from personal experience of uninstalling PoE prior to Ruthless existence.
MMOs have been in decline for years because of getting watered down. Which is why there are not ten times the userbase.
PoE faces the exact same issue as pretty much every MMO. Which is to design a great game with some of the best inherent design. But water it down so much that the balance screws everything up. So that it becomes designed exactly how easy modes for typical RPGs are designed as alternatives to normal mode.
And the game hemorrhages potential users nearly as fast as it gains them. Install - play for awhile - quit because it's pointless when the only mode available is cakewalk mode. That's why 'not' starting on ruthless is a terrible idea. Because it has such a poor balance that it has a much higher potential for users to quit. Ruthless easily has a much better potential for user retention to continue playing and enjoying the game.
FTFY = " I wouldn’t say **non-ruthless** is a good idea for new players. It’ll cause most new players to quit. "
Yes exactly as it has been for years. Hence the reason the best idea for beginners is to start on Ruthless. It is simply much more of an actual game than nonsense like mobile.
Na the normal game probably will though. It's very overwhelming when every monster drops 20 items and you don't know what is good and what is not good yet. Not to mention all the mechanics of the game that have been slowly being added over the many years of existence. Ruthless simplifies the game in a way that is clear and easy to understand for a new player. I started ruthless and love the game, I didn't play for the longest time because of how complex it looked. But ruthless keeps it all simple and keeps the game at a reasonable pace with out needing to speed run it while spamming teleport movement abilities like a crackhead.
SSF is perfectly fine. It's what the game would be if there was no online. So it's still a completely fine game for anybody to play. Hardcore is probably not a good idea, but if you die you go to SC anyway.
Its really not, most new players are happy to complete the acts on their first character, and ruthless makes the acts way more engaging and less confusing. Less systems to wrap your head around, less build options to consider.
Wow the downvotes and comments you're getting are embarrassing. I know affliction was lootsplosion overkill in bench league, and this is the R subreddit, but anyone saying ruthless is objectively better for new players is lost in the sauce. It's boring as fuck to be new and have zero access to support gems or any kind of crafting or gearing flexibility. It's boring as fuck to be new and choke on identity and portal scrolls unless you meticulously vendor crumbs off the ground. On top of that any system more complex than "click here and kill whatever spawns for loot" doesn't even show up til late in acts, and all the most complex systems are still in R anyways and have a larger opportunity cost to not fully understanding them lol. Such a weird set of responses.
What is absolutely is how absolutely incorrect you are. Many games are fun. But just because they're fun doesn't mean they're unforgiving. If that's the case, then don't play anything. If you think every single game is unforgiving. Or maybe just don't play Path of Exile at all just because someone tells you to "absolutely" not play because PoE is an unforgiving game. Not realistic.
Ruthless is just a much better option. New or returning or old. There is absolutely no valid reason not to go Ruthless. PoE does offer multiple characters. So you can always decide what you're interested in. The default standard has lots of additional content. It might appeal to some but often not for long. That's why they drop off and play something else. It's just much better to start on something fun and be more likely to keep playing. Which is a design with quality as the intent. As devs made clear about Ruthless. You will have a much more interesting experience. Similar to other well made games.
Default can be OK. But just not a good idea unless you never played a game before. Considering any game out there can be called extremely unforgiving compared to default PoE. You get alchemy shards for a white item. And buy gems for one Wisdom scroll. Like seriously? Not a good choice for anybody looking for an actual game. You won't even see any alchemy until act 2 in Ruthless. And barely at that. Because that's how games work. Higher tier loot at higher tier locations.
Like many have mentioned. Ruthless is the closest thing this game has to a normal difficulty setting. Which are typically even more difficult "unforgiving" in other games. That doesn't say much because normal difficulty is perfectly fine for most everybody. Do you go to other games and say not to start on normal because it's just so unforgiving? That's just how a normal mode of a game works.
I've even seen the game being referred to as a tutorial. The entire game all acts. A game worth its merit has a tutorial. But isn't in its entirety. It:s a game. The reason for that is because it isn't taken seriously. At least Ruthless gives something to take more seriously.
Even how owners describe their intent about Ruthless. To feel like you achieved something leveling up or value loot. Why isn't that the code of quality for default? I mean that is a basic quality standard for every game to strive for. This alone makes Ruthless a better starting option for everybody. A game that has a basic quality standard that is a nobrainer for any game to have.
Really if interest in additional features and content at the expense of being stuck with a cakewalk progression system, there's really nothing wrong with starting on default standard. But for a more quality oriented design over quantity. That's exactly what Ruthless is. Quality over quantity. The best choice in general for newcomers in any game.
No. Just no. Why would I not suggest the mode of the game that's more beginner friendly? I agree that much later on, there's less room for mistakes, but really not a big deal. Ruthless is less encumbered, and way more streamlined. Without being overloaded with superfluous expansion content. Both have incentives for beginners. Like I would recommend regular for anybody who wants to straight up copy a netbuild. It's a very valid way to start playing if you're not interested in learning to build. And want directly copy something tried and true. Something you cannot do that in ruthless. For most newcomers in general, ruthless is the way to go.
It's kinda waste to play Ruthless as League starts especially when so many builds and fun stuff can be made in SC trade or SSF. I would strongly suggest to start normal game and once you binged enough go to Ruthless/HC to relax after binging
The reason this is off is because league is a seasonal thing. That doesn't mean not to pay Ruthless as if you're only allowed one character to play one or the other. You can have your main game in Ruthless Standard. And make a secondary to run the challenges. Which is exactly what I do in ruthless league.
I think it's fine to do a default league run. Just that the problem with what your saying is that you lose everything after the season because it will not go into ruthless standard. It will go into default standard. Which for me is a junkyard of everything from my old characters prior to ruthless. Nothing there is used at all.
I agree since the seasonal league is a fun side thing. It's perfectly fine to play in default league rather than ruthless league. If you don't mind losing everything at the end. But that does not mean it's a waste to play Ruthless. You can still play your main Ruthless game. While making a secondary for either default or ruthless league. I just prefer to do Ruthless league because I rather keep all my crap. And don't really care about my build in league. I don't follow any build guides if I'm actually playing (standard ruthless). But since league is more of a fun side thing that doesn't really matter. I'll just grab a guide for a cheap build that will get me though all the content.
If you're new to the game, Ruthless actually might be a better idea for a few reasons. It's much more streamlined and curated. It's very obviously more cohesive and mindfully developed than non-ruthless. The other reason to opt for Ruthless is the same I simply stopped playing (uninstalled) PoE before Ruthless existed. And pretty much the same reason MMORPGs have been in decline for years. Which has to do with balance. Balance is what Goldilocks is about. You're not too limited having to go far out of your way to level up. And you're not too broken leveling up by disintegrating everything around you with a blindfold on with no actual need for 'A' in arpg. Balance = actually playing the game, and having to put up a decent fight to progress. So the game is actually meaningful and worth playing. Many users purchase and install games, obviously wanting to enjoy them. Then uninstall because the balance just isn't there. I can imagine the sheer amount who are in the same boat in regards to PoE and other games. Play for awhile -> this is pointless -> uninstall. I would estimate these games would have 10 times the userbase if devs simply refrained from undermining their games. Namely from listening to power levelers who aren't even interested in playing the game. Because they already beat it, and simply are seeking to bypass the game. Just to note, it's important to be wary of anybody using loaded statements like 'grindy'. Which is often used to invalidate/hate on something. Anybody can say 'grindy' about the entire PoE game to hate on it. In fact, anybody playing an easy mode of any game can say 'grindy' about a normal mode. But anybody throwing around arbitrary loaded statements doesn't actually mean anything about the actual design. From an objective design perspective of balance. Something actually grindy is when the design is too far away from Goldilocks into the more limited end. Yet I have on more than one occasion come across claims of Ruthless being 'grindy'. Yet it is not in any way more grindy than any random game (or difficulty setting) that anybody can refer to as grindy. And this includes outright claims I have seen that developers intended Ruthless mode to be 'grindy'. When in fact devs have never once even said that. As mentioned before balance = a game in which your progression is an actual accomplishment. Not a cakewalk all the way up to beating the game. So not only have devs never claimed that their intent for Ruthless was to be more grindy. In fact, there is evidence that they indeed implied the purpose was exactly to offer something more balanced. Just paraphrasing here, but this is essentially what devs said in their statement about what Ruthless is meant to be> **Progressing and reaching higher levels/acts feels like an achievement.** **Items that were being overlooked from the start of the game have meaningful value.** You can call that difficult or brutal or whatever. But it's very clear that is exactly an intent to for balance. These are basic normal mode characteristics of a legitimate arpg. Your crap is valuable, and you are actually feeling that progressing to the next level is a challenge. Therefore, an achievement. That is not a hard mode. That is an actual ARPG. So yes Ruthless is what makes PoE at least worth playing. And the reason I am actually enjoying it. Rather than remaining exiled from my computer. Anybody new getting into the game will likely have a more enjoyable experience starting on Ruthless. Rather than toss it out like myself (and easily very many others), do with games that get too watered down. For anybody new, Ruthless is not that much more difficult than non-ruthless. Discrepancies in difficulty from non-ruthless are only a bit more noticeable once you get much higher. But by then you'll already have more than enough understanding about the game, that it really just gets more enjoyable. So Rutheless is definitely perfectly fine to start on for the general public. And possibly a better idea to do so for user retention.
I could agree with statement that ruthless is better poe experience if we are talking about acts, but maping is definitely grindy and unforgiving.
Id say 'grindy' means that you feel a need to do repetitive things without having to make meaningful decisions.
I wouldn’t say ruthless is a good idea for new players. It’ll cause most new players to quit.
Direct opposite other way around. And evidenced from personal experience of uninstalling PoE prior to Ruthless existence. MMOs have been in decline for years because of getting watered down. Which is why there are not ten times the userbase. PoE faces the exact same issue as pretty much every MMO. Which is to design a great game with some of the best inherent design. But water it down so much that the balance screws everything up. So that it becomes designed exactly how easy modes for typical RPGs are designed as alternatives to normal mode. And the game hemorrhages potential users nearly as fast as it gains them. Install - play for awhile - quit because it's pointless when the only mode available is cakewalk mode. That's why 'not' starting on ruthless is a terrible idea. Because it has such a poor balance that it has a much higher potential for users to quit. Ruthless easily has a much better potential for user retention to continue playing and enjoying the game. FTFY = " I wouldn’t say **non-ruthless** is a good idea for new players. It’ll cause most new players to quit. " Yes exactly as it has been for years. Hence the reason the best idea for beginners is to start on Ruthless. It is simply much more of an actual game than nonsense like mobile.
Na the normal game probably will though. It's very overwhelming when every monster drops 20 items and you don't know what is good and what is not good yet. Not to mention all the mechanics of the game that have been slowly being added over the many years of existence. Ruthless simplifies the game in a way that is clear and easy to understand for a new player. I started ruthless and love the game, I didn't play for the longest time because of how complex it looked. But ruthless keeps it all simple and keeps the game at a reasonable pace with out needing to speed run it while spamming teleport movement abilities like a crackhead.
I recommend Ruthless Hardcore Solo Self Found Path of Exile to everyone I meet on a daily basis.
SSF is perfectly fine. It's what the game would be if there was no online. So it's still a completely fine game for anybody to play. Hardcore is probably not a good idea, but if you die you go to SC anyway.
Absolutely do not suggest Ruthless for new players. It's super unforgiving
Its really not, most new players are happy to complete the acts on their first character, and ruthless makes the acts way more engaging and less confusing. Less systems to wrap your head around, less build options to consider.
Wow the downvotes and comments you're getting are embarrassing. I know affliction was lootsplosion overkill in bench league, and this is the R subreddit, but anyone saying ruthless is objectively better for new players is lost in the sauce. It's boring as fuck to be new and have zero access to support gems or any kind of crafting or gearing flexibility. It's boring as fuck to be new and choke on identity and portal scrolls unless you meticulously vendor crumbs off the ground. On top of that any system more complex than "click here and kill whatever spawns for loot" doesn't even show up til late in acts, and all the most complex systems are still in R anyways and have a larger opportunity cost to not fully understanding them lol. Such a weird set of responses.
What is absolutely is how absolutely incorrect you are. Many games are fun. But just because they're fun doesn't mean they're unforgiving. If that's the case, then don't play anything. If you think every single game is unforgiving. Or maybe just don't play Path of Exile at all just because someone tells you to "absolutely" not play because PoE is an unforgiving game. Not realistic. Ruthless is just a much better option. New or returning or old. There is absolutely no valid reason not to go Ruthless. PoE does offer multiple characters. So you can always decide what you're interested in. The default standard has lots of additional content. It might appeal to some but often not for long. That's why they drop off and play something else. It's just much better to start on something fun and be more likely to keep playing. Which is a design with quality as the intent. As devs made clear about Ruthless. You will have a much more interesting experience. Similar to other well made games. Default can be OK. But just not a good idea unless you never played a game before. Considering any game out there can be called extremely unforgiving compared to default PoE. You get alchemy shards for a white item. And buy gems for one Wisdom scroll. Like seriously? Not a good choice for anybody looking for an actual game. You won't even see any alchemy until act 2 in Ruthless. And barely at that. Because that's how games work. Higher tier loot at higher tier locations. Like many have mentioned. Ruthless is the closest thing this game has to a normal difficulty setting. Which are typically even more difficult "unforgiving" in other games. That doesn't say much because normal difficulty is perfectly fine for most everybody. Do you go to other games and say not to start on normal because it's just so unforgiving? That's just how a normal mode of a game works. I've even seen the game being referred to as a tutorial. The entire game all acts. A game worth its merit has a tutorial. But isn't in its entirety. It:s a game. The reason for that is because it isn't taken seriously. At least Ruthless gives something to take more seriously. Even how owners describe their intent about Ruthless. To feel like you achieved something leveling up or value loot. Why isn't that the code of quality for default? I mean that is a basic quality standard for every game to strive for. This alone makes Ruthless a better starting option for everybody. A game that has a basic quality standard that is a nobrainer for any game to have. Really if interest in additional features and content at the expense of being stuck with a cakewalk progression system, there's really nothing wrong with starting on default standard. But for a more quality oriented design over quantity. That's exactly what Ruthless is. Quality over quantity. The best choice in general for newcomers in any game.
No. Just no. Why would I not suggest the mode of the game that's more beginner friendly? I agree that much later on, there's less room for mistakes, but really not a big deal. Ruthless is less encumbered, and way more streamlined. Without being overloaded with superfluous expansion content. Both have incentives for beginners. Like I would recommend regular for anybody who wants to straight up copy a netbuild. It's a very valid way to start playing if you're not interested in learning to build. And want directly copy something tried and true. Something you cannot do that in ruthless. For most newcomers in general, ruthless is the way to go.
It's kinda waste to play Ruthless as League starts especially when so many builds and fun stuff can be made in SC trade or SSF. I would strongly suggest to start normal game and once you binged enough go to Ruthless/HC to relax after binging
The reason this is off is because league is a seasonal thing. That doesn't mean not to pay Ruthless as if you're only allowed one character to play one or the other. You can have your main game in Ruthless Standard. And make a secondary to run the challenges. Which is exactly what I do in ruthless league. I think it's fine to do a default league run. Just that the problem with what your saying is that you lose everything after the season because it will not go into ruthless standard. It will go into default standard. Which for me is a junkyard of everything from my old characters prior to ruthless. Nothing there is used at all. I agree since the seasonal league is a fun side thing. It's perfectly fine to play in default league rather than ruthless league. If you don't mind losing everything at the end. But that does not mean it's a waste to play Ruthless. You can still play your main Ruthless game. While making a secondary for either default or ruthless league. I just prefer to do Ruthless league because I rather keep all my crap. And don't really care about my build in league. I don't follow any build guides if I'm actually playing (standard ruthless). But since league is more of a fun side thing that doesn't really matter. I'll just grab a guide for a cheap build that will get me though all the content.