Path of Exile’s Biggest Improvements Introduced in Legion

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Path of Exile is getting bigger and better with every expansion released. Legion, the most recent one, promises great things for both longtime fans and newcomers alike. From melee combat improvements and balance changes to new map/area mechanics, these changes are sure to shake up old routines for farming PoE orbs or level grinding.

So without further ado, here are the changes introduced in Legion.

Melee Combat

First up in terms of melee combat, Legion changed weapon attack speeds. It should now better match the animations and show a marked difference between fast slashes and slow slams. At low levels, melee combat has been changed to reflect stronger versions of that weapon more. Higher leveled weapons should feel less ‘clunky’ than lower leveled ones. It also means that attack speeds are based on weapon class and the skills it can use.

Melee hits can now be used multiple enemies within their range, with the attack animation showing flows better. The animation is now based on the Double Strike attack, improving combat flow and changing the rhythm of your combos. This change will take effect consistently across classes.

With the skill rebalancing changes, some less powerful skills are made to be more competitive, putting them on par with stronger alternatives. Also, attack gems now have bonus damage that increases as the gem levels up. It makes weaker weapons still viable if the player has yet to find a better replacement.

There are also changes to some support skill gems. Multistrike now gives a weaker attack speed boost while gaining a skill repeat damage multiplier along with the ability to be canceled between repeats. Melee Splash now creates multiple splash effects per attack while having an increased splash damage penalty. Fortify no longer provides an Increased Melee Physical Damage stat but a More Melee Damage stat. The added bonus also lessened but the change should make it a more attractive option than it was before.

Tying in with these changes, monsters will also have their animations match the area they hit. You can also expect more support and skill gems for a melee playstyle to come with this update!

Ascendancy Classes

Marauder Ascendancy classes Chieftain and Berserker, as well as Duelist’s Slayer, received some changes as well. Chieftain will become an amazing Fire-based attacker, with impeccable life regeneration and good melee totem skills. The Berserker will have the greatest potential damage output, but it comes at a cost. Recovery tools for him have turned into a condensed version to let players focus on more Dakka, as they say.

As for the Slayer, he gets area bonuses, new Critical Synergy, and a unique Frenzy and Endurance charge mechanic. With these, he solidifies his place as the one who could realize the true potential of life leech. In addition to that, he’ll be able to deal massive damage to unique enemies.

Other minor changes for Gladiator, Champion, and Juggernaut will also take effect.

General Changes

Skill animations can be canceled within the first 20% of the attack or cast time or after the effects have taken, well, effect. Canceling within the former lets you activate a different skill, though you won’t be able to cancel that one for a short time. With the latter, you won’t be able to use another skill or do any actions save for moving for a few moments. These should help you dodge more attacks or mitigate accidental skill activation.

Accuracy calculations now allow for 100% accuracy. Players will be able to see their chance to hit normal enemies in their character sheet. Around 3,000 points in accuracy give a 100% chance to hit level 83 enemies. In light of this, some skills have been changed since those can trivialize reaching that amount. Also, with these changes, monsters will have a higher chance to hit players.

Some skills, those that increase mobility in some way, are now classified as Travel skills. Molten Shell and Immortal Call are now connected to the new Iron skins kill, making them rewarding to careful users. Other skills have been nerfed as well.

And That’s Not Even All of It

The changes for the Passive Tree require a whole different article, especially if you want an analysis on each of them. There’s also changes for items, such as daggers and staves as well as which items may receive certain modifiers. Some unique items will become harder to get. Then there’s the update to weapons and jewels. You might have to save up PoE currency to catch up to these changes.

Grinding Gear Games is keeping up their promise to make Path of Exile bigger and better. In their patch manifesto, it seems that there are even more balance patches and new features to expect in the future. We can all look forward to the game’s path taking it closer to its perfect iteration.

Continue enjoying Path of Exile!

Y'berion Pyrokar
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