IUMogg, the classic one to start with would be Grim Dawn, in my opinion. Fun, easy to get into, highly differentiated gameplay for classes, atmospheric graphics and story... It's quite good.
Path of Exile can be a lot to take in but there is also the fact that you can get pretty far into the game just winging it and discovering how the systems work. You absolutely don't have to min-max it to succeed. I took about 2 or 3 years of just faffing around and having fun before I started studying how to make builds. It has a good thread here, too, and if you like I can put you in our Guild, just let me know your name in-game so I can issue an invite.
Or not, fine by me either way. 
I haven't played Last Epoch myself, but everyone that has played it says that it's a good middle ground between PoE and Diablo and making some interesting and good choices for both new players and those who may want to dig in a little deeper.
If you find PoE overwhelming, I suggest you find a build guide from a proven creator for a league start and just follow that guide 100%. This will give you an OK experience, but also over time allow you to learn about the game without really struggling much to make the experience unpleasant.
Here is the current Icy Veins list of PoE starter builds. League starters are builds that require very few special items, so little currency and trading is involved. I don't like trading so I usually use one of these to store up some starter items for other builds, then I get stuck into something more complex and fun once I have some cool gear.
For my money, since I like minion builds (summoners), I'd look at GhazzyTV's Summon Holy Relic Necromancer. I think it's like the fifth one. On the first page linked above, certainly.
I had fun with my own crazy concoction of summoning totems that summoned summons.
I only got to the high 30's but had 100+ hours of fun
Necro easy button moment
I'm fine with it. What's the problem? 
What is that Warhammer one that everyone raves about? I think Veloxi mentioned it.
I haven't played Last Epoch myself, but everyone that has played it says that it's a good middle ground between PoE and Diablo and making some interesting and good choices for both new players and those who may want to dig in a little deeper.
If you find PoE overwhelming, I suggest you find a build guide from a proven creator for a league start and just follow that guide 100%. This will give you an OK experience, but also over time allow you to learn about the game without really struggling much to make the experience unpleasant.
Yeah I have been playing Last Epoch on and off through a lot of the beta and I can recommend it for anyone who likes D2 style gameplay. It has a bit of a slow start but the abilities and progression are well done. I haven't played most of the classes in a while but there were balance issues they've said they have addressed.
Oh god, yes, how did I forget 40K Martyr and Inquisitor? Great games (Inquisitor I think expands Martyr). I'd rank that below PoE and above Grim Dawn, Last Epoch and D3.
What is that Warhammer one that everyone raves about? I think Veloxi mentioned it.
I'm going to jump back into Stellaris (ignoring your stinkeye, Veloxi). I figure I'll really start to understand the basics by June.
Last Epoch. Grim Dawn is great, don't listen to anyone who says to play Wolcen
Warhammer if you are into that universe. I am not so it didn't really resonate with me.
For Last Epoch, Action RPG is a great guy to look up. He has some summoner builds that are great and easy to play. Or just type "Last Epoch 0.90 starter builds" and find one that you like.
I have a big pile of games to play but all I want to do is play Diablo 4 again...
I have a big pile of games to play but all I want to do is play Diablo 4 again...
Same, same.
Installed Path of Exile yesterday to hopefully hold me over, made my first level up and looked at the tech tree and was like ummm nope. Alt+F4d and uninstalled.
Why, Redhwk? There are a ton of good starter builds easy to find. It's not nearly as tough as you imagine, and the possibilities are, while not infinite, certainly more than all the current players will exhaust in their lifetimes combined...
I mean, I get it. 
This is probably the most relatable clip in all of internet history (warning: brief NSFW language):
But, for what it is worth, the payoff is worth the effort of learning about it if you're the sort of player who loves diving into deep systems with patently ridiculous numbers of choices and experimenting with them until the end of time.
On the other hand, that definitely isn't everyone. If that IS you, I'd encourage you to give it a real chance. But if that isn't you, you should probably trust your instinct: there are plenty of other ARPGs out there that will be far simpler to get into and have fun with.
Balthezor wrote:I have a big pile of games to play but all I want to do is play Diablo 4 again...
Same, same.
Installed Path of Exile yesterday to hopefully hold me over, made my first level up and looked at the tech tree and was like ummm nope. Alt+F4d and uninstalled.
I was also looking for something to tide me over. I have tried PoE and was overwhelmed. I picked up Last Epoch this week and have been really impressed. I’m still really early. I played a few different classes up to lv 10ish. But it feels really nice and looks good. I was impressed that all the characters were fun right away. I’ve read the complexity of the game is less than PoE and Grim Dawn but more so than Diablo. I’m not a min-maxer. I don’t want to look up builds and copy them. I want to play what feels fun and experiment to figure out my own builds. So far this game is looking like it’s great for that. It is in early access. Build 0.9 was released this month. I think it’s the last major update until 1.0. But it does have a few minor bugs I’ve run into regularly, but nothing too annoying.
FWIW, I never used the PoE tech tree and had fun up until the late 30's.
So I am sure I am missing out on some things, but it did not prevent me from having fun.
I've also enjoyed Last Epoch, Grim Dawn and Van Helsing 2. (bounced off 1 pretty hard)
I've actually been tempted to give Diablo Immortal another look. The game structure is similar to D4. The skills combo similarly and also have a satisfying weight to them. Anyone got any suggestions that might scratch that itch without tangentially supporting a predatory monetization system?
Why, Redhwk? There are a ton of good starter builds easy to find. It's not nearly as tough as you imagine, and the possibilities are, while not infinite, certainly more than all the current players will exhaust in their lifetimes combined...
I literally had a post typed up in the PoE thread referencing that site asking for a recommended fun build off that list as I none of it makes any sense to me, I looked at a couple of the builds and it all looks like French to me. I can't even tell what base character I'm supposed to pick to work one of the builds up. I just decided it wasn't worth it and closed the tab.
I mean, I get it.
Wait, I don't remember recording this, let alone posting it on the internet.
But thank you, I needed that laugh because work has just been sh*t this week.
Fine I'll reinstall again PoE again and give it another go.
I'd probably lean towards Last Epoch but don't want to pay the prices to hold me over for two months.
Honestly, the best way to get your feet under you is to just do like 20 levels DIY. Do what you like, mess around with gems and gear, try out some traits, etc. Take a look at this guide. Handy intro to most topics that will come up in your first playthrough.
I love PoE but anyone looking to start should be aware that a new league (season) starts in like a week and in addition to adding new content they are overhauling parts of the skill tree again, so any guides or builds listed as 3.21 won’t work right now and any builds listed as 3.20 or lower will soon be defunct regardless of whether or not you start a new league character. (like seriously, PoE can be a pain to get into but it’s well worth it once you do)
My argument would be that your first character probably won't make it to end-game anyway, unless you manage to build it out perfectly. Just mess around with it, have fun. I played without guides for several years (like Fang mentioned) and loved it.
If you're looking for another ARPG to hold you over, I just started Warhammer: Chaosbane. It's fun!
If you're looking for another ARPG to hold you over, I just started Warhammer: Chaosbane. It's fun!
It’s also currently on sale on GOG for $4
My argument would be that your first character probably won't make it to end-game anyway, unless you manage to build it out perfectly. Just mess around with it, have fun. I played without guides for several years (like Fang mentioned) and loved it.
Yeah, literally will be done when D4 comes out. I played a bit more last night just with the big beefy guy and building in to DMG upgrades and it hasn't been so bad. It'll scratch the itch until June 6.
I can speak from experience that it's entirely possible to complete the story campaign and have a satisfying experience with Path of Exile without "making it to end-game."
I don't know how many builds can do that--I may have just lucked into a decent one--but I wouldn't be surprised if it's not hard to come up with a character that can finish the story once.
Thing is, PoE is something you play for a few months, buy some bling and storage to help the devs, then set aside until you get the itch again. And again, and again, and again... for years. It becomes comfort gaming. Very few games actually achieve that. Civ did that for me for almost 20 years before I tired of it. Star Traders Frontiers, around 6 years now. The Crusader Kings games. Marvel Heroes RIP. But let PoE get its hooks in you and you'll be dabbling with it as long as the game is around.
Ultimately, the game is a sandbox, and the character designs you try out are your artwork. And the crazier, the better.
I just placed my preorder. Early access starts soon.
While I have access on June 2, I think I'll see if I can wait until June 5th, considering I took the day off.
While I have access on June 2, I think I'll see if I can wait until June 5th, considering I took the day off.
Technically, you have access at 7pm on June 1st.
muhahahahaha /twirls mustache
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