Hello fellow Exiles, we’re here to continue talking about the changes to the mechanics between Path of Exile 2 and 1 to help you prepare for the launch of POE 2 Early Access on November 15th. In this guide, we’ll focus on discussing Monster Damage categories, such as the removal of the distinction between spells and attacks, and take a deep dive into the enormous changes in monster damage from POE 1 to POE 2 and how damage is categorized.
Removal Of The Distinction Between Monster Spells And Attacks
In Path of Exile 2, Monster Damage will no longer be categorized as a spell or attack with character mechanics that interact with these types. A great example of this in Path of Exile 1 was Spell Suppression, which reduced the damage of incoming spells but did not interact with incoming attacks in any way.
Now, these distinctions will no longer exist, so players will no longer have to guess or learn about these types to know which mechanics interact with them. This means you can focus more on investing POE Currency in your armor to continually increase your damage reduction cap.
Monster Damage Categories Still Exist
There will still be categories for Monster Damage, similar to what already existed in POE 1. For example, if Monster Damage is an AOE ability, Monster Damage will still have tags attached to it, such as Area of Effect. This is important for mechanics that still interact with Monster Damage to determine how they will interact.
Since Monster Damage is no longer an attack or a spell, Evasion will work against any damage that is classified as a projectile or strike, but not against damage that is classified as an Area of Effect. For example, Monster Area of Effect abilities, especially those that deal significant damage during boss encounters, are usually well communicated, making it easier to understand that it is something the player should avoid getting hit by.
Deflection Stat
Since there is no longer a distinction between monster attacks and spells, and Evasion will still exist, what does this mean for Spell Suppression? At least in the current implementation of POE 1, Spell Suppression will not be present in POE 2, and this change to Monster Damage has already happened.
In fact, just 3 months ago, GGG’s Console Event in Los Angeles revealed that Spell Suppression is in POE 2, but it’s not just Spell Suppression, because there is another new stat called Deflection. It is essentially the offensive counterpart of Spell Suppression, and it works exactly the same as Spell Suppression, just against attacks instead of spells.
But since the distinction between monster attacks and spells is gone now, we can safely assume that both stats will disappear, and something else may replace them to help counter AOE abilities of those Evasion-based builds. But be aware that this is just speculation.
Blocking Mechanic Changes
Another important thing worth mentioning is that Blocking in Path of Exile 2 functions similarly to Evasion. In terms of the types of monster damage it will interact with, you will be able to block incoming Projectiles and Strikes, but larger damage effects, like Boss abilities, will be represented as unblockable.
Monster Damage Is Key To Balanced Game
Now, balancing Monster Damage is a very positive change for Path of Exile 2 from a developer’s perspective. Since Path of Exile 1 introduced Spell Suppression mechanic in patch 3.16, the core game has slowly been balanced around its presence.
This is often very noticeable when you play a character with Spell Suppression investment versus one without. But since the distinction between attacks and spells will be removed in POE 2, the developers have the opportunity to normalize Monster Damage from the start. This will ensure that there will be less variation in situations where monster damage is very dramatic, with the exception of damage from large monster abilities that should be avoided.
At the same time, mechanics like Evasion and Blocking will be easier to understand for players not only mechanically, but visually as well. If you see an incoming Arrow or Fireball, you know you can Evasion and Block it. But if you see a giant slam falling on your head, you know you should run away from the complexity of the game.
Other Differences In Monster Damage Mechanics
Of course, GGG still has many avenues to explore to create interesting mechanics and unique item modifiers without specific monster attacks or spells.
Besides that, Monster Damage in POE 2 will still have many differences from POE 1, such as the actual damage type, including Chaos, Elemental or Physical, whether it is an AOE ability or melee or ranged, whether it is a Ground Effect and Ailments it can cause and so on. In Path of Exile 2, they still have many ways to create compelling defense options for players.
In short, the above are the changes to Monster Damage mechanic that will happen in the upcoming Path of Exile 2. Knowing these new changes will help you to classify all the damage during the battle and avoid the damage as much as possible, and survive to the end! Anyway, let’s look forward to its arrival!
