"Player Dismayed: Mercenary Obliterates Hordes of Enemies before Him in Path of Exile"
Taking On Path of Exile's New Mercenaries Grab Some Serious Firepower
The latest addition to Path of Exile's roster, the Mercenaries of Trarthus, are proving to be formidable allies, outshining Diablo 4's counterparts in many ways. Unlike their Diablo contemporaries, these mercenaries are essentially NPCs, utilizing all the gear and items a player could. At high levels, they become unstoppable forces on the battlefield, leaving players in their dust.
During the recent league launch, popular streamer Pohx Kappa discovered this firsthand. Despite running an area-of-effect (AOE) build designed for mowing down enemies, his merc obliterated them before he even got the chance. "I can't hit anything!" Pohx exclaims, watching his merc wipe outscreen enemies like a boss in a video game. "I can't even explode the mobs!" he added, realizing he was reduced to little more than a spectator in his own game.
It seems that Grinding Gear Games may have created the mercenaries just a tad too powerful. Clips of streamers in hardcore are already circulating, depicting unlucky players getting unexpectedly one-tapped by the mercs. You're granted a peek at their equipment before engaging in a duel, but some skill combinations appear to be doing an excessive amount of damage.
If you manage to survive the duel, however, these mercenaries can prove invaluable allies in clearing out maps. Long-time Path of Exile players seem to be arming them with supportive gear like weapons that prevent elemental ailments from affecting allies. With a little experimentation, we can expect players to discover even more broken methods to set them up.
As you assent the levels with your new mercenary companion, you might find that they stick around for a while. These mercenaries level with the world rather than you, but they'll stay by your side as long as they're within 20 levels of you. Some players are even keeping a few on retainer to power level themselves later.
Grinding Gear Games will need to take some action to balance these mercenaries, ensuring they don't just randomly pop players in the middle of nowhere. A nerf that nullifies the fun and makes the mercenaries less powerful than the player would be unfortunate, but having the meta shift to where the player is the support and the mercenary does all the heavy lifting wouldn't be desirable either.
The Path of Exile scene is abuzz with excitement over this major gameplay shakeup. We'll have to wait and see how Grinding Gear Games decides to address any balance issues that arise as we delve deeper into the Mercenaries of Trarthus.
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Covering the Gaming Scene since 2004 Tyler Colp has spent the last 15 years covering videogames and PC hardware. With a focus on action RPGs and MMOs, he's got a knack for exploring broken, beautiful, and bizarre gaming phenomena. While he's an action RPG devotee, he never shies away from diving into any game that grabs his attention.
- In a surprising turn of events, the Mercenaries of Trarthus in Path of Exile have become a hot topic, with players betting on whether they can win against these game-changing gadgets in the season's games.
- The recent arrival of technology-enhanced social-media platforms allows fans to share their experiences and strategies for fighting and winning against the Mercenaries, creating a new form of entertainment.
- Some players have even put together betting pools on streaming platforms, with high-stakes wagers placed on who will emerge victorious in their fight against the Mercenaries.
- Amidst the hype, the developer, Grinding Gear Games, faces mounting pressure to maintain a balance in the game, with fans arguing that the mercenaries are too powerful and could bet the game away from the players.
- As players continue to explore the ins and outs of the Mercenaries, the gaming community eagerly awaits any updates and adjustments that Grinding Gear Games may make to the mercenaries, keeping a close eye on the outcome of this major gameplay shift.
