[Feedback] Giga-Nerf Energy Shield in Patch 0.4.0

Energy Shield doesn't need nerfs, it needs changes. ES values may be sky high, but they are empty with no mitigation.

ES/EV builds are some of the tankiest builds because evasion covers most of energy shields weaknesses; which is essentially no recovery, and ES effectively just increases an evasion builds health by 2k+ for a couple points of investment.

While I agree energy shield values should be lowered, it needs to come with recovery options. Wicked Ward would be a simple solution, as would leech. Recoup requires a ton of investment and Sacrosanctum, and typically some form of self damage. Something like Ghost Dance, such as Arctic Armour protecting your ES, would be great.

Pure ES is not in a great spot, with a lot of top side builds actually stacking life or using mana as their life pool. Energy shield and the systems surrounding it need a ton of work, because the current iteration is just too easily abused by armour / evasion builds that can also snag a couple thousand ES for a few points, but isn't really great for the builds and archetypes that were intended to invest into it.

With PoE 2 having stats such as energy shield recovery rate and faster start be more common, I can see Wicked Ward being a good solve, however I think it should disable evasion.

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Legioona#1076 เขียน:

If ES is overrepresented based on data compared to armor and evasion, it should either be nerfed, or armor + evasion buffed.

This is what balancing is about.

Simple "nerf whatever’s most popular" logic misses how those defence systems fundamentally work. ES isn’t just another number you can shave, it has different interaction rules, trade-offs, and archetypes that would be destroyed by blunt nerfs. If the data says "ES is popular", the correct response is to fix the underlying mechanical differences (or buff specific gaps in armour/evasion), not to nerf an entire layer that some builds must rely on.

High usage is not a design problem. You’d disproportionately punish whole archetypes. The mechanics are different, not directly interchangeable. A blunt nerf creates perverse incentives. If you just cut ES numbers, you force everyone into a single "optimal" set of nodes/items to remain viable, reducing build diversity.

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Oinkaments#6390 เขียน:

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Legioona#1076 เขียน:

If ES is overrepresented based on data compared to armor and evasion, it should either be nerfed, or armor + evasion buffed.

This is what balancing is about.

High usage is not a design problem.

It is a balance problem.

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Legioona#1076 เขียน:

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Oinkaments#6390 เขียน:

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Legioona#1076 เขียน:

If ES is overrepresented based on data compared to armor and evasion, it should either be nerfed, or armor + evasion buffed.

This is what balancing is about.

High usage is not a design problem.

It is a balance problem.

No it is not.

A high pick/usage rate for ES can reflect accessibility, passive-tree and item synergies, or hybrid playstyles, not automatic overpoweredness. The thread itself notes many people pick ES in hybrid setups, which skews "usage" numbers. You can’t treat raw representation as a full diagnosis.

Instead of nerfing ES, how about softcapping monster damage so should they roll a critical attack that would 1 shot you, it would instead leave you at 10% hp.

Improving armor and evasion further would be good too. Evasion feels a lot better now with the added deflection. Armor on the other hand….

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Legioona#1076 เขียน:

It is a balance problem.

Pretty much


So far the only argument I have heard defending it is

"I dont build it that way and choose to not optimize my build with ES, so its not OP"


Its like taking only ES as a defense on gear, and then refusing to scale it on the tree (which is broken)


The people having their entire ES pools one shot either;

1) Dont build it high enough (not taking nodes on the tree and just going for attack nodes)

Or just in general take all attack nodes on the tree, and then make complaint posts about stun.

2) Dont cap their chaos resistance, when they dont take CI

3) Dont know this skill/spirit gem exists or the support to go on with it:



4) Dont use an ignite charm, or care to worry about charms in general....

5) Dont take any damage conversion through mana, not just talking about MOM.



Like the list goes on for extra defense in the ES part of the tree and its as if the people defending current ES are just oblivious to all these things, take all attack nodes and then post here how their ES pool is just "one shot"

ive seen a video with some dude that had ~43k es.

i dont think life can achieve that kind of ehp


it reminds me of the Last Epoch arc i had at some point.
*the unsteady performance from map to map also reminds me of last epoch ;)

was easier to forgive in their case, small indie studio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__3391ywSqU

I guess we've come full circle now guys, Armour needs a nerf, tanking multiple one shot hits from t3/4 Xesht is OP

Im being slightly sarcastic, i don't think this needs to be nerfed and neither do i think ES needs to be nerfed

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teksuoPOE#2987 เขียน:

ive seen a video with some dude that had ~43k es.

i dont think life can achieve that kind of ehp

Wow, didn't know ES could get that high, that is completely absurb.

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Oinkaments#6390 เขียน:

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Legioona#1076 เขียน:

It is a balance problem.

No it is not.

A high pick/usage rate for ES can reflect accessibility, passive-tree and item synergies, or hybrid playstyles, not automatic overpoweredness. The thread itself notes many people pick ES in hybrid setups, which skews "usage" numbers. You can’t treat raw representation as a full diagnosis.

So if 100% of players would use ES, you would not see it either as a balance problem? Instead it would reflect accessibility, passive-tree and item synergies, or hybrid playstyles?