Multipoll: Build fun and efficiency

[Volek]

I’m curious about what the community thinks of build efficiency and how important it is. Everybody has a different definition of what’s fun and what’s not. Being efficient can be huge part of the fun, but not necessarily. Some players might not even care about efficiency at all and still have fun. This poll aims to find out all about it!

I’m also curious about the new forum software’s poll implementation, what it looks like in a single thread and if it’s a good idea to begin with so here we go

1st question:
No matter if you’re following a guide or creating your own build, what is usually your main goal for it?

• High clear speed in Crucible
• High shards in Shattered Realm
• Both of the above
• Just the main campaign (Bosses, Nemeses, Dungeons)
• None of the above (quirky builds etc.)

2nd question:
When you pick the skills for a build, which aspect do you consider more important?

• Efficiency (synergies with other skills etc.)
• Visual coherency (thematically fitting skills)
• Practicality (easy piloting, no clunky skills etc.)

3rd question:
What is usually more important for your build’s performance?

• Kill speed
• Survivability
• The balance between both

4th question:
How many active skills are you most comfortable with?

• 3 or less, I’m too lazy and/or old for that shit
• 4 to 5, I’m not that lazy and/or old yet
• 6 to 7, there’s still some room to reach for the potion buttons
• 8 or more, I’m the Johann Sebastian Bach of Grim Dawn!

5th question:
What do you do after you have “finished” building a build?
(multiple answers possible)

• I min-max the hell out of it
• I use it for farming
• I complete all quests
• I play other builds but come back to it occasionally
• I play it for reference or showcase purposes (guides etc.)
• I never touch it again
• None of the above (see comment)

Feel free to leave comments on your choices and other thoughts, or add even more polls

My own thoughts:

Me personally, I have the most fun with builds that stay true to a certain theme and are effective enough to beat the main campaign with ease.

I don’t play Crucible, being able to kill Nemeses and story Bosses is the important goal for me. I also aim for SR 50 to get rid of the associated quest, but it’s not a must. Some of my builds can do 50, some can’t, and that’s fine. I’m happy if the skills are flashy and fun to use

I don’t like to use skills that don’t fit the build’s theme though, for example the Cinderwinds proc from Cindertouch gloves looks totally out of place.on a Lightning build so I won’t use it, even if it makes the build more efficient. I also don’t like skills that are impractical to use, but I usually take them anyway if they are either visually coherent or absolutely needed for the build to work (Yes Thermite Mines, I’m looking at you! Glad you will be fixed soon )

I don’t play hardcore and I don’t mind the occasional death. For me survivability is not as important as kill speed so I usually focus on getting rid of monsters fast.

Since I’m old and lazy, I don’t play Piano builds anymore. 6 to 7 active skills is what I can manage, but I prefer 4 to 5. I have yet to play a build with only 3 or less active skills, but as I’m getting even older and lazier each day I might attempt that soon enough

After I have finished a build I usually play it until I have done every single quest in the game, and if the build is both fun and efficient it might end up as my main farming build. This role switches around quite often.

[malawiglenn]

I have a keyboard on the floor as well so I can play like Grim Dawn like Bach!

[Volek]

That’s cool xD I wonder if it’s possible to get a midi footpad to issue keyboard commands…

Also I effed up the poll, at least the first question. I did not know that answers switch positions, depending on what has the most votes. So “Both of the above” actually means “Both SR and Crucible”.

[USER_NAME_01]

1. There’s no option that I’d vote for. My main goal is fun and killing Super bosses, if possible.
2. The same. I pick the skills I like. I don’t really care about anything else, every skill has its own efficiency that I care about.
3. Nothing I could vote for again, although “balance between both” kind of fits. The performance doesn’t really increase for me if a build is strong but not fun. I can play a trash build and still manage to do SR75 or kill Ravager, but if I don’t have fun playing such build, no matter how strong it is its performance drops hard.
4. There should be an option “I don’t give a damn fuck”, or just “I don’t really mind about how many skills I have”.
5. This is the only one I can vote on, but as all above were impossible for me to vote, I’ll say “there’s no answer I would vote for” again. Theoretically that’d be also true, but I sometimes min-max, I often farm with it (depends if the build is good for it), all quests are completed anyway, I also play other builds, I sometimes never touch it again (if it’s literally not fun or just straight up trash).

[Volek]

yea I forgot to mention Superbosses in the 1st poll, but you can vote “None” if the other options don’t look like fun to you.
Looks like I should have added “I don’t care, leave me alone ya ol’ bugger” to each poll too Well I learned something for the next poll
As of #3, are you saying you suck at playing builds that are no fun? I’d expect it to be the other way round, but that can make sense too. Depends on your definition of fun I guess. Maybe we have different definitions of “performance” too, I’m not sure. I was thinking more about high-damage glass cannons vs low-damage tanks in this question, but I understand it’s probably very situational.