Endgame in GD is very good. Farm mats and gear for your next character. Completing SR 65-66 or 75-76 in time is a very rewarding feeling, same for CR gladiator 150-170. And the sheer amount of build variety (haven’t even played a caster or pets build yet, still busy with melee and ranged) keeps me going.
Once I reach my goals with a character (beating campaign, killing some optional bosses, finishing Crucible) I consider that character victorious and not play him any more. Don’t see a problem with this.
I’m very interested in that -95 % XP mod. Does it affect all sources of XP? If so, I would try it too. So far I’m using “Slow levelling” mod, but it doesn’t affect quest XP and only goes down to -75 %. I fail at comprehending GD’s tools, so could you publish it somewhere maybe?
What keeps me playing is the fact that in SR u get so much MI’s that you can constantly keep improving existing chars and re-discover them being more powerful
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Because playing a fun build is fun. Well, not all my builds are fun, especially those that I didn’t make entirely myself (hence I stopped looking at other people’s builds years ago), but I do have many builds that I take for another run from time to time just because they are fun to play.
Crucible is boring so I never even consider playing that, but I like SR farming, targetfarming specific MIs and the occasional Kaisan and/or Morgoneth run.
Another reason for me to revisit old chars is when a balance patch drops, then I go through each to see what changed, and if necessary adjust it and take it for a test run.
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Some time ago I realized im not about end game. Once I go through campaign and get to level 100 I very rarely revisit. Im not into end game grinding. I accepted that my love is trying different alts & playing the different mods. Noob forever! I even erased quite a few of my level 100s and just started over. This game is alt heaven.
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Thank you all for responses, expecially Violesta, mee too Violesta!
After max level, I consider the character done and lose interest in it.
For Res: I’m not a modder, I just change some values here and there monkey like.
What I have done is a modification to the burrowitch brew from “loyalist pack 1”
I removed the bad effects and give -95% xp, with a looong duration (90001 sec, recastable), you can activate at beginning of game session or just play with normal XP gain.
And yes, it affect all XP gain, quest included. If you integrate the mod in the main game, it also affect Crucible.
Also the wisp will give you 20.000 light radius (nice in the chtonian rifts). you can disband the wisp when not needed.
Last thing I used “BountiesUnlocked” (included in the mod without Mr Ceno permission)
Everything else is pure vanilla.
You donwload here: 185.1 KB folder on MEGA
But you must have loyalist pack 1 installed or will not work.
I was not able to create a new potion, so I cannot remove requirement for loyalist pack. I’m not very skillful.
Only other way is to overwrite an existing potion (or maybe ask to someone more competent).
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I set goals for myself. If I, say, set for myself the goal of creating at least one character of every class combination, even if I don’t necessarily enjoy every single second of the process of getting those characters levelled and geared up, I find satisfaction in achieving the end goal and enjoy specific milestones along the way. I always set my sights on the nearest goal ahead of me and work towards that. So even if the micro-aspect of the second-to-second gameplay isn’t challenging me at the moment, the proximity to the nearest goal keeps driving me forward.
The way I play I usually reach lvl 100 in early Ultimate (if I do Elite) or mid-to-late Ultimate (if I skip Elite, which I’ve started doing only now, after 4.3k hours of play, because Elite is a real low-point for GD). So my “xp drought” stretch isn’t nearly as long as yours was, which certainly helps keep me engaged.
I also stipulated that no character is allowed to have illusions until they reach lvl 100. So I may have an aesthetic vision for a character in mind and I just have to sit on it and wait, and let the excitement build up. And then when I reach lvl 100 I get to get all that energy out and tinker with the illusionist for like an hour to get the look just right.
In order for a character to truly complete the game, they also have to max out every reputation, beat every available nemesis (as practice and a testing ground for how the character will do in SR) and do all the secret quests (except Crate of Entertainment, cause fuck that fight, never beat it and probably never will given the time required for resetting after every death).
And then, once the character is done with the campaign, they have the task of doing SR75-80 within timer with reliability. That sometimes involves some major changes to gear or devotions so that’s another thing that keeps me engaged. I’ve seen how the character does against a wide variety of content in MC, now can I make it work at high SR or will I have to compromise my idea for the build to make it more viable?
And once I’ve beaten that, the character retires, and I only play them if I feel like it or I have an idea how to improve them further (while sticking to the flavour/vision for the character as much as possible), or if there were balance changes that revolutionise the build somehow. Because I end the playthrough with the overcoming of very difficult content with MY custom build (I never use guides, which is funny cause I used to write them for D2), usually culminating in a final, tense boss fight at SR80, I end the character with a high point. The playthrough doesn’t just peter out until I don’t feel like playing, it ends in an adrenaline rush (well, at least in cases where the character feels in danger at SR80). That keeps me excited to pick up another character and go through that again, so that I can see if my next crazy idea ends in a similarly euphoric victory.
With almost every ARPG, repetition will set in at some point, you stop finding new things and drastically improving your build from area to area. So I think being goal-oriented really helps keep you going after the good stuff. And if the game sets goals that are too far apart for you (beating campaign on Ultimate, etc.), you create smaller goals to complete for yourself along the way.
But all of that hinges on you enjoying the game, of course. Adding extra sub-goals into a game or genre that doesn’t really excite you only introduces a layer of tedium on top of the repetition.
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I’ve liked to learn what works, what doesn’t, push SR, Ravager kills, Crucible time, etc. Getting to level 100 is just the beginning.
I farm for gear, sets and those perfect greens.
I’m not a crucible fan, and I do not do SR much either. So I boss farm, nemesis farm, etc.
But Then again I’m not a one character person. I have severe alt-itis, and GD feeds that very well. trying out new builds and new characters is fun for me, so that keeps me going.
Plus, I noticed that you indicated that you have a hard time on Ultimate. Ultimate really is a gear check, it’s about finding a sweet spot between your offensive and defensive stats using gear, add-ons from rep vendors, and your devotion tree to be able to survive. That in itself can be an end game process for some people.
Alt chars
as simple as that
i love leveling the most in GD/enjoy leveling more than endgame
and i enjoy trying different builds out and doing silly things, which means making new char after new char after another
mods too i suppose, haven’t dived into mods yet, but i’m at the point where i’m thinking about it and looking to/have downloaded DoM and RoT
which i suspect will keep me going for a while longer once i do dive in 
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After reaching level 100 , I farm the blueprints and all and my endgame gear. when I am all set with faction reps and thus augments, I re-run the rogue dungeons (TotH is my favorite) . Then I run the whole game again in Ultimate to see how I am doing against monsters who have now scaled up,(Feels like : I am back ****** 
) and to remove any covered area on the map (it irritates me if I see those smoke layers 
) Then I go ready few sets of gears (as close to the desired ones as possible from the smiths if it is craft-able) and different augments to fight the celestials .
I test my character in front of Lokarr and in SR.
Then I make alts and repeat all the above till I have all the blueprints.
Then I delete those blueprints from the save folder ( did it once by mistake ) and then " Here I come again 
)
Note – Three of my crazy “targets” with alts -
- Farm at least one of ALL MIs (any affixes)
- Single class leveling (demolitionist ongoing)
- Play chaos , cold, lightning builds with any class ( very laughable I know
)
There’s a lot to progress in this game even after lvl100.
I’ve played quite a few builds, but i’ve yet to make a one who can reliably farm full Gladiator Crucible without wasting a massive amount of tributes. Today my current char got a oneshot there for ~31k damage (now shown as the highest damage taken), and he’s 65+ overcapped on all resistances… Yes, i know, everyone and their mother claim their build is able to farm gladiator crucible, but when I try to do the same, it’s all up to RNG (one run i’m perfectly fine, while another i got a sudden insta-gib).
But i believe my current char is pretty close, and there’s quite a room for improvement with his gear, as i’m using a lot of MI’s.
Sure, when you build your character with uniques & rares in every slot, there’s a little room for improvement after you got all required gear. But with multiple MI’s, you have to adapt and improvise.
you could definitely try to recheck if your DA is high enough and try melee or caster build for crucible because the area gets increasingly cramped.
Also try to reroll the mutators . start the play. if you see a mutator debuffing you heavily especially cc resistances or debuffing your damage type exit and start again. I know it will be boring but I myself do that all the time but gets your job done - clearing gladiator crucible that it.
Cheers !
I know, my DA was relatively low, there was +60% crit damage mutator, i hadnt killed Anasteria in time, and Korvak hit me…
I’ve fixed my mistakes later - increased DA with some augments and always using Ulzuin Pact, increased HP to 38k buffed (so even a 30k crit wont a oneshot), and i always focus Anasteria bitch first.
After all those tweaks i managed to clear Gladiator Crucible 170 relatively safe and fast enough to last 3 times before buffs fade off. I dont bother with clearspeed faster than that, as i spend most of my time sorting the loot gained after farming anyways.
And yes, my build is a melee one. Vitality EoR Archon. It’s the first build i can clear Gladiator Crucible 170 without praying to RNGesus.
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great job mate !
For me it was always Zantarin . while dodging the undead nemesis( forgot the name ) I moved away and then I noticed projectiles coming at me , I was more focused on not getting CHILLed then “you re dead!” . So zantarin is a kill on sight for me 
Yeah, i’ve “eaten” his shotgun once (used a movement skill to reach him when he was casting it). Took ~75% of my HP. A large HP pool does matter indeed…
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Because it’s fun, and i don’t run SR. My builds are mostly specialized e.g. a cold build to shatter the Bastion of Chaos and perhaps Ancient Grove; a chaos build to run Steps and Valbury … etc
Once in a while, i will scroll randomly through my long list of characters and take whom’st’ever i feel like playing with, out for a spin – sometimes literally in the case of EoR builds.
Think of it like a booty call. You know it’s not gonna last but the sex is totally still worth it.
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NOTHING. By the time i get there i had my fill and enough items in stash to want to play other builds, aka raise other chars.
Nothing. Endgame is pretty boring here, and the fact that endgame starts at lvl 94 and ends at lvl 100 with no further progression is hilarious. No seasons, no resets, no new mechanics, what is this solo grind for then? Only altoholics will enjoy it.
yes, i love having my work completely invalidated and removed every 3months, great “feature” 
please, how many games actually introduce real new mechanics each season, and not just some rehash or reskin of something prior, and when new stuff is introduced it’s def rarely every season
anyways, the beauty of GD is that it doesn’t do exaxctly what “all” the others do, so that it can cater to different people, instead of all games catering only to the exact same segment of players, different tastes/strokes for different people
and such is the glory of the addiction 
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