Yeah, the game really falls off a cliff once you break the siege.
I avoided the maxed level problem this time around by ignoring the two (formerly) DLC areas and not using Reckoning Mode at all, but that doesn’t solve the issues plaguing the second continent. Chiefly among them being the abundance of enemies that appear out of thin air and absolutely garbage sidequests. If you do decide to keep playing post-Siege, I’d strongly suggest sticking to the main questline while ignoring all distractions. Then just go and clear the Pirate area afterward (maybe the Teeth of Naros as well, though I’ve never bothered with it)… or just do the first continent and bonus areas while skipping the second entirely.
It was kind of nice being effectively invincible thanks to the semi-overpowered armor crafting system while having the ability to kill 3-6 enemies at a time with a single Mark of Flame. But then again there was no reason for all those enemies to keep appearing out of thin air to begin with; throwing hoards of trash mobs at the PC is a hallmark of bad design.
So is the end result worth paying full price for? Hell no. Not when it was first released in 2012 and certainly not now. If you want to play it, best to wait until it’s $20 or less.
Some tips for if/when you do:
- Weapon abilities max out at 3, while all other abilities max out 2 over their stated limit.
- Meaning, combined with the rewards for completing the 3 main Faction questlines, you only need one piece of +Skill equipment.
- Once prismere equipment starts to drop it’s time to switch from selling excess equipment to salvaging any green/blue pieces you find.
- Nearly every location on the map has a quest tied to it. So, pre-Siege, avoid exploring areas before you find the relevant questgiver to reduce backtracking.
- Post-Siege, the questgiver is often located inside the location.