I want to be able to "grind" the cumulative score without inconveniencing other people by asking them to run the same crap over and over.

This is actually a serious question.

When I pick up the game again when the next paid update hits, is anybody even going to WANT to do challenge mode and stuff like that with me at that point? Do I have to essentially write it off, or will people partake 6 months from now?

Will people run Crota's End again (or even Skolas) for someone who hasn't run it yet? I'm sure we will be willing to do these things so you can experience it. Tho' I would question if people would want to grind it enough times for you to get more than a couple complete scorecards.

I wouldn't even need to do a scorecard. Presumably with the next content release the light level will go up, and the rewards here won't matter. So I won't need them. It's be just to do the activity.

Rellekh had 314 light and was super fragile as a result.

*looks at 314 Warlock*

Uh-oh...

It wasn't too bad that she was fragile, which is my point. She just had different duties as a result.

Rellekh had 314 light and was super fragile as a result.

*looks at 314 Warlock*

Uh-oh...

Which is the Nightfall, btw? New strike? Winter's Run?

Seems odd. Mostly like they geared all this for newer players and those of us at end-game are already past some of the new content. Which is probably accurate.

• In the initial room, there's a high platform on the left side you can reach from the back (left from your spawn perspective). You can kill from there with impunity - only one yellow captain will spawn there at the beginning of the second wave. Make sure you take out the blights behind the center walls (which can be done from the sides of the upper platform.
  
• If you have Telesto, use it. Specialist + Void Burn + extra void explosions + extra orbs = win.
  
• If you have a Nightstalker, tether the final boss before doing damage
  
• If you have a Defender, use a weapons of light bubble before doing damage to the boss
  
• Combine those for a quick boss kill
  
• The area behind the center sphere in the boss room (to the back right from your entry perspective) is safe, except two Phalanxes and a blight will spawn in there with each add wave (one person with a void sword can handle them easily - gee didn't everyone just get a 320 void sword?)
  
• Axion darts are one-hit kills. If you don't get them early - run.

Our Builds: Two tether-hunters and a Void Warlock. Rellekh and I had a 290ish and 324 Telesto, and North had a 320 Truth. I ran with invisible smoke and the crest so I could revive anyone in a pinch.

Telesto is super helpful in my opinion because it generate orbs on this strike like none other. Specialist is on, and void damage output is insane on it. Truth is good bc: tracking purple death.

Rellekh had 314 light and was super fragile as a result. Her job was to hold down the one safe-zone under cover in the back (opposite side of the loop from where he spawns). She would super the blight as soon as it showed up immediately giving us a place to fall back. North and I staged our attacks on the right so Rellekh would periodically shoot from the left to get his attention.

This let North and I cautiously clear out the zone immediately to the right. We made sure to kill adds before putting bursts of damage on him. Either North or I would tether him and we'd let loose until another round happened. We made sure we had enough firepower to burn him before he started firing the tracking orbs at us.

Now the Prison is littered with noobs. I joined a 41 last night and got paired up with the worst players I've ever seen. They'd do something incredibly stupid, die, I'd go and revive them and before my overshield even disappears, they die AGAIN.

I was convinced that they were doing it on purpose, so I left.

The next one I joined was only a fraction better. The next two weren't getting killed--but they weren't getting any kills either. 3 out of 5 rounds, I seriously got more kills alone than the two of them combined.

It was then I quickly realized--all those bastards out there never played PoE because they thought it was worthless/pointless and you never got any good loot...now that PoE is the new hotness, everybody's joining and no one knows how to play because they've never done it before.

So my ego just aspload. I'm already a Sherpa!

And I just started nodding in inflation--only the blessed few--Brett, Tree, Kuga, Crow, Xenos(the other Xenos--Tim I haven't seen you in forever!), DS--all of you knew it was coming back, and the value of a good Firefight, with Strange Coins aplenty, and fun by all. The rest of those saps are left in the dust!

Now pardon me, I'm gonna go ace Challenge Mode by myself.

And then you have to do the whole thing over again on two more characters. So that's 9(!) completions of this static activity per week, with no matchmaking.

Popping in for the obligatory "if you don't like doing it then you really shouldn't do it 9(!) more times" post.