Issues With Low Level Play in Pathfinder 2E

Pathfinder 2nd edition is a great game, but some players come away from low-level play feeling like the game isn't what they were hoping for, only for the game to come into its own as they go up in level.

In this video, I explain what the issues are with low-level play in Pathfinder 2nd edition, breaking down the math of the game, and why it breaks down at the lowest levels of the game. I go over monster scaling, spell scaling, reactions, and the ways in which low-level play deviate unexpectedly from the "expected" math of the game, leading to many of the issues with and misconceptions about Pathfinder 2E that are constantly swirling around the internet.

0:00 Intro

1:22 Monster Damage and Hit Points

2:30 Monster Strike Damage Scaling

5:10 Monster To Hit Scaling

7:24 Damage Per Round from Monsters

9:40 Damage Compared to PL+0 Monster

13:20 Low Level Monster Damage Scaling Problems

14:00 Monster Hit Points

17:15 Monster AC Scaling

19:15 Time to Kill Monsters at Different Levels

22:15 Weak Monsters Die Faster at Low Levels

24:10 Low Level Play Rewards Offense Over Defense

24:47 Limited Tank and Reaction Options at Low Levels

25:46 Most Low Rank Spells are Bad

30:05 Low Level Buffs are Misleading

32:28 Summon Power Different At Low Levels

34:02 Bad 1st Rank Focus Spells

35:18 Poor Class Balance at Low Levels

36:18 Low Levels Fail to Teach the Game

37:05 Understanding the Memes

38:02 Anchoring Bias

38:40 Some Problems Can Be Fixed

39:44 Other Problems Are Harder to Address

40:36 Outro

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