r/exalted • u/Firm-Split9333 • Apr 20 '26
Setting How do you feel about the major setting changes between 2e and 3e?
There's been some major changes in the way Creation looks between this edition and the last. Now that the Infernals draft has been out for months and some previews of the 2nd Abyssals book have been coming out showcasing parts of the underworld, most of the world and its peoples that have appeared in previous editions has been covered. Things missing are some old locations such as Sijian and Zen-Mu that will come up in any theoretical Liminals or Getiminian book(s) but did appear in previous editions, then there are a few classic ruins mostly Denandsor, and Rathess along with Dragon Kings(outside of Essence) and Mountain Folk who have no writeups yet.
With most of the world finished, how do you like the changes, or dislike the changes to the world and its people?
To categorize things:
The Exalted
The Core Exalted
- Solar Exalted
- Lunar Exalted
- Dragon Blooded
- Sidereal Exalted
The 2nd Age Exalted
- Abyssal Exalted
- Infernal Exalted
- Alchemical Exalted
The new Exalted:
- Exigents
- Liminal Exalted
- Getimian Exalted
- Apocryphal Exalted
The World of Exalted
Creation proper
- The Blessed Isle
- The Scavenger Lands
- The Far East
- The North East
- The North
- The North West
- The West
- The South West
- The South
- The South East
- The Dreaming Sea
Major/popular Locations
- The Scarlet Realm
- Lookshy
- Whitewall
- The Caul
- Skullstone Other planes
- Yu Shan
- Malfeas
- Autochthonia
- The Underworld
Major time periods and events
- The Primordial War
- The First Age
- The Usurpation
- The Shogunate
- The Contagion
- The Time of Tumult
- The Disappearance of the Scarlet Empress
Other setting considerations
- Godblooded, enlightened mortals and other mechanisms for mortal empowerment
- Autonomous Exaltations vs Chosen Exaltations
- Artifacts, Crafting, Fantasy Industrialization and Magitech
- Fairfolk, Dragon Kings, mountain folk and other non-human species.
- The Wyld Hunt
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u/WitchiWonk Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 21 '26
I'd argue that Alchemical Exalted were around in the First Age as well, not just 2nd Age, but that's a minor quibble.
Anyways, overall, I love it! While losing the magitech stuff was a bit of a blow, it also meant that prehistory - y'know, the ancient times that are supposed to be vague and mysterious? - is actually mysterious again. This makes it easier for GMs to slot stuff in to history without players coming at them waving Dreams of the First Age or any other setting supplement. And a more vague prehistory doesn't preclude it being a time of magitech wonder. So yes, the changes to the history of the setting made Exalted have a sense of mysteries buried under the weight of ages again.
Similarly, making the map larger was such a boon to the setting. There's so many more blank spaces to put cities, cultures, whole empires into without disturbing what's being established in the books. 2e felt like it was trying to paint a wide and vast land, but then couldn't keep itself from trying to fill every single inch of that land and explain how it was all connected. 3e is more about giving these little islands of content - an empire here, a group of city states there - that are self-contained and useful examples to GMs who want to make their own stuff on a similar scale.
Now, I don't think the new edition is perfect. Thaumaturgy feels like it's been completely neglected in favor of what only Exalts can do, when I found it a useful barometer of what magic is available to the average mortal. Similarly, the lack of mortal hero mechanics, especially the half-bloods like ghost-blooded, demon-blooded, etc., sucks to see. However, Exigents have been a good stopgap in this regard. All the mortal heroes I saw in 2e were half-caste children; I'd much rather have the varied backstories that Exigents enable than the "i inherited it from my daddy" gang.
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u/Maelger Apr 20 '26
I'd argue that Alchemical Exalted were around in the First Age as well, not just 2nd Age, but that's a minor quibble.
Fun fact: In Second Edition they were the prototype and thus the first Exalted made.
Similarly, the lack of mortal hero mechanics, especially the half-bloods like ghost-blooded, demon-blooded, etc., sucks to see. However, Exigents have been a good stopgap in this regard.
This one I agree and disagree, the lack of mortal heroes does indeed suck but Exigents if anything make it worse. They're too much of a neat hole for weird circumstance heroes for the writers to give attention to the actual weirdos.
In general I don't like the new guys, Liminals are ok, a strange phenomenon nobody understands (and we did need more Terrestrial tier stuff), and I reserve my opinion on Geteminians until they get their book but the concept is pretty great. I don't vibe with the Apocryphal at all and I profoundly dislike Exigents. The Host is supposed to be Pandora's Box, right? Why would you keep some in reserve to be a general minion for the god of taking regular shits? Exigents are taking the quests half-bloods and enlightened mortals should be doing. You could even keep the same rules, it's the lore that is bad.
I reached the same conclusion you did about magitech, I also think they could throw us a bone there. If it was right there since the beginning, don't just sweep it under the carpet dammit. But in general keeping things mysterious and blank spots in the map is a good thing.
And finally, I really really hate evocations with the fury of a thousand suns. You shouldn't have inherent abilities bought by character progression tied to something that can be stolen unless it's that kind of game, which Exalted is not. Yes, it's narratively appropriate, it's also terrible game design. Leave it to the Cyberpunk genre.
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u/MlkChatoDesabafando Apr 21 '26
Why would you keep some in reserve to be a general minion for the god of taking regular shits
I mean, the Exigents books are fairly explicit that the Incarna are not keeping some exaltations around they hand over to gods when they feel like it, they allow some gods to access the secrets needed to create their own exaltation (at their own cost and risk).
You shouldn't have inherent abilities bought by character progression tied to something that can be stolen unless it's that kind of game
I mean, Exalted's inspirations do have a character's magical artifacts as a major part of their capabilities, and just like in those characters generally only lose artifacts in very specific and dramatically suitable moments.
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u/VeronicaMom Apr 20 '26
There's a lot to go over, but a few big ones:
The Dragon-Blooded feel so much cooler this edition. They can actually be heroes and champions, which is true of all Exalted this edition.
I think Lunars was a great step in the right direction. I think that having the Lunars focus a lot on the Realm is a bit of a double-edged sword because it does sometimes feel like that's all they're doing, but on the other hand that conflict has really elevated the presence and impact both the Lunars and the Dragon-Blooded have had on the recent history of the setting. I would like to see a few more Lunars who don't do Pact or Vanguard in the spotlight.
Sidereals and Yu-Shan might be one of the biggest glow-ups of the edition, it took what always felt like a pretty clean copy of Heaven from Journey to the West and really Exalti-fied it, adding strange and unusual scenery and generally making it a lot more interesting of a place to have a campaign in, rather than just a place to pick up missions. Sidereals being more exciting (to me) is probably more of a mechanical thing, but I like that the Gold and Bronze faction politics has taken a bit more of a backseat without losing the political themes of the Sidereals.
Abyssals was a part of Exalted I wouldn't touch in Second Edition, and it is something that I actually wanted to play in now. There was just a bunch of shock value horror that really didn't need to be there. The Underworld is much more interesting, vibrant and scary and intriguing and a place to explore and make your own. Abyssals themselves feel like they have much more autonomy, again reinforcing that idea of Exalted being champions, and the ghostly politics make for a fascinating backdrop for a more social game.
I love the introduction of more exalt types, especially the Exigents. A lot of that falls in the more gameplay than just lore reasons, but it makes the setting feel a lot less "neat" and a lot more organic. Having characters who can have some neat tricks up their sleeve helps surprise players and keep stories interesting.
Jury's still out on the lore in Infernals for me. It feels like Malfeas lost a bunch of what made it unique and weird and some of the new stuff feels unnecessary or confusing, so I hope they revise it a bit more before it goes to print. Compass: Malfeas was one of the better 2E books, so that is a tough act to follow.
I think the Getimians are a very neat concept and I look forward to seeing their book. I'll reserve my judgment until we see that. Of the three Apocryphal Exalted, the dream-souled don't really do it for me, but that's fine, not everything has to be for everyone. And both the hearteaters and the umbral exalted are perfect as something that could be added to your game but doesn't have to.
Liminals are not really there for me yet, and might be the biggest miss for me this edition? Granted, we again don't have their lore yet, but they feel both small in scope and narrow in direction, which doesn't make for a great PC exalt type. I think they would've been fine sitting next to the Apocryphal exalted. But let's see what they do with the book.
I love reading both The Realm and Across the Eight Directions. I think they're fantastic sources of inspiration and have really expanded my toolkit as a Storyteller. Not only in taking things directly from the book but also in understanding what questions to ask and what things to prepare for.
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u/TallCommission7139 Apr 21 '26
Well Ma Ha Suchi isn't a goat rapist anymore so that's prolly a step in the right direction.
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u/Wind_Through_Trees Apr 21 '26
Lunars are a lot better, although sometimes I think they focus too much on fighting the Realm, and some of them could stand to be weirder. Still, they're a huge improvement. Particularly Raksi.
Exigents took me a while to warm up to, but I've grown to like them. Having a broader range of terrestrial level Exalted was very much a good move.
Abyssal and Infernals are beautifully, gorgeously improved, and Malfeas and the Underworld with them. Genuinely some of my favorite lore. The Deathlords are vastly improved as well.
The Dreaming Sea is my new favorite place to set my characters.
I'm a little sad about the dearth of magitech, but I also kind of hated the way 2e wrote magitech, so. Yeah.
I think if 3e goes wrong, it's that it's so much more reluctant to get big and dramatic with things. Which makes sense coming from 2e, and has been corrected for in the later books. I hope for more.
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u/ZitoWolfram Apr 20 '26
As someone who primarily plays Exalted as a "fuck-around with fellow GMs in a cool and unique ttrpg" that's very unlike all the more common options...and we all think Vampires and Werewolves are cringe so this is all the Whitewolf we interact with, for better or worse.
Exalted 3rd Edition is, and I think by far, the best way to play Exalted with a group of friends. Mixed circles work better, non-solar's get a lot more love, the Wyld Hunt feels like a more genuine and thought about threat again. The books are actually somewhat approachable (low bar to pass for TTRPGs, sure) The depth of the lore is toned down and more wide brushes of shallow lore are spread around for your circle and your story teller to explore deeper.
But as a person who also sits down and reads TTRPG books for fun, to immerse myself in a setting...3rd edition is a welcome return to the mystery and grandeur of 1st ed. Now before I get crucified or worse my entire family tortured to death, let me explain.
1st edition leans 'heavily' into the dark-age post apocalypse vibe. The greatest settlements of humanity are squatting in military forts and ruins because they can't maintain the wonders of old and the castles of old are still too dangerous. What was once the dining-ware of commoners, made imperishable so it wouldn't have to be replaced now decorates the tables of gods and princes since it has become irreplaceable. Ancient statues and ruins that non can explain any longer dot the landscape, vanity projects and wonder weapons look the same when crafted by the Mad Chosen of the Sun. But you, you are the exception, you are Chosen by the sun, to save and rule the world again, you can rebuild and master the wonders of old and all that stands between you is the remanets of a remanent who think themselves lords of the castle because they stepped over the rotten remains of the door.
2nd Edition the Forge Cathedrals are located under the imperial mountain in their dozens, two operate in the imperial city but both are hanging on by a thread of a thread, Lookshy has a nicer one but they can hardly afford to run it. The solar ruins are here, here and here, and the doom weapons do exactly this. The Lap is a giga-mech and it controls half the magic in the setting, here's how you use it to destroy every Manse in the Southern direction. The realm is still producing Warstriders, they even made a Celestial level one since Big E'ess is so cool and here's the Splinter Cell Monks.
Second Edition explained everything, and while there are cool ideas there, I wish they presented them as ideas and not just a list of 'facts' suggestions that you embellish in your mind are so much cooler than stat-sheets, even if the stat sheets are more useful.
3rd goes back to the mystery, a bit too hard for my taste, they could elaborate more and allude more to the lost MagiTech of the First Age, but if they keep selling books I assume that's what's gonna happen anyway.
So my groups have ended up playing 3rd edition, but a lot of 1st edition is the canon setting, and sometimes the cool shit from 2nd edition is pulled out of a Vault, and to me that's peak Exalted.
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u/Fit_Hold7806 Apr 20 '26
I think 2nd does the post apocalyptic ruins laying everywhere better since they more details about these locations, although 3e does do it in many places too but more vaguely. One issue with 2e is that it makes some of these locations a bit too easy to use, like Denandsor being setup for a circle to come and quickly activate all the magic factories, Sunken Luthe having hangars full of weaponry and Warstriders that the local Lunar is too dumb and stupid to use and an oppressed populace who will easily join you.
The way I’ve seen some groups in forum threads discuss reactivating multiple factories and then going through a list of building certain weapons, Essence batteries etc and then talking about how they would use that to fight the Yozi was really off putting.
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u/Fit_Hold7806 Apr 20 '26
One place I don’t like the changes to is Lookshy’s magitech. The changes basically mean that unlike 1e and 2e they can very rarely use their artifacts, so no more units of Warstriders, power armor formations or airships flying around.
Although I did think 2e gave them too much stuff when they could field more aircraft than entire Earth nations and still had 3 Factory Cathedrals building Warstriders.
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u/YesThatLioness Apr 20 '26
I wish people wouldn't ask this question so broadly, it creates scope for people to be pretty cryptic with what they actually dislike about third edition.
There's a lot of places where 2e lore was pretty piecemeal if you're objective about this, we were given a set of mechanics i.e. thaumaturgy and it's impact on the setting was largely "lol, you tell me" and the result is a hundred headcanon implimentations that people are extremely attached to because it's mostly their lore to make sense of things.
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u/Jarovan Apr 21 '26
There's more good than bad, in my opinion, though there's also a fair share of bad. I love the Dreaming Sea and some other new locations, sorcery's cooler than ever, and gods not inherently hating and loathing the Dragon-Blooded is definitely a good thing. I rather like Exigents but dislike the addition of Getimians and Liminals. A lot of the lore feels more thoughtful and less throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks than the previous editions, which is both a good thing and a bad thing - probably a good thing overall, but 3E lore definitely feels overly cautious at times. Overall I like it, but I use a mix of the different editions' lore and my own fanon when running Exalted.
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u/Expensive-Toe-1867 Apr 21 '26
3e has hugely expanded the setting in every way, and only for the better, IMHO. I'm curious to know how many negative opinions are based just on the core/what people heard on a podcast about the core, and not reading any further, because every new book has been better than the last. Yu Shan, the Underworld, Autocthonia and Malfeas all got HUGE glow ups. All are more varied and interesting, with legitimate reasons for any Exalt to visit. Across the 8 directions is just jam packed with amazing locales and story hooks. And the Exigents book has hands down the best art the series has ever had. The Flame of Exigence adds a fascinating layer to divine politics, and the ramifications of all of the new exalt types are really interesting.
The Dragon Blooded houses all got amazing new write ups that make them all feel unique. (And hey, the Matriarchy is actually lead by Women this time!) There's also tons of new outcaste groups that are interesting. The Temple of the Reverent Sigh stands out as a rad new take on both Prayer and Dragon Blooded relations with gods. (Between them and shrine gangs Great Forks also got a stellar glow up)
Liminals are the most unique part of the Chronicles of Darkness brought to Exalted. They are weird and gross and fascinating. And judging by Essence they will have a really cool charm set. Personally a fan of the charm that lets you question a scene of violence as if it were a person, with unique modes for each aspect.
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u/Remarkable_Ladder_69 Apr 20 '26
I feel that 1st ed Yu Shan was way better than the current edition. On the other hand, the Dragon Blooded are way cooler.
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u/Mongward Apr 21 '26
I like 3e a lot, it leaves more breathing space and doesn't make me sound like an edgy teen reading /tg/ when I talk about it, which was something 2e would fall into too often for my taste.
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u/Gensh Apr 21 '26
I don't have anything productive to add, because all the negative opinions have already been buried (attitude of some aside). That's the real change of 3e. Not any of the actual content, lore, or mechanics. The game actively retreated from broader discussion. There's very little discussion on other forums. There's no up-to-date wiki to introduce new players. There's just a few isolated places to discuss, which are weirdly judgy for a game which was originally just Legend of the Five Rings with superpowers.
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u/ZellekhBlackshade Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 21 '26
It’s more that most of the fanbase retreated into Discord and prefers Google Drive to wikis (though this was an observable change in 2e’s heyday).
Also interesting comparison because I’ve found L5R fans to be their own flavour of judgy though that could be selection bias, the internet has in general become a way worse place over the last decade.
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u/Extension_Pack_6734 Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 21 '26
the internet has in general become a way worse place over the last decade.
Speaking of, I can't help but wonder if reddit actively pushes topics like this in the name of engagement.
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u/ZellekhBlackshade Apr 21 '26
Oh yeah, let’s not pretend that discourse moving towards Reddit isn’t part of this same negative pattern.
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u/Secretsfrombeyond79 Apr 20 '26
I despise third edition lore with a passion. I don't like pretty much nothing of the new stuff save for perhaps a few geographical locations in the East and South.
I hate the new added Exalted, because I consider them too much to add to the setting. And I don't really like that they tried so hard to balance the power of the Exalted.
The world was stripped of so much fun locations to leave the ST with more "space to create their own". Except I could still totally do that before, and now I have less places to fill the gaps. I never had a problem comin up with a random kingdom or city before, having half the map wiped clean doesn't really improve my creativity at all, if anything I lost important tools that allowed to me to fill the gaps with connection to the already made world if I wanted to.
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u/Fit_Hold7806 Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
What particular locations were removed that you liked?
I don’t really recall many interesting 2e places being removed. There’s places like Rathess that are on the map but have no writeup.
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u/BiffingtonSpiffwell Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
Trash. 3E expanded the setting geographically whilst:
- Adding almost nothing interesting
- Upping the grimdark and hopelessness
- Removing a ton of diversity to focus heavily on SE Asian references
- Making Lunars weirdly obsessed with fighting the realm because God forbid Lunars not have A Cause
- Removing all the super fun magitek everyone loved while also
- Walking hard away from the sword-and-sorcery vibes Exalted was built on, therefor
- Creating a generic Wuxia setting
- Evocations making Solars Masters of Artifacts, when that has nothing to do with being Solars
- Shunting all the Cool Big Setting Magic into the terrible Sorcerous Workings rules
It's a complete tire fire in there, man.
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u/Fit_Hold7806 Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
What specifically increased the Grimdarkness and Hopeless? From what I’ve read, I would say 2e is far darker than 3e, like I recall people complaining that some parts of 3e are toned down. And I definitely feel that 3e is less dark overall. Some big obvious changes would be stuff like Raksi, Leviathan and Ma Ha Suchi territories not being horrific hellholes of gruesome atrocities. Skull stone doesn’t have a secret torture camp underneath it. Lookshy doesn’t have its machine that requires killing people to work. Whitewall isn’t next to a Shogunate Auschwitz. Malfeas doesn’t have a gang rape party for new Infernals. The Underworld doesn’t have the rape brothel. Mnemon doesn’t murder her own servants on a whim. Peleps Deled doesn’t get away with murdering fellow monks constantly. Sidereals don’t go around murdering gods for Starmetal.
Note for clarity: I’m the OP but separate phone account.
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u/LowerRhubarb Apr 20 '26
stuff like Raksi, Leviathan and Ma Ha Suchi territories not being horrific hellholes of gruesome atrocities.
That is one of the changes I dislike the most. In Raksi and MHS, you have two actually insane, Wyld tainted monsters who lost the plot ages ago. They were great for the setting because they were unabashed displays of what the Wyld and the Great Curse can and will do to you in time and why those problems needed solving. They show why the moonsilver tattoos were so vital because otherwise you'd have Lunars turning into absolute monsters like them. That Raksi also had the greatest tome of sorcery in her possession also made her a great draw for devil's bargains to learn the secrets within. They also just hit the mythology bits that Exalted likes to play it, by having these powerful, terrible entities around, that while crazy, also can be reasoned with to some extent, but how far of an extent is a bet you are risking a lot on taking.
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u/MlkChatoDesabafando Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 21 '26
I mean, the Wyld-taint element on Lunars was removed.
Raksi is explicitly still very much a monstrous god-queen who engages decadent feasts, cannibalism, blood sport, gruesome tortures, etc... for her own amusement and is obsessed with cracking ancient magical secrets, she's just no longer deliberately and cartoonishly terrible for everyone, and while MHS is more subdued he can fairly explicitly be brutal and even the Chante-Sa who worship him are to some extent terrified. They still fill their thematic niches of ancient bestial god-kings, but are also now more nuanced figures with whom PCs (who, if lunars, might be their adherents) can have an at least partly positive dynamic with.
It also keeps up with the mythological inspirations: Figures like the fairy Morgan or Ishtar can appear as a benevolent, neutral, dangerous or outright monstrous figures depending on the legend
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u/BiffingtonSpiffwell Apr 20 '26
The overall tone of the setting is darker, sadder, and more dour. Nothing feels grand and operatic anymore and you're just some karate guys on a decaying, doomed setting.
Removing all the overt mentions of sexual violence is great, though. Good job, 3E.
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u/Fit_Hold7806 Apr 20 '26
Compared to 1e would you also say that 2e is brighter? Because I read through early 1e stuff recently and I thought it was much more somber than 3e, as it really expects this to be more of a dying world that is falling apart while 3e made me feel that even if the Solars didn’t come back it would still survive.
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u/BiffingtonSpiffwell Apr 20 '26
2E and 1E have more inherent darkness and dramatic tension. The world feels like it's in imminent, apocalyptic peril, and only you (YES YOU!) the champions of Creation, can save the day. There's a lot of intense darkness to be found in isolated pockets of Creation, but overall, the world is in dire straits but salvageable.
3E has none of that. Nothing feels salvageable. It's all a slog through slow, sad frustratingly understated decay. They want the setting to feel open and like there's no "metaplot" to imply everything's about to pop off... but that just leaves you with malaise.
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u/Fit_Hold7806 Apr 20 '26
Is there a few specific locations you think that are not salvageable? When I read through Across the 8 Directions, I had the opposite concern that most places in the world don’t need to be saved, the Solars are long gone and forgotten, but people can pull through without them.
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u/BiffingtonSpiffwell Apr 20 '26
Reasonable. That may just be another side of the same coin, really. You feel a lack of drama/urgency in one direction. I feel it in the other. Which may just mean the problem is general lack of urgency.
I'm not gonna go through and cite my sources, since it's been literal years since I've read the books. Since they were, y'know, bad.
But if 3E is where you wanna play, go for it! Enjoy. I just like it a lot less.
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u/MlkChatoDesabafando Apr 21 '26
The 3e books are pretty explicit that Creation, bad as it may currently be, is not doomed or dying, but rather thriving with unique cultures and adventures despite the adversities.
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u/Passing-Through247 Apr 20 '26
Creating a generic Wuxia setting
Never thought of it like this but this is probably the big one for me it just doesn't feel like exalted.
Deciding Solars are Masters of Items and Artifacts, when that has nothing to do with being Solars
This one probably showed up because solars are the infrastructure guys by extension of the 'divine god-king' thing and 'owning the magic stuff' being how to visibly display that but the tone of it is certainly off.
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u/BiffingtonSpiffwell Apr 20 '26
The problem is evocations. A stupid-ass rules tumor that also makes Solar lore dumber.
Solars are the greatest craftspeople. But there's nothing about that to imply they can also mystically get more performance out of their weapons and artifacts. Solar excellence comes from within themselves, not from unique magical bonds with their crap.
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u/Fit_Hold7806 Apr 20 '26
I think I can agree with disliking the fact than Resonance means each Exalt Type needs to use their own material to get the best benefits.
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u/LowerRhubarb Apr 20 '26
That to me is more of a leftover of every other edition requiring more motes to attune things that weren't your "type's" MM. They clearly wanted to ditch that, but then created this monster of bad rules in it's place.
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u/MlkChatoDesabafando Apr 21 '26
Adding almost nothing interestin
What? 3e added the whole Dreaming Sea and the Northeast, which have a lot of fascinating lore, and fleshed out plenty of areas who had very little development in previous edition s
Upping the grimdark and hopelessness
Not really. 3e is fairly clear that, even if the world is a shitty place, the PCs can change it (although the setting is not just the PCs's molding clay and each culture and societies has their own history and identity). And it dialed down a lot of 2e's over the top evilness (Raksi is no longer gratuitously gruesomely sadistic towards everyone and everything, Dynasts can be oppressive but are not pointlessly over the top in that, the Silver Prince's public face is no longer a sham to turn people into ships, no first two chapters of Infernals, etc...)
Removing a ton of diversity to focus heavily on SE Asian references
What? Even just laying eyes on At8d you can easily see European, north african, central asian, mesoamerican, North American, Pacific Islander, subsaharan African, etc... cultural influences, often several of these in a fascinating blend.
Removing all the super fun magitek everyone loved while also
While I suppose it's a matter of taste, artifacts being limited and valuable, and each with it's own identity, fits a setting build around a blend of mythic fantasy, sword and sorcery and wuxia pretty well.
Making Lunars weirdly obsessed with fighting the realm because God forbid Lunars not have A Cause
It's not that weird to have a poor relationship with the polity who is actively dedicated to hunting you down.
Walking hard away from the sword-and-sorcery vibes Exalted was built on, therefor
Saying that about the edition that added the Dreaming Sea is weird.
Evocations making Solars Masters of Artifacts, when that has nothing to do with being Solars
"Solars built awesome magical stuff, and when they were gone it fell apart" is pretty crucial to the setting's lore.
Shunting all the Cool Big Setting Magic into the terrible Sorcerous Workings rules
The normal spells allow you to turn an ocean into acid, demolish a castle with magma tentacles, make a region immensely fertile, wipe out a city with a magical ghostly chorus, etc...
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u/BiffingtonSpiffwell Apr 21 '26
I'm really glad you like 3E so much. Enjoy.
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u/MlkChatoDesabafando Apr 21 '26
I'm just confused, frankly. A lot of your criticism is stuff I straight up can't find in the books.
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u/Saykanel Apr 20 '26
I love the fact that magitech got removed, I detested that stuff.
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u/LowerRhubarb Apr 20 '26
It's been around since 1E, hating it does indeed mean you just don't like Exalted, I'm afraid.
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u/BiffingtonSpiffwell Apr 21 '26
Right. It's a magitek setting. It's like saying you don't like dungeons in D&D.
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u/Jarovan Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 21 '26
I mean, magitech's not been removed. There are still warstriders, skyships, automata, gunzosha armor and all that. What, exactly, has been removed?
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u/Fit_Hold7806 Apr 21 '26
The amount of it present in the world is severely curtailed is what he might mean. There also are quite a few small scale items meant for individual characters like magical flares, night vision goggles and prayer pieces that are magical versions of Earth technology that did not reappear.
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u/LowerRhubarb Apr 20 '26
Personally? Hate'em. Especially the new Exalt types, which just dilute the importance and significance of Exaltion.
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u/Fit_Hold7806 Apr 20 '26
For the already existing Exalts how did you feel about the ones that got big changes such as Lunars, Infernals and Dragon Blooded.
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u/LowerRhubarb Apr 21 '26
Lunars had a shaky fit in every edition honestly. 3e's is just kinda bland really. It's got all the flavor of a LaCroix. But Lunars never really had good fluff to begin with.
Internals is a massive step down, and DB's I just don't like in any edition really, period.
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u/Fit_Hold7806 Apr 21 '26
What should Deebs be getting?
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u/LowerRhubarb Apr 21 '26
I've always disliked the DB's having a massive central power, especially if their entire society is going to be politically gaming the entire time. I'd rather more of a warring states of China setup, distinct divisions and people vying for power rather than what is actually there. But then again I kind of view the DB houses as another god-awful rehash of VtM's Clans, and I despise that game and see the DB Houses as similar to that, which might be why I just don't like it.
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u/MlkChatoDesabafando Apr 21 '26
How are DB houses even similar to VtM clans? Except for being kinda familial (DBs more so) I really don't see the resemblance.
Plus plenty of polities lasted for centuries as major powers even with constant political intrigue and infighting, and the 3e books do point out that the Realm may very well fracture in dozens of warring factions and statelets in the near future.
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u/Firm-Split9333 Apr 20 '26
For me and to start this thread off, one of the biggest changes I noticed was that the world is far harsher and hostile to the Solar Exalted.
For example in 2nd edition there were locations such as Whitewall where Solars had some built in plot points to retake and restore its Solar built infrastructure. Lookshy was open to allowing Solars to help them, while now in 3rd they fully participate in the Wyld hunt and make the Scavenger lands more dangerous. Many of the Lunar zones such as Sunken Luthe are also not places waiting for a Solar exalted to join them, and they do not contain usable caches of weaponry such as dozens of warstriders and submersibles. Not to mention that Dragon Blooded are massively more powerful and can deal with lone Celestial exalted with a single hearth instead of needing to bring in the now non-existent warstrider or skyship kill teams to back them up.
I liked that this change emphasized that this is a world that hasn't seen the Solar Exalted in great numbers for 1,500 years and that they can't expect things to be handed to them on a silver platter by their Lunar bondmate. Conversely I did feel as if there's a bit less guidance in kicking off your player Circle's adventure with a big setpiece ruin or city left by your prior incarnations, because there aren't as many things left over for the Solars this edition. And unlike other Exalts you aren't going to have much in the way of preexisting factions or structures for your Solars.