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Forget the title above, it was completely clickbait and if you read this, it probably worked, because you didn't know what this thread was about, but you still clicked on it, just because the whole title is written very provocative and invites people who are either "against" or "in favour of" GGG.
It's sad to see that threads, that have strong provocative titles and content, often with little to none constructive feedback, generate more attention then actual well written feedback threads. This leads to a more and more toxic writing-behavior and in return lessens our impact on the game, because (passive-)aggressive posts often contain alot of emotion, but seldom suggestions on how to make something better.
If you read through some of these hot topics, it's very often not about the game anymore. People are offended from each other and try to defend their point of view by attacking others.
Here and there someone tries to make a sound argument, but especially these posts get either no response or are also attacked.
Is the PoE community really that toxic? Or can it do better? I wonder.
Yeah the community is actually pretty toxic. I did notice that too.
And that well written feedback or well written ideas are getting a lot less attention.
If you dont have a clickbait title then yeah you will less attention on your feedback.
I posted sth about this some time ago. The issue is the Forum itself. Its a really bad forum for feedback.
lets compare this forum to the Black Desert Feedback Forum.
You can sort it, you see if sth. is already applied to the game, you can see if its in development. Its very well maintained.
Furthermore you have upvotes and downvotes. You can sort after the likes etc.
Its several magnitude betetr than the feedback Forum of Path of Exile. What this forum needs is more moderation. Duplicate posts can be deleted. Rants can be deleted. Toxic posts can be deleted. This is feedback not a forum for rants. Most of the time they only remove insults in posts instead of the whole post. There were posts where the siupport had to remove every 10th word because it was insulting. Just outright delete the post. It wasnt feedback at all.
The best example of duplicate posts is the EXP penalty. Every 4th post here is about Death Penalties. U dont need this many posts about death penalties. Throw a sticky post to the top labeled Death Penalty. And delete all others or merge them.
Yeah, I completely agree. It’s becoming harder to get
attention for well-written feedback when the forum is flooded with
low-effort posts or
repetitive topics. I’ve also noticed that there’s a lack of structure or tools to properly organize discussions.
The ability to sort posts, track developments, and upvote or downvote feedback like in other forums, such as Black Desert's, would be a big improvement. A more effective moderation system could help eliminate toxic comments and duplicate threads, making it easier for everyone to focus on meaningful contributions.
The Death Penalty discussions are a great example of this—there’s a ton of redundancy, and just merging or sticking one main post at the top would clear up so much clutter.
Here are some suggestions I think would improve the Path of Exile forums and make them less toxic and more user-friendly:
1.
Improved Moderation and Filtering
Automatic Filters: Implement a system that auto-filters or flags posts with excessive negativity, personal insults, or toxic language. This could help ensure that only constructive posts get visibility.
Stronger Action on Rule Violations: Expand moderation to remove toxic posts in their entirety, rather than just editing them for insults. Allow moderators to warn users and issue temporary bans for repeat offenders.
Clear Guidelines: Publish clear, simple forum rules, including guidelines on tone, respect, and what counts as constructive feedback. Enforce these consistently.
2.
Rework the Forum Structure
Thread Sorting and Categorization: Implement tags or categories to help users find specific topics easily (e.g., “Feedback”, “Suggestions”, “Bug Reports”). This will help avoid users posting duplicate content in multiple threads.
Sticky Posts for Repeated Issues: Create a sticky post at the top of the forum for commonly-discussed topics (e.g., “Death Penalty” or “Class Balance”). Users can read that post before creating new ones, helping reduce the frequency of redundant posts.
Search and Filter Tools: Improve the search functionality to allow for better filtering by upvotes, keywords, or relevance. Users should be able to find what they’re looking for without scrolling through pages of unrelated posts.
3.
Incentivize Positive Contributions
Upvote/Downvote System: Add an upvote/downvote system so that the community can highlight quality posts and hide low-effort, repetitive, or toxic comments. This would help elevate the best feedback and push it to the forefront.
Rewards for Constructive Feedback: Introduce a reputation or karma system that rewards users who consistently contribute valuable ideas. These users could earn special forum badges or recognition that highlight their contributions.
"Best of the Week" Thread: Feature a weekly or monthly roundup of the best feedback posts, voted by the community. These posts would serve as a reference for GGG when considering changes or additions.
4.
Create More Transparent Communication
Progress Tracking for Suggestions: Provide a “status” tag for posts (e.g., “Under Review”, “Planned for Future”, “In Development”) so users can see whether their suggestions are being considered. This would improve transparency and reduce repetitive threads asking the same questions.
Developer Responses: Encourage developers or community managers to engage directly with posts more often, providing feedback or clarifications. This would show the community that their input is valued.
Q&A Sessions: Hold regular Q&A sessions or forums where developers answer community questions. This would allow for direct dialogue and keep the forum environment positive.
5.
Enhanced User Experience
Forum UI Overhaul: Give the forum a more modern design, making it easier to navigate and visually appealing. A cleaner interface with clearer thread organization would make it easier to engage in discussions.
Mobile-Friendly: Ensure the forum is more mobile-responsive, allowing users to post and browse more easily from their phones or tablets.
6.
Reduce Bots and Spam
Advanced CAPTCHA Systems: Introduce more robust CAPTCHA systems to block bot-generated spam and low-effort content.
Bot Detection: Use algorithms that can detect and flag bot-like activity based on patterns of repetitive, low-effort posts. Bots can be blocked or flagged for manual review.
7.
Community Moderation
User Flagging: Allow trusted community members to flag posts that violate forum guidelines.
Non-Moderation-Based Flagging → Instead of removing posts outright, flagged content would be sent to GGG moderators for review, ensuring no community member has direct censorship power. This prevents abuse while still filtering out blatant trolling or off-topic content.
Peer Review: Allow users with a certain reputation or experience level to help review and validate ideas or suggestions before they are passed on to the development team.
Community-Led Quality Control (Optional & Transparent) → If a peer review system is introduced, it should be clearly separate from moderation and focus solely on helping refine ideas before they reach GGG. This means:
1️⃣ No post removal by players
2️⃣ No "censorship" of negative feedback
3️⃣ Instead, trusted players can help organize and refine ideas for better presentation
Constructive Feedback Highlighting: Introduce a "Helpful Feedback" badge system. If a post receives a certain number of positive votes from users and moderators, it gets a special highlight, encouraging more thoughtful discussions.
