Content Update 0.2.0 -- Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt

After seeing what a "fully geared" Sorceress has to look forward to at only level 92(I was blindsided by the exp loss, why am I even playing this game of suffering), I see no reason to grind my eyeballs out, just to try and get back to that.

Maybe some of the new uniques actually provide some kind of feasible build, I won't waste my time trying to find them after this mess.

POE 2 was my first, and last, foray into the world of GGG.

It's really ridiculous how hard this game got for casual player. If you want to nerv the 1% of players who kill a big boss in 1 second then try to nerv endgame gear or something like this but you hit the campaign and therefore almost casual player.
Before this changes it was nice to level up, not too easy but also not too hard. Now it's only boring and ridiculous if you don't have the optimal gear or the only working builds. And the fun was to try different builds and not only one or two which work.
Fix it please so that this game is fun again. I change back to POE1 until then.

If they are going to continue to torture us with this patch, my request is to have Standard have the patch reversed. You want to ruin the enjoyable parts for casual players, at least let the rest of us have a good time on the Standard server with the characters we all spent many hours creating and equipping and messing around with the passives.

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TBDiablo#2035 schrieb:

Please reconsider the Hexblast changes. I really loved playing Blasphemy with Hexblast, but these changes would completely ruin the build.

I couldn't agree more, this character was my favourite to play (even though not my strongest), but now I just feel like not even turning the game on. Hopefully GGG understands what makes their game fun instead of making this build not even playable (as well as nerfing so many other things from what it seems...)

Well I guess this is shaping up to be just like how PoE1 was during the great weakening. People make several characters and several build and then they all get nuked forcing every casual player to leave because their hard work is ruined. I had no choice but to quit PoE1 because of this and I guess now I have to quit PoE2. I just don't have the time to now have to sell off my gear to hopefully buy 1 or 2 pieces for some other build and have to remake a new character for a new build. Was having plenty of fun on 1 character with my 300 hours invested into getting it to where it was. Now that's all gone. It's a shame that the only thing these guys know are nerfs.

As a returning player who played several leagues of PoE1 a while back, I've been on a break for at least two years. The gameplay in PoE2 feels fine to me overall.

I think the main issue is that many players are coming from PoE1 and expecting the same speed and full-screen clears. That's not the case here.

I do agree that the campaign might be a bit rough for completely new players—I’ve already died many times—but I assume that will be adjusted and balanced over time.

Thanks for the game, and I hope it continues to improve.

I legit don't get what they're doing with PoE 2 anymore or who thought this would be fun for veteran or even new-time players. It's just a convoluted fast-pace-gated experience that feels like it has no soul compared to PoE 1.

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MLGonthorian#4568 schrieb:

I legit don't get what they're doing with PoE 2 anymore or who thought this would be fun for veteran or even new-time players. It's just a convoluted fast-pace-gated experience that feels like it has no soul compared to PoE 1.

Just because it has no "soul" for you doesn't mean that its the same for everyone else. The world isn't spinning just for you, you know.

I'm writing to express my significant concerns regarding the current state of balance and testing within the Path of Exile 2 early access. While I understand the iterative nature of development, the current experience raises serious questions about GGG's awareness and approach to player feedback.

1. Lack of Awareness Regarding Core Gameplay Issues:

It's frankly baffling how fundamental issues persist despite multiple patches. The state of melee combat, the initial oversight with an unselectable ascendancy, and the widespread suffering of various classes point to a disconnect between development and actual gameplay experience.

The fact that white mobs remained unadjusted after substantial player nerfs is perplexing. Were there no internal playtests to identify such a glaring imbalance? Similarly, the Huntress parry mechanic, mirroring the issues with shields, feels fundamentally flawed in high-density scenarios. Expecting players to single out an enemy amidst dozens for a marginal damage bonus is unrealistic and unengaging.

The gutting of minions and spectors to the point of near-uselessness is another major concern. Requiring a full minion arsenal to barely contend with basic white enemies, especially given the game's high monster density and speed, makes these archetypes feel like an afterthought. The lack of apparent consideration for monster HP values alongside these changes further highlights a potential lack of thorough testing.

The implementation of spectors feels particularly underdeveloped. The spirit cost formula appears arbitrary and easily demonstrably flawed with minimal testing. It suggests a design process lacking in practical gameplay evaluation.

The current approach to early access feels less like incentivizing valuable testing and more like a tedious slog. Instead of fostering an environment where players are eager to replay the campaign to provide feedback, the repetitive nature, exacerbated by the feeling of constant weakness, actively discourages participation. If the focus is solely on a narrow internal vision without considering player experience during this crucial testing phase, the long-term appeal, especially to casual players, is questionable. It seems the current design caters primarily to an extremely hardcore audience willing to endure prolonged periods of feeling underpowered.

2. The Inability to Swap Ascendancies:

The refusal to allow ascendancy swapping is a significant impediment to effective testing. The argument that it mirrors the passive tree restriction to prevent players from constantly shifting to "broken" builds misses the crucial point of early access. Allowing free ascendancy swaps would be the most efficient way to identify which classes and ascendancies require the most urgent tuning.

The current system forces players to repeatedly re-roll and grind through the campaign to test different ascendancies. This is incredibly punishing and disrespectful of testers' time, especially after the previous patch. Expecting players to endure this repetitive process multiple times is unreasonable and actively discourages comprehensive testing. The fact that a significant portion of the player base gravitated towards only a few ascendancies in the previous league should be a clear indicator to prioritize balancing those outliers and working downwards. The current approach of forcing re-rolls instead of facilitating quick experimentation is counterproductive and will likely lead to less thorough feedback. Personally, I will not be engaging with the campaign further until this fundamental issue is addressed or the final game is released. Please understand that players are generally on your side and want to contribute to the game's success, but this current design feels like an unnecessary punishment.

3. The Cost of Passive Tree Respecs:

The implementation of a gold cost for passive tree respecs during early access also hinders the testing process. While I can understand the desire to create some friction to prevent constant shifting to the most overpowered builds in a live environment, this rationale is flawed during a testing phase. The primary goal should be to enable players to experiment with various builds quickly and efficiently to identify balance issues. Imposing a cost on this process directly contradicts that goal and discourages thorough exploration of different build possibilities.

I believe the current approach to balance and testing in the Poe2 early access needs serious reconsideration. The apparent lack of awareness regarding fundamental gameplay issues, the restrictive approach to ascendancy swapping, and the unnecessary cost of a passive tree re-spec are creating a frustrating experience for testers and hindering the feedback process. I sincerely hope GGG will take these concerns into account and prioritize a more player-centric approach to ensure the long-term success of Path of Exile 2.


Personal Qualms:

I have also contacted support regarding purchases made on my account months ago(at launch and beyond) and have only been pushed between one responder to another after providing my transaction details(as they asked in the email) and then silence since January 2025. I understand that it's early release and you had a lot of emails to respond to but 3 months for a turnaround on a microtransaction? Yeah, I'll go elsewhere till you get things sorted and actually want people to enjoy playing your game.

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TizeNO#2673 schrieb:

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MLGonthorian#4568 schrieb:

I legit don't get what they're doing with PoE 2 anymore or who thought this would be fun for veteran or even new-time players. It's just a convoluted fast-pace-gated experience that feels like it has no soul compared to PoE 1.

Just because it has no "soul" for you doesn't mean that its the same for everyone else. The world isn't spinning just for you, you know.

Ironic you say that considering there are tons of people saying they don't enjoy PoE 2. Here's 1 video https://youtu.be/hurb8EVfCeA of a guy explaining why and that's just 1 video. That's not even including everything on Reddit, Twitter, Forums, etc. No one said it's the same for everyone else so that's moving the goal posts and I also didn't claim I'm not enjoying it so others don't, I'm saying A LOT don't enjoy it and I'm one of those people. I don't understand what the game is supposed to be, why it's made the way that it is and what's the purpose of it considering PoE 1 exists and is way better in every way possible.

It works both ways. You're purposefully ignoring the people who don't like it so you could argue you're the one thinking the world revolves around you.