Early Access Feedback - A POE1 player's thoughts on POE2's Druid League - Forum

"
BaldCommander#3844 schrieb:

That was something I forgot to mention. The dodge roll is a wonderful addition

It was a horrible decision that is going to pigeon hole them into design decisions forever. They can't have defenses being too good now cause dodge roll exists. People who spam it will be able to essentially ignore all damage and those that can't or won't will forver be getting glibbed. Dodge roll is why so many bosses snap turn mid animation now, because if you can just hit one button without really having to time it then it is a 100% avoidance mechanic with no skill other than hearing a sound and instantly passing the check.

It is the main reason actual melee skills feel so bad to use, because campaign defense is 100% about dodge rolling and not actual gearing, especially since the evasion gutting. It is why bows are so much more popular than melee abilities. Dodge roll, fire once half the screen dies, dodge roll, fire again, the other half dies, will always be much better than standing still and getting hit by everything all at once, then the on-death effect from all the mobs at your feet.

Zuletzt bearbeitet von Moregaze#2933 um 23.12.2025, 18:27:21

Beitrag von
Moregaze#2933
am 23.12.2025, 18:25:45

Diesen Beitrag zitieren

"
Hyperspacing#5593 schrieb:

There was a lot so Ill try to keep it quick and go alone with what you said in Order.

3. I don't have that experience. Almost all my end-game deaths have been from my stupidity. I didn't position correctly or I went in and acted a fool. So I don't know about all of that stuff. I also take the posiiton that every death is my fault and that each death is a learning event.

4. Im not saying group play doesn't exist or that there isn't a decent portion of people playing in group. Its just not the cast for more than 90% of the players (made up number but you get what I mean).

5. Im running on a laptop and I don't see these problems but I can see how if you overjuice your content and have a party that this could be a problem. Im sure GGG will address this but its probably on the low end of the list as its not a problem for most players.

OF course if you look over reddit and this forum you are going to see more negative responses that make it seem that most of the community hates the direction. This is just not true and its simply put a negative user bias.
Go to any successful game that has a forum and I promise you 99% of the forum is gonna be negative reviews.

Even if this were true...reddit/forum is what...5-10% of the player base? Im not saying there is no valid critique of the game and even the OP posed some valid critiques even thought I disagree with him. The truth is, clearly GGG is headed in this direction cause they can see the overall picture that none of us on reddit or the forum can see. They've been in business for a long time and know what they are doing. They constantly make patches that are well received. Just not well received by the people who want this to be a POE 1 copy (not saying thats you in any way).

Skills have ALWAYS been tied to weapons and there is nothing wrong with that.

Yes, every new game that comes out will have a player spike and like all new games...eventually it dwindles down to the passionate players who wanna keep playing. This is not indictive of it being successful or unsuccessful. Its just how it is.

My hope is that they really lock in the league system between the 2 games before 1.0 and those who want POE 1 style gameplay can play that and those who want a more punishing experience (me and tens of thousands of others) can play POE 2 and both games can thrive.

I’m enjoying the discussion, and I don’t think either of us is wrong. We’re just looking at the game from different angles.

On deaths, I agree that many are learning moments, and I definitely have my share of “that one’s on me” deaths. I just don’t think every death in PoE 2 fits that description. When deaths come from unclear visuals or technical issues and also cost XP, the map, and atlas progress, it feels less like learning and more like a time tax. That’s the distinction I’m trying to make.

On group play, I agree most players are solo. My point isn’t that group play should be the focus, just that the systems don’t fully commit either way. Grouping is still very strong for currency, while progression systems discourage it, and that inconsistency stands out.

On performance, I don’t doubt your experience. I just think when issues do happen, even if mostly in juiced or party content, the penalties tied to them are heavy enough to be worth discussing.

Where I probably differ the most is skills. In PoE 1, skills were standalone gems. Even if a skill favored a weapon type, it wasn’t hard locked, which allowed experimentation and unexpected interactions. In PoE 2, putting skills directly on weapons feels more restrictive. It doesn’t make the game harder, just narrower.

I agree with your broader point that PoE 1 and PoE 2 can serve different audiences and both thrive. I’m not against PoE 2 being punishing, I just think there’s room to reduce friction without losing what makes it unique.

Zuletzt bearbeitet von Skullzar1#0697 um 24.12.2025, 08:54:25