It's not if the game is hard or easy that is the problem

The problem is that it's the game philosophy not to give OPTIONS to the players.

The devs have "God-dev" mentality, where they are the ones to dictate what we should want instead of us.

99% of games have difficulty settings, why not Poe/Poe2? Why not a simple and easy checkbox to turn off death exp penalty, for example? Or one slider to slow down or increase game speed? Can be a separate custom private league, why not.

Why are some people so bothered how others choose to play???

If you are satisfied with how the game is now; Poe 1 or 2; something may happen in the future where you won't be anymore. You may find yourself in the shoes of people complaining now. What then?

OPTIONS in the hands of players instead of devs are good for everyone.