Not difficult, just poorly balanced.

This game isn't hard, it's just poorly balanced. I see a lot of posts from players getting stuck/frustrated in certain areas of the story campaign. This is especially true regarding the Chaos Trial, and further into Act 4 and 5.

I don't really understand the logic behind the difficulty curve... Path of Exile is only hard when your character is underpowered (via gear), or your build is poorly made. This can all be overcome by simply "farming" enemies. However, that's only a temporary fix, because if a character needs to power level to get through a basic story campaign then there is absolutely no hope to tackle end game maps.

This all feels like a brutal pill to swallow, and one that will turn off a lot of new comers to the franchise. With respec costs being through the roof, and a continuing utter lack of transparency regarding how damage works/scales, this franchise is doomed to wither and fade.

There is no point, for example, to lock ascendancy points behind a challenge that is so difficult that the benefits are mostly irrelevant by the time you get them. The pace is all wrong here, and it feels bad.

I think in terms of identity, POE2 falls into the same slot as POE1... it's a game for people that want to spend a lot of time in excel spreadsheets doing math, only to farm maps using one skill on repeat, clearing the screen at speeds beyond enjoyment.... oh, and with a dash of one-shot kills.

There is something great happening in POE2 though, and that's mobility. With the addition of the dodge roll, and the ability to attack/cast while moving opens up a whole new world of possibility. Sadly though, there are no invisibility frames with the dodge, so it's nearly useless once a character has decent movement speed. It would have been interesting to have a back-dash, or even a parry to round out this new movement. Instead it feels like something noobs will use as a crutch, until they realize that it's function is pointless in the late game.

And lastly... items. Oh boy... I've played almost 100 hours with my Sorc, and found 3 things that are actually "good" for my character. I found probably another 3 items that were worth selling. This game is so dependent on gear that my only hope is to buy what I need from someone else. I guess that's fine, but I've given up hope on actually getting something I need. The idea that "anything" can drop is fun, but it feels dated and lazy. I don't know if GGG is scared of their players having power, or if they just want hands on the keyboard longer, but this system is overdue for a change.

I'm having fun with POE2, despite these comments, but I don't know if I'll stick around for too long.