Just want to put in my two cents' worth:
You're entitled to your opinion, but the tone of this post is exactly the kind of gatekeeping that drives people away from games like Path of Exile. The idea that "if you don’t like it, go play something else" is not only dismissive but also incredibly counterproductive if the goal is to attract new players, especially from other ARPGs.
The -10% XP penalty may have existed in PoE 1, but blindly carrying it over to PoE 2 without considering whether it actually improves the game is a rigid, outdated design philosophy that ignores whether it actually benefits the game.
The argument that "it exists for a reason" does not automatically mean it’s a good reason. The reality is, it disproportionately punishes casual and mid-core players far more than experienced players, and if the goal is to grow the community, then alienating those players with outdated mechanics is a bad move.
As for the claim that this game has "way fewer one-shot situations", that’s great—until you realize that the penalty actively discourages learning from mistakes. A game that prides itself on difficulty should make failure a learning experience, not a tedious punishment that simply wastes a player's time. The more hours you sink into an ARPG, the less of an issue this becomes, but not everyone has the luxury of no-lifing the game to mitigate a mechanic that serves no real purpose other than punishing imperfection.
And let’s be real—this isn’t about preserving some sacred PoE challenge. It’s about elitism. The idea that "I suffered through it, so you should too" is the classic gatekeeping mentality that keeps genres from evolving. A well-designed game should accommodate different playstyles without forcing everyone into a single mold, and clinging to a rigid "one-size-fits-all" punishment does nothing but shrink the potential player base.
At the end of the day, the argument isn’t about removing difficulty—it’s about refining it. A penalty that turns failure into frustration rather than a meaningful learning experience is bad game design, no matter how long it’s been around. If PoE 2 wants to bring in new players, it needs to rethink outdated mechanics instead of stubbornly defending them just because "that’s how it’s always been."
For the record, when you kick someone while they're down it does not make them any less of a person, it makes you the lesser person.
Lastly, a small jab every now and then (5% to 10% max loss per 10 avoidable deaths, etc.) is a wakeup call to improve or reassess, but being hit constantly by this penalty for every time you die is an insult and is quite demoralising.
Telling casual and mid-core players to 'go play something else' is exactly the kind of toxic hostility that has no place in a community that should be welcoming and encouraging to new players.
