POE 2 current endgame loop feels unfun and tedious.

Dear Grinding Gear Games Team,

I want to start by saying thank you for all the effort and passion you’ve poured into Path of Exile 2. As someone who has spent over 2000 hours playing Path of Exile 1, it’s safe to say I’m deeply invested in this game and its future. PoE 1 is one of my all-time favorite games, and I’ve always admired how much you listen to the community and push the boundaries of what an ARPG can be. That’s why it’s from a place of genuine passion and hope that I’m writing to share my thoughts on PoE 2’s current endgame system and some concerns I have about its direction.

The idea of an infinite atlas is exciting, but the way it’s executed right now makes the gameplay loop feel tedious and unfun. Here’s a breakdown of my experience in full:

Towers: These are special maps you need to clear in order to slot in Tablets. However, the Towers themselves don’t have any unique mechanics or rewards, making them feel like a chore rather than something exciting to tackle.

Tablets: Once you’ve completed a Tower, you slot a Tablet into it, which empowers a set number of random map nodes in the Tower’s radius. The problem is that the randomness here is often frustrating—you might empower nodes with layouts you don’t enjoy or that’s outright inefficient to farm.

This setup creates a gameplay loop where you’re often forced to play through layouts you don’t like, just to reach Towers that lack engaging content, only to gamble on whether the Tablet effects align with maps or content you actually want to run. Even when you hit good nodes, there’s still the risk of having another tower nearby, which again creates a feeling of inefficiency if you don't make overlapping effects from multiple Towers. It’s a lot of setup and repetition for a payoff that ultimately often feels underwhelming.

Why This Feels Worse Than PoE 1

In Path of Exile 1, the endgame felt far more player-driven and rewarding. You could:

Favorite specific map layouts using favorite slots, ensuring you spent your time playing maps you actually enjoyed.

Guarantee desired content using Scarabs, which added specific mechanics or modified content types in your maps. This level of control made farming feel efficient and fun. (I cannot understate how much i miss scarabs and favorite slots)

Avoid tedious setups by focusing on running maps directly, rather than jumping through hoops to set up randomness-driven empowerment.

The ability to tailor the experience to your preferences was a huge part of what made PoE 1’s endgame so satisfying. In contrast, PoE 2’s endgame feels like it forces you into content that’s not enjoyable, making the whole process more of a grind than an adventure.

Suggestions for Improvement

I believe PoE 2’s endgame has potential, but it needs adjustments to recapture the magic of PoE 1 while building on its own ideas. Here are some suggestions:

Give Players More Control:

Allow us to favor specific map layouts again. Being stuck running bad layouts just to progress feels punishing.

Introduce a system like Scarabs, where consumables can reliably add or modify specific content within maps. This would let players chase the experiences they enjoy most.

Make Towers More Engaging/Remove towers completely.

Add unique mechanics, encounters, or loot to Towers. Right now, they’re just another map with no distinguishing features. Making them special would turn them from a chore into a highlight of the endgame loop.

Tablets should be replaced by scarabs.

Closing Thoughts

Path of Exile 2 has so much potential, and I truly believe it can surpass the legacy of PoE 1. But the current endgame loop feels like a step backward. It’s a shame because you’ve already shown us what a fantastic endgame system can look like. With some adjustments to empower players and make the process feel less tedious, I’m confident PoE 2 can achieve greatness.

Thank you for taking the time to read this feedback. I’m sharing it because I care deeply about this game and want to see it succeed. I’m excited to see how PoE 2 evolves, and I’ll be here every step of the way, cheering you on.

Best regards, André