Quit Moments / Quit Events

You want your game to be challenging without it feeling unfair. Right now you have two places I think it has the potential to be 'unfair'.

First are the trials. There is way too much luck involved with these trials. Trials should test the build and player skill and should not have any component of luck. The two POE2 trials are recycled POE mechanics. In POE they were optional content but in POE2 they are core character progression content. It belongs as optional content. Players are forced into these minigames with choices (or worse a random unspecified affliction being applied) that can completely brick their builds enroute to the final boss. That, very plainly, is not fair. If a player feels forced into this content and has a very unlucky experience in it ... its a quit point. You can lose this player forever.

Second is souls like end game penalties for softcore. Before I say anything, you should know I find the end game paradoxically both boring and nerve wracking. Boring, because its so repetitive while losing your map and all the mechanics on it with a single death is nerve wracking (or at minimum very bothersome). Now, before everyone says "get good", I rarely die in T15/16 maps but the specter of it looms as I'm playing and, frankly, it detracts from the my enjoyment of the game. So why is this "unfair"? Well, I'm playing softcore. If I wanted punishing penalties, I'd play hardcore. Why is this a quit moment? Because the souls like feeling sucks the joy out of it. I've seen the "build diversity" argument that a single death drives build diversity. There will always be meta builds and people who play the end game like its their job. I'm writing this from the perspective of someone who just plays the game for enjoyment and couldn't care less what the no lifers are doing in maps. If you want to attract and retain players you need it to be enjoyable. Currently its not a very fulfilling experience.

bonus feedback: I think in the upcoming zones the quest rewards should include a greater jewelers orb (character bound) so entering maps players are guaranteed a 5 link on at least one skill. It would make mapping more enjoyable initially.

Anyway, that's my early feedback.