Really Enjoying PoE 2, But These Two Things Are Making Me Quit

"

CPTBRUMBL3Z#3146 wrote:

It continues to impress just how many new threads like this show up on a practically daily basis. Between the horrid balance of mob scaling, the fact ES is the only good defense, the complete lack of available defense layers for warriors dedicated to red side, the miserable state of Life generally and especially Armour, these obnoxious death penalties are just multiple kicks in the teeth after being punched in the gut and falling to the ground. I can go 20 hours without a single upgrade to speak of and can't even be graced with a single level for my efforts because of how much random one shotting there is.

It's incredibly dumb how much this game wants its players to stop playing it. Imagine going to a restaurant, enjoying the food, and randomly the staff just slaps you upside the head in the middle of eating or refills your drink then spills it on purpose. Yall want our patronage or not? Fuckin a.

One of the things i've learnt in life, is just how many people are in abusive, toxic relationships without ever realizing it. They'll have a boyfriend that constantly puts them down in subtle ways, but when someone else tells them "Hey, he's being mean to you" they'll just make excuses for the behavior.

Like, Oh, I'm just not doing my best. I forgot to make his lunch, that's why he yelled at me. Or, He just had a bad day at work, and sometimes I ask him for too much time, that's why he screamed at me. Oh, well he's just looking out for my health, that's why he's always calling me fat.



And when you look at a game like PoE, with the XP loss on death. I don't view it that much differently. You're losing, sometimes 10, 20, 50 hours of your life due to some mistakes, and people make the excuse 'Yeah but you just need to get better'.

The game already demands thousands of hours of playtime. But it's all just excused away. To me, it's an issue of self-respect. Respecting your own time. People are willing to toss away hours of their life in a game due to a small mistake, a random one-shot.

I really don't care if people like the mechanic. But the issue is, there's better ways to add thrill and challenge to a game. Ways that respect your time better. And if you still wanted it, make it a choice to turn it on.

I'm just tired of hearing people trying to shame or blame me, for simply not liking it.

when you get to the point you give up farming exp because its too punishing at level 96+. i think its a problem

"

Rakie1337#5746 wrote:

... why would you be rewarded for dying? it's supposed to be punishing, this is the developer slapping your hand with a ruler and saying "BE SMARTER DUMMY".\

What a silly thing to say. Dying is already punishment enough. And XP isn't the only thing you lose, the map will also be gone as will be any loot you didn't have a chance to pick up.

"

Rakie1337#5746 wrote:

My hot take -- I would be pissed if they removed the xp loss on death. It's an insanely important learning tool that new players are too green to understand.

Cracking people over the head with a sledge hammer is not a teaching tool. It's what pushes customers away from your product. And GGG needs those people.

Do one or the other:

Make exp loss all the time on death.
Take it away.

Only other adjustment would be the amount.


The question is how to solve it. There is definitely a major problem here, I just haven't nailed down what.

Lets walk through it.

Should there be a penalty for dying? Death is not fun regardless, but needed- because its not fun to be invincible.

Ok, so its not fun to die, its not fun to not die- how do we find the most fun... which is obviously in the middle. Captain obvious so far...

Well- maybe we're asking the wrong question.
How about... when is it fun to die?

Hmmm, its fun trying new things, its fun when you know why you died, its fun to see the difference in one build vs another- and that defines the difference... so its fun to do better- its fun to feel progression... ok ok.

So its unfun to lose progression, especially if its unclear. Which is entirely why this discussion keeps coming up.

I think the main reason its so hated is because its not taking away something you didn't have. Its taking away what you did have. Thats huge.

Its punishing you for mistakes you didn't make! Another huge.

So... what if, when you die you don't lose exp you've earned, you lose exp you were going to earn. Oooo I like this.

So before you start a map/area, you're exp locked. As you do the map, you gain exp- perhaps this is green on the bar, if you die, you lose it; but you never lose exp that you already earned. Yup, I really like this.

Thats my suggestion.


Rambling on:
The elites won't be happy- but they will never be happy; and time doesn't matter to them. They will bitch, but they will get over it. Honestly- they are the audience you need to be least concerned with- except for endgame. They will stick forever, they are already in love- you'd have to really do something fucked to lose them.

I've always thought it was fucked up that exp loss stopped at the beginning of a level. The logic doesn't make sense. Why stop there if this is a mechanic that is healthy for the game? Apparently its unhealthy to that point? Its inconsistent, I'd rather lose into previous levels if we think its actually good for the game. Seriously, fucking commit to your rules, be consistent.

Bottom line is that it is not good for the game. If you're killing creativity, stopping people from trying builds, its very very bad for the game. Building is the game.


Off topic:
Charging gold for changing passives is also trash. You already made it cheaper because it was bad for the game, right? Its bad, junk it, you admitted it, its inherently flawed- or ask another question...

What do we gain from charging for passive changes?

Why do you want to stop people from trying builds, it doesn't make sense. You've provided insane creative options- yet you stop people from playing with them?!?! Are you nuts? It violates common sense.

"

Woofeliwowa#1985 wrote:

Hey everyone,

I'm a new player, and I have really enjoyed Path of Exile 2 so far! The gameplay, the combat, and the overall design are fantastic. But after spending almost 600 hours and leveling several characters, I've decided to stop because of two major frustrations:

I envy you. I've been frustrated as hell by the game more than once, and I still can't stop :P

Seriously though, XP penalty is OK, I love the incentive to play better.

However as a casual endgame mapper, I agree that losing the mods on a map feels broken.

I just wanted to say I really appreciate all the replies and the discussion. It’s great to see players helping each other out and sharing ways to improve. That kind of community support is what makes this game special.

That said, I want to clarify that I prefer playing SSF, so trading or getting help from others isn’t an option for me. I enjoy the challenge of progressing on my own, but the current death penalties—losing maps and XP—make that experience more frustrating than rewarding.

In the end, I think this comes down to what kind of player base GGG wants in the long run. If they want players like me to stick around, they need to reconsider the punishment for dying. Challenge is great, but losing progress over and over isn’t motivating—it just makes me want to stop playing.

I hope GGG takes this feedback into account because PoE 2 is one of the best games I’ve ever tried, and I’d love to keep playing if these mechanics were adjusted.