Content Update 0.2.0 -- Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt

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crims#6666 wrote:

I'm writing to express my significant concerns regarding the current state of balance and testing within the Path of Exile 2 early access. While I understand the iterative nature of development, the current experience raises serious questions about GGG's awareness and approach to player feedback.

1. Lack of Awareness Regarding Core Gameplay Issues:

It's frankly baffling how fundamental issues persist despite multiple patches. The state of melee combat, the initial oversight with an unselectable ascendancy, and the widespread suffering of various classes point to a disconnect between development and actual gameplay experience.

The fact that white mobs remained unadjusted after substantial player nerfs is perplexing. Were there no internal playtests to identify such a glaring imbalance? Similarly, the Huntress parry mechanic, mirroring the issues with shields, feels fundamentally flawed in high-density scenarios. Expecting players to single out an enemy amidst dozens for a marginal damage bonus is unrealistic and unengaging.

The gutting of minions and spectors to the point of near-uselessness is another major concern. Requiring a full minion arsenal to barely contend with basic white enemies, especially given the game's high monster density and speed, makes these archetypes feel like an afterthought. The lack of apparent consideration for monster HP values alongside these changes further highlights a potential lack of thorough testing.

The implementation of spectors feels particularly underdeveloped. The spirit cost formula appears arbitrary and easily demonstrably flawed with minimal testing. It suggests a design process lacking in practical gameplay evaluation.

The current approach to early access feels less like incentivizing valuable testing and more like a tedious slog. Instead of fostering an environment where players are eager to replay the campaign to provide feedback, the repetitive nature, exacerbated by the feeling of constant weakness, actively discourages participation. If the focus is solely on a narrow internal vision without considering player experience during this crucial testing phase, the long-term appeal, especially to casual players, is questionable. It seems the current design caters primarily to an extremely hardcore audience willing to endure prolonged periods of feeling underpowered.

2. The Inability to Swap Ascendancies:

The refusal to allow ascendancy swapping is a significant impediment to effective testing. The argument that it mirrors the passive tree restriction to prevent players from constantly shifting to "broken" builds misses the crucial point of early access. Allowing free ascendancy swaps would be the most efficient way to identify which classes and ascendancies require the most urgent tuning.

The current system forces players to repeatedly re-roll and grind through the campaign to test different ascendancies. This is incredibly punishing and disrespectful of testers' time, especially after the previous patch. Expecting players to endure this repetitive process multiple times is unreasonable and actively discourages comprehensive testing. The fact that a significant portion of the player base gravitated towards only a few ascendancies in the previous league should be a clear indicator to prioritize balancing those outliers and working downwards. The current approach of forcing re-rolls instead of facilitating quick experimentation is counterproductive and will likely lead to less thorough feedback. Personally, I will not be engaging with the campaign further until this fundamental issue is addressed or the final game is released. Please understand that players are generally on your side and want to contribute to the game's success, but this current design feels like an unnecessary punishment.

3. The Cost of Passive Tree Respecs:

The implementation of a gold cost for passive tree respecs during early access also hinders the testing process. While I can understand the desire to create some friction to prevent constant shifting to the most overpowered builds in a live environment, this rationale is flawed during a testing phase. The primary goal should be to enable players to experiment with various builds quickly and efficiently to identify balance issues. Imposing a cost on this process directly contradicts that goal and discourages thorough exploration of different build possibilities.

I believe the current approach to balance and testing in the Poe2 early access needs serious reconsideration. The apparent lack of awareness regarding fundamental gameplay issues, the restrictive approach to ascendancy swapping, and the unnecessary cost of a passive tree re-spec are creating a frustrating experience for testers and hindering the feedback process. I sincerely hope GGG will take these concerns into account and prioritize a more player-centric approach to ensure the long-term success of Path of Exile 2.


Personal Qualms:

I have also contacted support regarding purchases made on my account months ago(at launch and beyond) and have only been pushed between one responder to another after providing my transaction details(as they asked in the email) and then silence since January 2025. I understand that it's early release and you had a lot of emails to respond to but 3 months for a turnaround on a microtransaction? Yeah, I'll go elsewhere till you get things sorted and actually want people to enjoy playing your game.

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Fixed a bug where Quality on Sceptres multiplied the amount of Spirit they granted instead of granting Quality to their inherent Skill.