A Different Perspective – POE2 Isn’t POE1, and That’s OK

I've clocked in over 40 hours on Path of Exile 2 so far, playing three different builds—Witch with minions, Essence Drain, and a Poison-focused Ranger. After taking a multi-year break from POE1, coming into this fresh, I can confidently say this: the game feels good to me. It has rough edges, sure, but it's not the disaster some are making it out to be.

What I’m seeing in the forums, Reddit, and streams isn’t just criticism—it’s a culture clash. Most of the backlash seems to come from long-time POE1 veterans who expect POE2 to behave like a refined version of the game they've mastered. But POE2 isn’t POE1. It's trying to be its own thing, and in many ways, it should be.

POE1 became about speed, efficiency, and scaling complexity. You'd clear screens in seconds, race through maps, and optimize builds to the pixel. That meta shaped expectations. But POE2 is deliberately taking a different approach: it's slower, more deliberate, with longer TTK (time-to-kill), tighter skill progression, and a heavier emphasis on moment-to-moment combat mechanics.

Yes, some things need tuning—minions feel squishy, some skills feel too slow, and loot rewards are a bit stingy—but the game is not fundamentally broken. The core systems are solid, and there’s real potential here.

From my perspective as someone not carrying POE1 habits into this game, POE2 is doing something interesting. It feels more like an action RPG that values precision, positioning, and skill timing rather than just raw clear speed. It’s more like a reimagined ARPG than a sequel. And honestly, that’s refreshing.

So maybe the real issue isn't that the game is bad, but that it's being judged against the wrong standard. If you expect POE2 to be a POE1 expansion, you’ll be disappointed. But if you approach it with fresh eyes—or at least a willingness to adapt—you might find there’s a good game here trying to emerge from the noise.

it really isn't ok I wanted poe1 with better graphics and QoL improvements and new end game expansion instead we got slow generic arpg number 72 instead of them sticking with the fast paced dopamine addiction gameplay that put them on the map but I could overlook poe2 going against everything that people liked about poe1 if they weren't trying to kill off poe1 in favor of poe2 that's really the biggest complaint people have about poe2

GOD DAMMIT IM PISSED I DONT WANT POE1 TO DIE ITS GENUINELY ONE OF A KIND THERES NO OTHER ARPG THAT COMES CLOSE TO FEELING AA GOOD AS POE1 DOES WHEN YOUVE GOT YOUR GRIND GOING BLASTING MAPS IN POE1 IS THE MOST FUN IVE EVER HAD GRINDING IN A GAME I DONT WANT THEM TO TAKE THIS GAME AWAY

go pay and support the game you like. simple as that.

pointless rhetoric doesnt keep the lights on.

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feral_nature#7076 wrote:

go pay and support the game you like. simple as that.

An irrelevant statement considering any and all purchases towards PoE1 will, in fact, ONLY go towards the game that at least some of the PoE player base does not enjoy...


...and that would be PoE2.


We don't want our money going towards PoE2's development.

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feral_nature#7076 wrote:

go pay and support the game you like. simple as that.

pointless rhetoric doesnt keep the lights on.

support poe1 = supporting poe2

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CAPSLOCK_ON#7907 wrote:

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feral_nature#7076 wrote:

go pay and support the game you like. simple as that.

pointless rhetoric doesnt keep the lights on.

support poe1 = supporting poe2

i really hate how people dont understand the anguish that poe1 supporters had.

or choose to downplay it.

we supported the game so much based on promises that failed to bear fruit.

i used to think that way until i no longer cared for poe1.

i really hope poe2 becomes its own thing while poe1 grows in a different direction.

it will be interesting to see how things go because if poe2 ends up being another poe1. i've had enough of the game.

it's not just ok it's a breath of fresh air. I'm only playing poe2 because it's not like poe1, the devs let the community ruin that game. It's kind of surprising how much the vocal minority on reddit is throwing temper tantrums since isn't it still fairly typical for over half the player base to stop playing a league 2 weeks after release.

It's weird how people keep saying the devs arn't listening to them, but i think the major reasons for most of the gameplay decisions are to force people to actually play the game. not just run through story mode, spend their currency to buy whatever gear the youtube guide they watched told them to, then die to some bosses and stop playing for 3 months.

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hornfeld#7213 wrote:

it's not just ok it's a breath of fresh air. I'm only playing poe2 because it's not like poe1, the devs let the community ruin that game. It's kind of surprising how much the vocal minority on reddit is throwing temper tantrums since isn't it still fairly typical for over half the player base to stop playing a league 2 weeks after release.

It's weird how people keep saying the devs arn't listening to them, but i think the major reasons for most of the gameplay decisions are to force people to actually play the game. not just run through story mode, spend their currency to buy whatever gear the youtube guide they watched told them to, then die to some bosses and stop playing for 3 months.

LMAO you're the vocal minority lil bro the game was growing league after league how did it get ruined if ggg listening to the players was making it more popular? next time think please

There is nothing ok. Since we dont have any update in PoE1 in the last 9 months.

If we had our leagues as intendend i could agree with u that it is ok having an alternative bad version of the game. We have Ruthless in PoE1 and it never was a issue. The issue is PoE2 fucking PoE1 content