Feedback from 13 years exp in poe 1 and Souls like player
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The methodical approach to combat is incredibly enjoyable, but that quickly fades away because the game has absolutely zero graphical clarity and The endgame is so fast that it's practically POE 0.5, and all synergies stop working very early on in end game. In fact i need to care more about what im doing in poe 1 in end-game than here.
For now it's a really bad aRPG(hack-n-slash), bad souls like, but a good game to play Well, unless it's to the point of completely one-shotting bosses. In short, POE 2 loses everything it offers in the endgame and becomes POE 0.5, because it's a far from POE 1 in terms of content and build creation. It's like 10 years old. The itemization is at its lowest level—there from all aRPG's are no interesting affixes. It's all just boring +5 damage and +5% damage. With the same build, I can play every skill practically equally effectively on a warrior. I can only make variations for Fissures and Fire, or - blunder, but on a blunder, I'll take the same things and only change a part of the tree. Game lacks from a meaningful itemisation - from meaningful afixes- and very..very null item bases. Check last epoch tools to verify and compare POE 2 item bases to last epoch item bases - there are even melee weapons with minion melee dmg - so why not.. making item base with +flat companion melee damage? and it as stats, increasing entire loot with afixes - making it harder to get biss but easier to loot something interesting that we can switch. itemisation, afixes, item bases are 2/10 compared to other hack n slash games The tree has too few specific nodes, and everything is too imposed. We won't make a monk for AOE unless we go with the boring +5 stats on the "STR" side. The tree should offer more character building options than the one completely imposed by the developers. The STR side, on the other hand, doesn't even have nodes for HP - but they'll be located on INT under life-recoup, which should be on the STR side. Somehow - we can have 80k energy shield and more HP than warriors, being a mage. And ES is incredibly easy to build, while STR, which should be the class's fantasy, is easier - needs to sit in math class and "calculate formulas." There's a game called "no rest for the wicked" which is everything like poe 2 wanted to be. A souls like with hack n slash elements- with item bases having it's own attack patterns, with builds and entire meaningful combat. That's not a poe 0.5, not over-stimulating, and where end-game doesn't negate and destroy everything the game have to offer and last epoch which have over 800 afixes, and very, very extensive itemisation with class and skill item afixes then we have poe 2 - with good graphic, meaningful combat dissapering in early-end-game, with null and boring itemisation game is also over-bugged. There are toons of bugs.. classes are released with no working skills - like kitava previous league. Temper weapon not worked entire 2 weeks from release, now we have it with totems.. many skills like living weapon on kitava even with spending over 10 divines are just not working well but i will still play poe 2 - as i just like it. But still want changed - like inspiring more from LE with item bases and afixes - to make also itemisation meaningful and next gen and not copy pasted from poe 1.0version 10y old to have slowed-down end-game and packed more in ecnounter action, with more immersive end-game with no just"kill all rares" but "you have encountered rogue exile base - find them and slay +50 more encounter like that instead of just slaying rares.. i like the game even if it's 2/10 i don't believe it will go better and it's another love-hate relation like poe 1 that drains more from poe 1 being more of poe 1 than we firstly thinked it will be. I lost trust to ggg and didn't want to support them. All of meaningful and slower combat was a "lie" game is just calc of a poe 1 - entire end-game is basicaly the same and there's no place for any synergies or methodical combat in end-game. Please - tone end-game to look like "vision" was delivered - slow it down in end-game and test stuff before release.., make monsters to have more HP and allow us build more defences. it's even more than poe 1 than you think it's. https://youtu.be/4zcVMdPyeAE it's not a design that you have promises - EVERY single build in end-game is one-button build with auras and heralds. Everything is automated with cast-on and herald stuff. There's no place for that good combat from campain in end-game. Early in end-game.. like just starting it. แก้ไขล่าสุดโดย saashaa#5518 เมื่อ 20 ก.ย. 2025 11:41:18 ขุดครั้งสุดท้าย เมื่อ 22 ก.ย. 2025 00:16:58
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edited a little bit
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"  Wow what a great business model. I wonder how that other one is doing..  Nobody likes these games. แก้ไขล่าสุดโดย JODYHiGHR0LLER#6171 เมื่อ 18 ก.ย. 2025 18:43:19
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" Nice silly comment and i like it. And the fact you can't read with understanding but using emotional and not reasonable quoting with no any meaning. TikTok Awaits for your return. แก้ไขล่าสุดโดย saashaa#5518 เมื่อ 20 ก.ย. 2025 11:54:12
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And here is my feedback to your feedback (and to the devs or anyone reading this) based on my own 12 yrs of experience playing Path of Exile (or roughly 25 years altogether playing an array of different games not just limited to ARPGs).
You do make a few good points with truth to them, yet some of them are either unfair, half-truths, or straight up wrong due to misinformation regarding what the developers at GGG actually intend(ed) to do with Path of Exile 2. "The methodical approach to combat is incredibly enjoyable, but that quickly fades away because the game has absolutely zero graphical clarity..." This is a common point of discussion. The "methodical" combat style of the early game and boss fights has been widely praised by players who enjoy the more deliberate, "soulslike" elements. However, the claim of "zero graphical clarity" is a strong and subjective one. While the game's visuals are generally considered high-quality, the amount of particle effects and visual clutter in combat can be an issue for some players, especially in dense packs of monsters. This is a problem that has plagued Path of Exile 1 for years and seems to persist, to some degree, in the sequel. While graphical clarity can be a concern, the game offers a wide range of Graphical Settings and a customizable Loot Filter to help mitigate this. You can adjust settings to reduce visual effects, and a good Loot Filter is essential in any Path of Exile game to reduce on-screen clutter from unwanted items. The "lack of clarity" is more an issue of overwhelming visual effects from a high-speed, high-damage build rather than a fundamental flaw with the game's graphics. And with that being said, the game's engine and art style are generally considered a significant improvement over the original. "The endgame is so fast that it's practically POE 0.5, and all synergies stop working very early on in end game. In fact i need to care more about what im doing in poe 1 in end-game than here." This is a critical point of contention. The "vision" for PoE2 was a slower, more tactical experience. Many players feel that as soon as they reach the endgame, the combat pace reverts to the fast, "zoom-zoom" style of PoE1, where players are one-shotting enemies and boss mechanics are trivialized by overwhelming damage. The "PoE 0.5" comment suggests a feeling of a more limited and less-developed endgame compared to PoE1, which has had years of content added to it. Further, the claim that "synergies stop working" is also a strong critique, suggesting that endgame builds are often reduced to a single, high-damage ability. That is a valid critique the developers have heard. It is a fundamental design challenge for any ARPG: how to maintain a sense of methodical, skill-based combat when the player becomes overwhelmingly powerful. The game is still in development and the endgame is subject to significant change. The developers have indicated they want to avoid the "zoom-zoom" meta of PoE1, even though the current state might not perfectly reflect that. It is also important to note that the game has a new system for the endgame, with the Atlas and Waystones, which offers a different progression path than the map system of PoE1. While the pace may accelerate, the new systems are designed to provide a deep, long-lasting experience, and the "synergies" are a core part of the game's build-crafting identity, so it's unlikely they stop working entirely. Instead, the challenge lies in creating builds that can handle the increased difficulty of high-tier content without resorting to a single-button playstyle. "The itemization is at its lowest level—there from all aRPG's are no interesting affixes. It's all just boring +5 damage and +5% damage." Last Epoch is widely praised for its itemization, including meaningful item bases, a powerful crafting system, and a vast number of unique affixes. You claim that PoE2's itemization is uninspired, consisting of generic damage stats. You also bring up a specific example of "melee weapons with minion melee damage" in Last Epoch to highlight a lack of similar unique item bases in PoE2. Listen, while Last Epoch has an excellent itemization system, PoE2's is not without its own depth. The game retains PoE1's core currency-based crafting system, which allows for a high degree of control over item creation. While the early-game affixes might seem simple, the endgame is where more complex and build-defining modifiers appear. And your comment about "melee weapons with minion melee damage" is an interesting one, but PoE2's Unique items and new Crafting systems (like Runes and Soul Cores) are designed to provide similar build-defining capabilities. The game's strength is in the synergy between different item affixes, passive Tree nodes, and skill gems, which, when combined, can create powerful and unique builds. The "boring" affixes are a necessary part of the ARPG loot progression, where you're constantly looking for marginal improvements, but the real power comes from the unique items and high-end crafting. "The Tree has too few specific nodes, and everything is too imposed... The STR side, on the other hand, doesn't even have nodes for HP - but they'll be located on INT under life-recoup, which should be on the STR side." You seem to feel that the Skill Tree is overly simplified and that certain nodes are not where they "should" be, specifically Life-related nodes being on the INT side instead of the STR side. You feel the Skill Tree is "imposed" and lacks true player choice. However, the Passive Skill Tree in PoE2 is still massive and offers a huge number of choices. The design philosophy is to have a complex web where players can path to any part of the Tree, regardless of their starting class. The location of certain nodes, like Life-Recoup on the INT side, is a deliberate design choice. It is a way to encourage players to travel across the Tree and create hybrid builds that combine different stat types For example, a Strength-based character who wants to benefit from Life Recoup will need to invest in a path towards the Intelligence part of the Tree, which creates a more complex and meaningful build. The Tree is, therefore, not meant to be a straightforward "STR path for STR builds," but rather a system that encourages creative and often unconventional build paths. "There's a game called "no rest for the wicked" which is everything like poe 2 wanted to be." You claim that No Rest for the Wicked is what PoE2 wanted to be—a souls-like with ARPG elements and meaningful combat. The counterargument to that is, while both games have "soulslike" elements, their core design philosophies are different. NRFW is a game with a fixed perspective and is more of a true action RPG with a heavier emphasis on dodging, parrying, and deliberate, slow-paced combat. PoE2, on the other hand, is still fundamentally a hack-and-slash ARPG with an isometric camera, a huge passive Tree, and a loot-centric progression. The combat in PoE2 is more tactical than PoE1, but it's still a different genre than NRFW. NRFW's itemization and build variety are also far more limited. While the comparison is a good starting point, it is not a fair one, as the developers at GGG are aiming for different things. PoE2 is therefore a true sequel to PoE1 that aims to refine the core ARPG loop, while NRFW is an entirely different genre of game. "game is also over-bugged... classes are released with no working skills..." Sure, the game is "over-bugged" (or bugged), and you cited a few examples of broken skills and mechanics from a previous league. This is a common issue with live-service games, especially in their beta or early access phase. With that being said, you do make a valid point, as no game is released without bugs. Bugs and balance issues are expected and are a key reason for having a beta period. Developers gather feedback and fix these issues before a full release. While the presence of bugs is frustrating, it doesn't necessarily indicate a failed game design, but rather an unfinished one. The fact that you can point to specific examples of Skills that were broken, and then fixed (like Temper Weapon), shows that the developers at GGG are actively working to address the issues. Conclusion Your statements, while strongly worded and subjective, touch on several valid concerns that are a hot topic in the PoE2 community. The tension between the slow, methodical combat of the early game and the fast-paced "zoom-zoom" endgame is a real issue. The itemization, while deep, might not feel as immediately rewarding as other titles. However, acknowledging the counterpoints that have been made here while also emphasizing the game's deliberate design choices and its unfinished state. PoE2 is also NOT trying to be Last Epoch or No Rest for the Wicked; it is trying to be a better version of Path of Exile 1. The "love-hate" relationship you describe is a common sentiment within the community because the game's core is compelling, even with its perceived flaws. Lastly, the slow-down in combat and the changes to the Skill Tree and itemization are not random mistakes, but rather an attempt to create a more strategic and long-lasting ARPG experience. Hope your day and everyone else's day is going well :) HeavyMetalGear When game developers ignore the criticism that would improve their game, the game fails. Just because a game receives a great amount of praise vs. only a small amount of criticism does not mean to call it a day and make a foolish misplaced assumption that it is perfect. (me) แก้ไขล่าสุดโดย HeavyMetalGear#2712 เมื่อ 20 ก.ย. 2025 17:39:27
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Generally agree with most of the things you said, so I'll just give my two cents to the conclusion.
" +1. It's an issue and they need to decide where to go from here - because methodical combat and "zoom-zoom" is just not possible in 1 game. I don't think the itemization is not rewarding at the moment — just that if they want methodical combat, it would have to change a lot. As it is, it would fit for the zoom-zoom gameplay pretty well. " I also don't think it tries to be a better version of Path of Exile 1, but a different version. The thing is that a lot of PoE1 players just want PoE1 out of it again, and the “other faction” wants something different — the meaningful combat version. " I don't see much of the slow-down in combat — at least not in endgame. Skill Tree also seems in a mixed-up state, rn. IF they want meaningful combat — or at least what I understand from that — they would need to NOT copy and paste PoE1 mechanics and design (rare mobs, …). At some point, they said they made PoE2 its own game because their vision didn't fit into PoE1. Right now, if it wasn't for the obvious graphics upgrade and me knowing the skills, I don't think I could tell a difference between the gameplay of the two. " Had a great day, ty! Hope your doing good as well :) |
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" You understand that player_count>0 != nobody, right? Or at what number is your threshold for 'nobody'? What's your threshold for somebody and everybody then? |
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" So you copied and pasted OP's post in AI and had AI then write all the counterpoints. You added nothing of value in fact I am not even sure if you read the AI response. Next time, do everyone a favor and respond back without copying and pasting stuff in ChatGPT. I want to hear what you think, not some AI. |
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" Very strange to even say this because both are not even seasonal games. Especially not Grim Dawn, thank god too because it is very refreshing to have that game and what it offers, i.e. a single player offline experience so hence also you are not gonna see 10k plus players, most people will just play it offline. Bad metrics to go by. |
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" do you often find yourself struggling with abstraction or are you being intentionally dense? 300 != 0, obviously. but 300 is effectively nobody. do you think the future of those games is bright? are the developers going to pay their bills with wishes and fairy dust? แก้ไขล่าสุดโดย JODYHiGHR0LLER#6171 เมื่อ 20 ก.ย. 2025 22:26:06
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