Additional Upcoming Changes

I'm not a hardcore player at all - so please don't hate. This is actually my first forum post. I do not profess to be an expert on the game, and there is a lot I simply don't know which is undeniable. I've played off and on for over a year. I've only managed to get one character to level 90 out the 14+ characters I have most of which are somewhere between level 70-80 something. This is just feedback from my point of view.

The game is in a horrible state right now. In its current state, POE feels insanely complicated, ridiculously punishing, and extremely unrewarding. Quite frankly it's not very fun at all. Honestly, it feels like I've just been wasting my time. After playing regardless of how long when someone logs on, shouldn't the player feel like they are making progress and rewarded for the time spent in game killing stuff each time they play? Wishful thinking on my part?

Loot drops just suck to put it politely. I could use more colorful language, but I won't. I rarely ever get an item I can use, and crafting is insanely complex and not softcore user friendly at all. I shouldn't have to watch hours on end of Youtube videos and reference several websites in a attempt to craft something or learn anything else about the game. The mechanics should be in the game to guide the player in learning how to craft things or do things. That is just poor game design, period. Don't blame the player for poor game design. Getting the materials needed to craft something has been insanely difficult given the obscenely low drop rates. Currency drops stink period. I'm sick of seeing trash drop 99.9% of the time. If i'm lucky I might get one chaos orb every few hours on a good day.

Monsters feel too punishing. Boss fights feel more like a zerg fest. The loss of experience penalty for dying is just downright discouraging and punishing. You should get rid of that. I'm sick and tired of getting one shotted by random mobs with no chance of surviving and not having a clue as to why I died.

As a softcore player you hit a plateau and come to realize you are just wasting your time since you can no longer progress in level or power, and the pathetic paltry rewards you do get "if you are lucky" simply do not justify the time investment you spent in game to make it worth while. What does that leave softcore players with to do? Try yet another new toon and hope that the next build guide you watch and read about will make a difference? Lately, this is just an exercise in futility.

When you do fix the things the hardcore players are complaining about you should also take a hard look at how to make the softcore experience more user-friendly to bridge the gap between hardcore and softcore players - eliminating the insanity that is the complexity of your build and crafting mechanics required to progress because of poor game design. Fix the loot and currency drops. Make the game feel worthwhile for the time investment. Otherwise your softcore players will hit a plateau and quit - which is what I am seriously considering doing. I'm right there on the precipice.

You hear from the hardcore players all the time. Well, I'm just one of the softcore players who is extremely frustrated. Please listen to your player base - both the hardcore and softcore players, or you will drive them both away, permanently.

Just my two cents...