Upcoming Plans for Patch 0.2.1

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There is also a performance improvement coming. We're optimizing the physics on monsters and NPCs across the game, this is making them significantly cheaper and will cause less CPU bound bottlenecks on performance. This issue isn't prevalent everywhere but is common in areas with lots of humans, such as the Faridun in Act two, or in Freythorn in Act one. We'll continue to optimize these incrementally in every patch as we find all the suboptimal cases.

As someone using absolute rock bottom system specs to play, thank you. I look forward to the day I hit a strongbox and don't have to pause so the monsters/volatiles aren't swarming me invisibly.

putting a rune in a socket is not crafting. this has been a public service announcement.

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Right now did you know that if you were to generate 400,000 Maps, that 150,000 of them would be Hidden Grotto?

I KNEW IT LOLL (not the exact numbers obv) but i always felt like that map spawns soooooo much.


also huge W on the tier reverse, this patch is just W after W

great work ggg team

huuuugeee W baby wooo!

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Additionally you can expect some other Endgame improvements, such as reducing the danger of two of the Ritual types that were just a ruckus of purple chaos explosions and reducing the danger and increasing the telegraphing of the Volatile Plants monster modifier. Combined, these were responsible for over half of all player deaths in the endgame!

## Feedback on Gameplay Mechanics

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My feedback outlines several critical issues observed within the current game mechanics that significantly impact player experience and game balance.

### Monster Modifier Plants

The damage output of rare monster modifier plants is currently excessive. Despite having approximately 70% Chaos Resistance and 6,000 Effective Hit Points (EHP), my character is frequently eliminated instantly due to these plants exploding simultaneously. The overlapping area of effect and extended duration (around 20 seconds) of these explosions contribute to this issue. It is recommended to reduce their damage by a factor of four and decrease their duration to 50% of the current value.

### Map Modifier: Temporal Chains

The "Temporal Chains" curse as a map modifier is disproportionately impactful. While stated as a -22% reduction, its actual effect slows the character by approximately 50%. This severe movement speed reduction significantly detracts from the gameplay experience by unduly prolonging travel time. Unlike in *Path of Exile 1* where travel skills mitigated this, Path of Exile 2 characters are inherently slower, making this extreme slowdown particularly frustrating and unfun.

### Boots and Movement Speed

It is suggested that boots should inherently provide a significant movement speed bonus as an implicit modifier, ideally exceeding 35%. Furthermore, Dexterity-based boots should offer a higher percentage of increased movement speed compared to Armor-based boots. Currently, players are circumventing the lack of movement speed on boots by stacking accuracy and attack speed with skills that provide minor character movement, effectively achieving high mobility. This mirrors the attribute stacking meta observed in version 0.1.

To foster a more natural and enjoyable gameplay flow, it is proposed that the optimal movement speed values on boots be:

* Dexterity Boots: Up to 80%
* Hybrid (Dex/Int or Dex/Str) & Energy Shield Boots: Up to 70%
* Armor Boots: 60-65%

Implementing these changes would substantially enhance the overall gameplay experience for all players without being overtly impactful on game balance.

### Item Implicits

To enhance the crafting system and itemization, all item bases should possess impactful implicit modifiers. As demonstrated by belts, which currently offer impactful charms and specific buffs, a similar approach should be applied across all item types. Boots, for instance, should have movement speed as their implicit. While some weapons currently have beneficial implicits, these often come at the cost of damage per second, which should be re-evaluated. Instead of crafting from entirely undesirable bases, players should be able to select a specific weapon type and upgrade it progressively.

### "Magic Find" (increased rarity of items found stat on items) Rework

It is recommended to remove all "magic find" affixes from character-upgrading gear. Instead, a dedicated tab with "rogue-like items" that are rare drops should be introduced. Presently, builds lacking increased rarity feel disadvantaged, particularly those heavily reliant on unique items. A straightforward solution would be to eliminate rarity from current gear and establish a separate gear category exclusively for magic find, similar to how Heist items functioned in *Path of Exile 1*, but for the player character.

Great changes!

Chase uniques, endgame socketables and the fixing of item tiering are all great!


TODO:
* Trade outdated
* Armor rework

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A second main focus is that we're going to increase the variety of running Endgame Maps. Right now did you know that if you were to generate 400,000 Maps, that 150,000 of them would be Hidden Grotto? We are certainly sick of running that area and fighting that same boss on repeat! The intention here is to normalize the frequency that different maps, and thus boss fights, appear on the Atlas. This will make things feel far less repetitive when playing the Endgame, especially for many many hours.

Are you EVER going to understand that we actually like running the same map over and over, and "variety" to me is swapping between Jungle Valley and City Square after running one of them 12+ hours each day for 5 consecutive days?

"Right now did you know that if you were to generate 400,000 Maps, that 150,000 of them would be Hidden Grotto"
No wonder here, it's too common. Feels the map variety is very low.

Also, nerf buff slightly to encourage build variety.

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slumberlust#6638 wrote:

Please consider reducing the overall exp gain needed for level 100. It's absurd right now.

its meant to be like that for good reason its an accomplishment to hit 100 and not a necessity it should be challenging.

Actually, excellent changes to the game.