The Core Problem with PoE 2

Remove the experience loss on death at end game. The game is already amazing and difficult. The difficulty at endgame can be overcome from leveling up but for alot of players it is impossible to level up. The only thing that ruins the game and makes it almost unplayable after the campaign is the experience loss. I love the game but can't play the end game so I have started a new character but theat can only work for so long before it becomes extremely boring. Fix the xp leach so people can actually level up so they can beat the already rediculously hard endgame. As it stands now it's a single player game to be put in the cupboard after campaign completion and has no long term playability and it's 90% because of the reason stated.

Amazed you had the patience to make it to endgame. I made it to Cruel, where everyone was promising me that "the game is actually good now," discovered the game was deceitfully nerfing my elemental resists, and just turned it off. I'm going to play a game that actually respects my time and effort.

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discovered the game was deceitfully nerfing my elemental resists, and just turned it off. I'm going to play a game that actually respects my time and effort.

What? I think every ARPG I've ever played lowers your resists as you get farther into the game, D2 did this as you went up in difficulties, PoE 1 does this as well. Also if I remember correctly it tells you when you move up the acts when a resistance penalty has occurred, but I may have remembered this incorrectly.

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HerDoColeN#6568 wrote:

The spell and gem system is outright terrible. There’s also zero balance in difficulty. This leaves the gameplay in a weird state—it’s either way too easy or absurdly difficult, and neither feels rewarding.

very true.

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HerDoColeN#6568 wrote:

Path of Exile 2 risks becoming a failure, and the main reason is its endgame. Even after fully building your character, it just doesn’t feel satisfying—your hero still feels slow and underwhelming. On top of that, being forced to play through the campaign twice makes the experience even worse. Many players don’t even make it past the first act, and only a handful ever reach the endgame. Now imagine starting a new season with this system—most people just won’t bother.

I think you missed the memo where halfway through 2024 GGG rightfully realized that it is more important to give a taste of endgame into early access than finish the campaign. This is why:
- We have a return of the "cruel" difficulty. It will be replaced by proper acts 4-6.
- The endgame is unpolished. It was, essentially, rushed.

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HerDoColeN#6568 wrote:

The spell and gem system is outright terrible. There’s also zero balance in difficulty. This leaves the gameplay in a weird state—it’s either way too easy or absurdly difficult, and neither feels rewarding.

That's valid feedback, and you're not the first to point it out. The game hasn't been in the hands of so many people before. Many issues slipped by internal testing. And PoE players are known for their, ahem, ingenuity.

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HerDoColeN#6568 wrote:

Another strange issue is the overwhelming number of positive reviews. For a game with so many obvious flaws, the high ratings feel suspicious. It’s almost as if they’re being artificially boosted because the criticisms far outweigh the praise. If nothing changes, PoE 2 could turn into a ghost town within weeks.

Has it occured to you, that you may also sit in a bubble? Of negativity? Now we have two bubbles, looking at each other and wondering, how is this possible?

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HerDoColeN#6568 wrote:

Confidence in the project is dwindling because it’s clear the game needs an almost complete overhaul to survive.

According to Steam charts, confidence measured in player count is unwavering. PoE 2 early access has better player retention than any league in the history of PoE 1, on top of starting with about double the players than the most successful one.

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HerDoColeN#6568 wrote:

At its core, PoE 2 feels like an unfinished product.

Because it is. EARLY ACCESS. Means you paid $30 to be a beta tester for GGG. These forums exist so that constructive feedback, much of which you showed, can be shared with GGG.

Also, people are irked by the apparent lack of response from GGG to all this feedback. First of all, they did make a couple big patches that resolved some "emergency" issues and added a lot of needed QoL. Second, they are winding down for the holidays and will return to cooking in the next year.

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Andreuswolf#0361 wrote:

Amazed you had the patience to make it to endgame. I made it to Cruel, where everyone was promising me that "the game is actually good now," discovered the game was deceitfully nerfing my elemental resists, and just turned it off. I'm going to play a game that actually respects my time and effort.

But… that happens in PoE1, too…