Feedback on Party Play and Overall Experience in PoE2

Hello,

I've been testing PoE2 since the CBT. While I didn’t try party play during the beta, I’ve now encountered significant issues in the live game that make playing our own builds very difficult. The primary problem is that spell effects completely cover the screen, preventing us from seeing grounded affixes or incoming projectiles. Additionally, there are broader concerns about social features, guild systems, and general UI design that I would like to address. Below is my detailed feedback:

### **Party Play Feedback**

1. **Spell Visibility Option for Other Players**
- I suggest adding a “Spell Visibility by Other Players” slider, adjustable between 1-100. This would allow us to reduce the visibility of other players’ spells, making them transparent while keeping the main player’s skills fully visible.

2. **Remove Player Body Blocking**
- This is self-explanatory but essential for smoother group gameplay.

3. **Party Frame Improvements**
- The Energy Shield updates on the party frame are extremely delayed. This makes it difficult for support players to monitor their teammates effectively.
- Auras and buffs should visually indicate their range by drawing a circle around the player, scaling with their presence radius. This would help support players know who is benefiting from their buffs.
- **Outdated Party Frame Look**: The current party frame design is overly simplistic and lacks functionality. While playing together, it doesn’t provide any meaningful control or monitoring. It essentially just shows whether a player is dead or alive. This system requires a complete overhaul.

4. **Mini Buff Icons on Party Frames**
- Adding small buff icons on the party frames would help players quickly identify active buffs on their teammates.

5. **Group Performance Issues**
- Playing in a group causes severe performance instability, including lag spikes, freezes, and significant FPS drops. These issues greatly impact the gameplay experience and need urgent optimization.

6. **Endgame Events and Rewards**
- Events like Endgame Waystones (or similar content) should drop rewards in a chest *after* the event concludes. With group scaling, it’s nearly impossible to control loot, and the screen gets completely covered by items.

### **Additional Feedback**

7. **Social UI Issues**
- The Social UI window (keybound to "J") is almost entirely non-functional and feels outdated compared to modern games. Its design and functionality need to be reworked, taking inspiration from contemporary games to improve the user experience.

8. **Guild System Improvements**
- The absence of a **Guild Hideout teleport button** is a glaring issue and feels outdated. Adding this functionality should be straightforward.
- Beyond shared stash access, guilds currently lack meaningful progression or purpose. Introducing a **progressive reward system** that allows guild members to work together toward common goals would add significant value.
- Examples include guild-wide challenges such as participating in specific events, defeating tough bosses, or completing difficult maps.
- A **leaderboard system** to compare guild performance with others could also encourage competition and cooperation.

9. **Outdated Design Elements**
- The game’s **website**, **in-game UI**, **loading screens**, and especially the **map design** feel very outdated. These elements give a poor first impression to players entering the PoE2 universe and may discourage them from engaging further. Modernizing these aspects would significantly improve the overall experience.

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Thank you for taking the time to review my feedback. I hope these suggestions help improve both the party play experience and the overall quality of PoE2!

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