Dear GGG: YOU CAN DO IT! (We believe in you!)

After playing for more than 2 weeks, I did what might sound negative at first, but was extremely positive: I uninstalled PoE 2. Subsequently, I spent time with family over the holiday, went outside to "touch the grass", and very casually played some other smaller, simpler action RPGs... And of course... This brought my mind back to thinking about Path of Exile!

With a slightly renewed perspective, I now (think I) see where the design team is trying to take PoE 2. The problem lies with these new systems not being completely fleshed out; either in the design space or implementation. As some small examples:

One portal for maps (aka: a "gameover" mechanic) is fine. The current problem is threefold:

- Monsters are completely over-tuned. As Krip so well put it: We're all playing PoE 2, but the monsters are still playing PoE 1.

- Higher end maps aren't dropping at a good rate.

- Map rewards being lost on death is totally un-needed. Just let us put a new map in and try again. The loss of the map and experience points is the "pain" we need.

The ability to "brick" items is a good thing! The problems are:

- The base items needed for crafting are scarce (because base drop rates are bad).

- Gear off the ground contains significant "junk" stats, and the tools to have any chance of removing those stats are rare.

- There is currently no viable way to gain any value from "bricked" items. More salvage options needed.

Let's be honest, the vast majority of us are here because we believe GGG is a company full of people who, above anything else, want to make a great game. They've proven this over a track record longer than 10 years.

To continue our honesty, many of the core game mechanics are not in a good state right now. However we're all cheering GGG on! We want the company to make PoE 2 great. We this to be the premier ARPG of the decade. There's a tremendous amount of work to be done, but the underpinnings are there.

Long creative projects can be as difficult as they are rewarding. I know from personal experience how easy it can be to lose sight of your own vision. I hope all of the dev team was able to step back over the holiday, refresh, and come back with a renewed perspective.

Here's to another creative and exciting decade from Grinding Gear Games!