The concept is great, the execution is horrible.

Tldr: WE NEED A BETTER PROGRESSION SYSTEM, MORE WAYS TO SURVIVE AND MORE CONTROL OVER THE GAMBASTACKING THAT IS CRAFTING RIGHT NOW.

This game takes a lot of soulslike elements and the idea of mixing an ARPG with soulslike sounds very promising, but i think PoE2 missed the point.

Currently, it feels like i am playing a Elden Ring character, but every mobspawn is multiplied by 20.

So i don't face 2 soldiers in an encounter, i face 40.

But that wouldn't be a problem if it had the right elements of ARPG in it. Because it feels like i have all the hindrances of an ARPG but none of the tools to deal with it, it's like i am a character from a different gameplay, in the wrong game.

The soulslike genre works because you can chose your battles and how to deal with them, your character progression is noticeable for basically the entire game and the enemies, although varied and with myriads of attack patterns, do not gangbang you relentlessly unless you want them to.

But using Elden Ring as an example: Imagine if every enemy encounter you face, there would be 50 arrows coming your way, 20 explosions, 6 different mobs with actual skills and mechanics and they are all 30% faster than you even when you have passive ms nodes + a 35% ms boots. It would be fking miserable.

But i don't think they need to change the mob quantities or mechs, even their difficulty. The problem isn't that they are difficult, the problem is that you are weak.

In the early endgame up til the later, every encounter stops being about skills, as it would be in a soulslike, and starts being a stat check.
- Do you have enough stun threshold to not be staggered, light stunned as they name here, by every mach speed micro projectile that comes at you?
- Can you do enough explosive AoE dmg fast enough so you don't get overrun?
- Do you have any survivability at all, that aint energy shield, for when you inevitably get hit, which you will because you cant dodge everything?

Those stat checks are all common elements of ARPGs and they shouldn't be changed, so i believe, eventually, you will have all of those (if you are playing the meta Lightning Spear build) and the only way to attain them is by having better gear, especially because you barely have movement skills, no 'oh shit' button and no life nodes, only life leech and recovery nodes. Makes every class that isn't close to the int nodes, way weaker in survivability.

No, evasion isn't enough, because for it to be actually as good as the energy shield it needs acrobatics and to stack enough evasion to be decent with the -70% acrobatics debuff, sacrifices a lot of your dps which nulls it's survivability as you will get overrun.

So your progression slows to a hard halt very soon cuz of the lack of control over your own gear and upgrades. The chances are abysmal and the only way for you to progress is to attain it.

Right now is extremely stupid for you to be in a shtfkng map like Vaal factory or the iron citadel and have sonic dark projectiles being machined gunned at you, which if one hits, you are staggered and immediately stun locked. Or packs of fast paced, fast attack speed cannons shooting at you in tight corridors, especially if you don't have energy shield, because evasion can only dodge AoE with acrobatics or so it seems.

In conclusion, right now the game has the worst combination of elements of both genres. It takes it's potential and use it to wipe the ass. It can be great, but those things needs to be addressed, so the difficulty and scaling are enjoyable and fair.

I have hope that GGG will eventually get it right, but i wonder if they even read the forum.