PoE 2 Isn’t a Souls-like — It’s a Casino Where the House Always Wins

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Kerchunk#7797 wrote:

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Abusaksak#0859 wrote:

That said, I have a question for you: do you really think 0.2 is better than 0.1? Do you believe the game is perfect as it is?

Of course the game isn't perfect as it is; it's incomplete, unpolished, unbalanced, pretty buggy, and poorly optimized.

I think where we might differ is that I wouldn't expect a game in its 2nd major content patch of an extended Early Access period to be anything other than what I just described. If there's anything about the game I find borderline unacceptable right now it's the persistent crashing some people (not myself) are experiencing. I think for a paid EA they do owe people a product that can at least run reliably.

Is 0.2 "better" than 0.1? On the balance I would say no, probably not. I do think there are many things about 0.2 that are absolutely improved over 0.1:

- All rares visible on minimaps is absolutely enormous; game-changing adjustment that has gone relatively unacknowledged. It makes maps so much faster and basically eliminates any need to backtrack (almost making checkpoints redundant)

- The new Unique tablets are amazing. The one that lets you access all maps within the range of a tower is another revolutionary change that I haven't seen anyone acknowledge; the fact that you can hop over mountain ranges and lakes/rivers so your progress toward a citadel isn't interrupted is h00ge

- I think the League mechanic is being undervalued and largely ignored; I find it to be fun and challenging. And especially if you can notice a wisp without activating it, you can be strategic about timing and force them to travel longer distances which makes for bigger rewards -- the bonuses are huge; I think I've gotten more drops from wisp possessed rares than I have from map bosses at this point

- The changes to belts and the Charms are great and promise a lot for the future

- The new multi-tiered rune system is I think being given little credit; it really allows for a lot of customization which eases the pain of upgrading specific slots (e.g., it's easier to "fix" your resists when you upgrade an item that throws them out of balance)

- I'm absolutely loving Tame Beast and I think everyone who is just farming Haste Aura companions to boost their DPS are missing a lot of fun possibilities; having a companion with Shroud Walker that jumps into enemy packs opens up a lot of possibilities with things like Temporal Bubble, Hinder Aura, etc.


...but, ultimately I would just say again that even if 0.2 were just objectively worse in every way I wouldn't be too worried. I think a reasonable person looking at what they're doing and understanding the point of Early Acess should be open to the possibility that the journey from 0.1 to 1.0 is not necessarily going to be a steady increase in quality and that one patch that isn't quite as good as the last isn't the end of the f'ing world.

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EffKayZA#1861 wrote:

Do they give their customers and players what they want or watch the actual money go elsewhere?

Hello. Customer and player checking in! I've contributed more to support PoE2 than I did in total for PoE1 (which was a lot). I feel like I have to keep reminding people that your personal tastes and preferences are not representative of the entire player population... that doesn't seem like something I should have to explain this often.

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Abusaksak#0859 wrote:

As a huge fan of Souls-like games — and someone who completed NG+4 and The Depths in Nioh 2 with a 1 HP build (for those who know) — I have to say this clearly: Path of Exile 2 has absolutely nothing to do with a Souls-like experience.

What could have been an interesting direction feels like a completely failed attempt. In Souls-like games, the harder the content, the better the reward. Here, it feels like I'm walking through a giant casino, constantly gambling and mostly losing. And if only that was the only issue...


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Patch 0.2 – A Build Diversity Massacre

The massive nerfs introduced in 0.2 are, simply put, absurd. They completely broke most viable builds from 0.1. Playing a mana stacker is no longer even possible. Nearly everything that gave players build freedom or identity is now gone.

Okay, Temporalis deserved a nerf — no argument there. But nerfing everything? That’s just poor design. In every good ARPG or Souls-like, the goal of deep investment is to eventually become powerful. That’s the point. But here? The entire system feels like it’s built to punish you for playing.

PoE 2 is full of massive enemy encounters, yet the game strips you of all the tools to deal with them. This isn’t "difficult". This is frustration disguised as balance.


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The Loot System Makes No Sense

Let’s talk about loot, because this is one of the worst parts right now.

How is it that some players drop a Mirror in Act 3 Cruel, while others — level 90 with 200+ hours — have only seen 3 Divine Orbs? This isn’t "healthy RNG", this is nonsense.

There is zero correlation between difficulty and reward. A T16 map should drop 10x more valuable loot than a T1. That’s basic game design. No one cares if Divines are worth more if you never see them. Loot in PoE 2 right now feels like a bad slot machine: pure luck, no logic.


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Heading Toward Pay-to-Win?

On top of that, with how things are shaping up — the RMT spam, the unrewarding grind, the massive nerfs — it’s starting to feel like we’re heading toward a disguised pay-to-win (or pay-to-go-fast) model.

And make no mistake: frustration ≠ difficulty. It’s not Souls-like. It’s just bad.

If you really want PoE 2 to stand on its own, you’ll need to do more than recycle 80% of PoE 1. You’ll need to rethink your design and actually reward investment instead of punishing it.


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Final Thoughts

PoE 2 Patch 0.1, with all its flaws, was on the right track. It encouraged experimentation, and we felt like the game was evolving. Patch 0.2 is a massive step backwards, and honestly, it makes no sense.

If your goal is to create a frustrating experience, then congratulations — you're succeeding. But a frustrating game is not a difficult game. It's just a bad game.


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To the community:

That’s all I’ll say for now, but there’s so much more to unpack. I’ll let other players add their experiences. Maybe if enough of us speak up, GGG will finally realize the direction they're taking just isn’t it.


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JarlaxleDaerthe#2435 wrote:

It's not even a casino.. casinos provide dopamine.

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Abusaksak#0859 wrote:

Path of Exile 2 has absolutely nothing to do with a Souls-like experience.