Patch 0.2 – Key Issues and Core Inconsistencies Impacting Gameplay
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Dear GGG,
First, I want to thank you for your ongoing effort and passion in building this game. I’ve spent a considerable amount of time playing Patch 0.2 and would like to provide feedback on several core issues that are currently affecting the overall player experience. These are not just minor inconveniences but fundamental concerns that impact the fun, pace, and progression of the game. 1. Game Vision and Pacing It’s clear that the current direction is leaning toward a slower, more methodical pace. While I respect the desire to shape the experience, I believe this slower pacing doesn’t align with the nature of the ARPG genre. ARPGs thrive on fast-paced combat and satisfying progression. If the game is going to be slower, it must be balanced with consistently rewarding loot, ideally with guaranteed drops and affixes after completing content. Furthermore, the grindier a game becomes, the faster-paced the gameplay needs to be, to make farming engaging rather than tedious. When loot is scarce and gameplay is slow, it risks becoming frustrating instead of challenging or rewarding. 2. Build Diversity and Balance Patch 0.2 introduced sweeping nerfs that effectively eliminated many previously viable builds. This is concerning because a game’s evolution should expand build variety, not reduce it. If we had 10 viable builds in 0.1, 0.2 should aim for 15 or more—not fewer. That doesn’t mean older builds should remain overpowered, but adjustments should be balanced and surgical, not destructive. Most builds should remain viable, even post-nerf, to encourage experimentation and replayability. Right now, this build diversity has been severely limited, which hurts long-term engagement. 3. Crafting System Design Currently, crafting feels heavily RNG-based and is locked behind late-game progression and Omens. For a more enjoyable experience, crafting should be introduced earlier, possibly starting in the campaign. One suggestion would be to: - Allow players to target the first 1–2 affixes using new crafting items like Essences, dropped from regular monsters. - Make the last 3 affixes random, preserving some RNG without removing all control. This would give players the sense that they’re crafting with purpose rather than gambling endlessly, and it would help newer players understand and engage with the system earlier. 4. Campaign Length and Flow The campaign, as it stands, is burdened by all of the above issues—slowness, lack of meaningful loot, crafting limitations, and restricted builds. But even beyond those problems, it suffers from excessive length. A 30–40% reduction in campaign duration would significantly improve pacing. A potential solution: maintain Act 1’s map size across all acts—shorter, more direct zones that still feel rewarding. This would streamline progression and keep players engaged without burning them out. Additional Notes While I focused on the main core issues above, I also want to briefly highlight other areas that need attention: - A more user-friendly UI, especially for new players. - Improved crafting UI for clarity and efficiency. - Detailed character stat screens showing accumulated bonuses and passives. - Client stability, crash handling, and server performance all need continued improvement. Final Thoughts I share this feedback out of appreciation for the game’s potential and in hopes of helping shape a better experience for everyone. These issues, if addressed, would not only improve player retention but also elevate the core gameplay loop to be more satisfying, engaging, and fair. Looking forward to seeing the next updates and patches, NullPointer Last bumped on Apr 22, 2025, 9:41:30 AM
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" Guys, you really just need to stop trying to make this a thing. The ARPG genre does not demand any specific pacing. Some of the most successful and influential ARPGs in history have slow, methodical gameplay. Like, go play Titan Quest and come back to PoE2 and you will feel like the f'ing Flash. It's fine that you guys prefer faster ARPGs but ffs stop trying to pretend your personal preference defines the genre. Last edited by Kerchunk#7797 on Apr 22, 2025, 2:25:15 AM
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" Are you talking about "Titan Quest" early or late game? [Removed by Support]
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Slower pacing is not a problem at all,
Slower pacing is just fine if other game mechanics are actually designed for the slower pacing as well. The problem is that the game from one side wants to be slower and methodical, while at the same time throwing hasted, temporalbubble volatileplant mobs at you. Eventually people stop wanting to play slow characters not because they want a faster game, but because current overall design makes slower characters simply ANNOYING to play. Dark Souls is much slower to Devil May Cry, yet still manages to be a fun game, because the overall game is designed for it. Imagine if playing Dark Souls you would be facing off mobs from Devil May Cry...it would be annoying as heck. Oh and loot of course should be dependant on time invested not mobNumber killed. You can get cool loot in Dark Souls from a single mob Build diversity is low not because there are not many powerful options, but because playing some of these options lead to ANNOYING gameplay. Hence most people shift and move to a build which can skip the annoyances. ___ Hoo there wanderer... Last edited by Henide#3803 on Apr 22, 2025, 2:38:23 AM
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" Yes, systems, loot, progress should be all maitained and designed around a slow pace gameplay, or it will simply be frustrating A Game like Elden Ring for example, is slow, monsters are slow, bosses are slow, combat is decent outside of some broken builds, but loot is guaranteed and 100% rewarding, players focus more on fighting a boss rather than just grinding to find loot endlessly. However, ARPGs are different and specially we're talking about POE type of ARPG, its a diablo loot genre, developped around loot, it cant be slow with long combat but grindy at the same time, it will simply annoy every player. |
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