Focus on Depth First: An Open Letter to the Developers from a Passionate PoE Fan

Hello,

I don't want to sound overly negative, but we encounter issues with almost every patch. I'm a developer myself and run my own company. I simply cannot imagine releasing a paid product to my customers in a broken state. While I acknowledge this is early access and still consider the game to be in beta (or honestly, alpha), the core issue lies in the fact that you sold this product and created a lot of hype around it — but sadly, I must say that things are going very poorly. Yes, very poorly.

You’re releasing the game and major (seasonal) patches before they are truly ready, and they fail to meet expectations. Before launching version 0.3, you really need to implement some fundamental content. Please stop focusing on mobs and a few overpowered skills (excluding overpowered builds such as Lightning Spear). The game’s build/skill system is entirely centered around weapons, so all weapons need to be included first. You're trying to balance the game before the full skill potential is even available — and this leads to needing to rebalance everything again and again every time you add new support or skill gems.

Please focus on providing true skill depth first — we can worry about the rest afterward. In order for players to test things and give meaningful feedback, they first need to enjoy the experience.

Thank you,

it's to much of poe 1 to have any "meaningful" gameplay or whatever.. itemisation is null and we have barely 5-7 prefixes/suffixes that are usable - while last epoch have really godly over 700 afixes with class/item/skill specific afixes.

While poe just copying the wrong designs of poe 1 - more/less loot with +5/10 to dmg or crit multi will change nothing.

Core issue is - copying stuff from poe 1 that was not meaningfull and just holding one button fiesta and in this case - we are just experiencing all issues of early poe 1.

There are no good item bases - all are null and no afixes. Itemisation, uniques. Everything what makes "core" of arpg is null and boring. Even D4 have more deep itemisation than poe with it's temper craft system.

That's not the point I'm addressing. Right now, there need to be viable and enjoyable builds. For example, many people are eagerly waiting to play a sword-based build or a druid. If these weapons and classes are added early on, the related affixes will naturally follow. There should be fun and engaging builds available from the start, so that once all classes and skills are fully implemented, the affix system can then be properly adjusted and refined.

Completely agree. They've spent at least two months "balancing" the game, and this is largely a pointless effort. They are going to continue to release new classes, ascendancies, uniques, skill/spirit/support gems, etc.

They shouldn't have nerfed 90% of the stuff they nerfed in 0.2.

As you said, they should focus on content first and finishing the content. Who cares if players are overpowered. Releasing new content every 3 months with a fresh economy should be the priority.

Then once you've everything done you can balance things for the 1.0 release. But even then, you can't nerf everything. POE2 is going to be a lifelong balance process. Trying to get it all done in 1 go is just stupid.

"

Ledox#1816 wrote:

Hello,

I don't want to sound overly negative, but we encounter issues with almost every patch. I'm a developer myself and run my own company. I simply cannot imagine releasing a paid product to my customers in a broken state. While I acknowledge this is early access and still consider the game to be in beta (or honestly, alpha), the core issue lies in the fact that you sold this product and created a lot of hype around it — but sadly, I must say that things are going very poorly. Yes, very poorly.

You’re releasing the game and major (seasonal) patches before they are truly ready, and they fail to meet expectations. Before launching version 0.3, you really need to implement some fundamental content. Please stop focusing on mobs and a few overpowered skills (excluding overpowered builds such as Lightning Spear). The game’s build/skill system is entirely centered around weapons, so all weapons need to be included first. You're trying to balance the game before the full skill potential is even available — and this leads to needing to rebalance everything again and again every time you add new support or skill gems.

Please focus on providing true skill depth first — we can worry about the rest afterward. In order for players to test things and give meaningful feedback, they first need to enjoy the experience.

Thank you,

I also think that they should hold the game for a while, release all classes and ascendencies. Bring at least 1/2 more flasks to make ppl atl enjoy the game with more movement speed, it feels mega awful already and when i have to level a new class to test builds i get PTSD from running acts 1-3 th emore i backtrack the more i loose my interest in the game, it's the worst chore ever, i don't mind th emobs, the bosses and the story, but how big/long and backtracky all this is , it's just insane. Are they making the game so ppl can play it once and never come back, or they want an active player base? Give us all support, skill gems let ppl experiment, find out what's good, whats bad. At the moment, we as EU players face so much DCs/lags the amount of maps/citadels and so on we've lost is insane, it just feels awful , everything is a chore , unfun. Maybe it is fun and exciting the first time, but after that is pure masochism.. I don't play poe 1 , I tried it, but as I wasn't an early poe player i couldn't get myself to learn everything, it was overwhelming at every point, but I get all of the points made for poe1, i have at least 10 reallife friends who actively enjoy poe1 and stream it for me and it looks way more fun, but to watch, not to play. About trading, I have multiple ideas how to improve it, gatekeep RMT and so on, but there's no place for me to share it, or get active feedback as I am not a streamer. I can't even get a reply over 4 months about my hoodie and tshirt from the pack i bought that i was waiting for, they wrote my address incorrect and was returned to their gate from which the package was sent, their customer support is so bad it hurts, no compensation, no feedback, no information..