Microtransactions - Locking End Game Behind a Paywall

TL:DR:

- Buying Stash Tabs is a SERIOUS problem in the game. It essentially locks the End Game behind a Pay Wall, which after 50+ hours of playing (although if you can play for 50+ hours without buying a Stash Tab, well done) feels like you've already invested in the game

- The Cost of Microtransactions is insanely TOO EXPENSIVE! 200-300 for one cosmetic (roughly £12-£18). 200 coins for 6 Stash Tabs! This is rediculous and on console, you can only by 200 coins at a time?

- The in-game gear is clearly made to be purposefully understated and uncustomisable - pushing you towards the store for cosmetics.(You can't transmog a helm you've picked up previously in the game. You have to stick with what is the best in slot, whether it looks stupid or not)

- The game isn't even finished yet and people have clearly already spent hundreds on in-game purchases.


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So, I'm not sure if I'm the only one who has noticed or feels this way. Path of Exile 2 has surprised me in that it is a pretty incredible game! I dare say, close if not THE best in the genre. The gameplay mechanics are fun, engaging and the build crafting is pretty excellent.

However! The selling of Stash Tabs & Cosmetics raises a LOT of concerns for me. As I am now Level 75 and am doing tier 3 Atlas mapping, the sheer amount of end game content (which is excellent) is a lot, but that means there is an insane amount of loot. All good until you realise that without buying microtranscations for Stash Tabs, the game is no longer fun - it's 70-80% inventory management and maybe 20% actually gameplay.

You can't increase your inventory size and the inventory is sorted by squares of how large items are - pretty standard for this style of game. But it means you are constantly teleporting back to off-load all the loot. Buying Stash Tabs speeds up this process and makes how the loot system functions actually work. You also can't engage in the Trade Market without buying Market Stash Tabs.

The game cost me around £25. I have felt it necessary to buy £30 worth of Stash Tabs just to be able to play the game effectively and not just spend hours individually sorting items, and that's only to get a basic grasp. Quad Stash Tabs are a huge upgrade to the inventory and looting system. Individual Stash Tabs (Currency, Ritual, Maps, Delerium etc.) are basically necessary with affinities.

Basically, this is locking playing the End Game behind a Pay Wall. You literally can't really play the End Game without buying a significant amount of Stash Tabs.

But that's not the only issue. The most coins I can buy on the PS5 is 200 at a time - which equals £12. There is a cosmetic bundle that costs 500+ Coins... that's £30+ just for helmet and body skin.

Stash Tab Bundles cost 200+ Coins. These prices feel WILDLY too expensive! And it feels like a lot of the game's gear look in terms of weapons and armor is purposefully limited. Like, the best End Game Rare Helm for my Archer looks stupid, but unless I pay for cosmetics or switch to a Unique that looks good, my character just looks like a goofy mess. I can't even transmog gear to look like other gear I've already picked up in the game. What's the answer to this? Spend more money!?

I paid £25 for Early Access. This isn't even a finished game and I feel pushed to to spend an additional £50+ just to function in the End Game after investing 50+ Hours in the game - The "Sunk Cost" Fallacy. And this isn't even the start of it. The amount of things you can buy in the microtransaction store is a lot. When I travel to other player's hideouts, it's very obvious how much they have spent on the game. The amount of Merchant Stash Tabs, the amount of Cosmetic Skins for Portals, Map Device, Spell Effects etc...

It's verging on "Pay-to-Win" Because the entire game is based around the loot hunt. But without buying Stash Tabs or cosmetics, your uncustomisable character looks stupid and you can't function in the End Game. These Stash Tabs should be provided as standard for gods sake. Stop stripping core functioning elements out of the game and selling them back to us!

The more you play the better you will get at knowing which items are even worth picking up/stashing. Its fairly early in the season when I switch to uber strict loot filters and I just have a single tab that I dump in and clean every so often.

That being said, I'm sure everyone wishes everything was cheaper. So more power to you if you convince them. :)

It's not pay to win. It's pay to organize and pay to trade.

When you have 1000+ hours into the game for $30 you understand that it's not bad to support this game in a way that helps you as a player be more efficient in your gaming, ie stash tabs.

You also have the option to buy supporter packs which get you cosmetics and points equal to the value of the pack to spend on stash tabs (or whatever else)

None of this is a problem, it is by design. And it's a better system your going to get than what competitors offer.

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Ellie-Jelly-#6252 wrote:

- Buying Stash Tabs is a SERIOUS problem in the game

Wait until stash tabs are on sale (which happens every three weeks or so) and buy a $30 supporter pack. You'll get cosmetics. Spend the points on stash tabs. Get a currency tab, a map/waystone tab, two premium tabs, and whatever else you want.

You only have to do this once, not every league.

You see, this is what I don't understand. Don't get me wrong, my feelings on the matter don't invalidate your experience, but why are you actively defending the developers decisions to heavily monetise something that should be in the game from the beginning?

Pay to organise when the game is literally about organising and assessing loot. Pay to trade in a game that is completely centered and focussed around loot.

If you only spent an additional $30, then well done~ but acting like this kind of thing is OK and defending the clearly aggregious money grabbing tricks that are literally designed - Like you said it's DESIGNED to be this way - and then saying "Well it's better than competitors", like that makes it Ok?

Come on man. it's this kind of view that is the reason WHY the people publishing this game think it's okay to literally take advantage of the gamers - because you are arguing the point for them.

Fair enough if you are happy to pay for this, but don't act like it's not OBVIOUS how they are locking essential systems and functions of the game behind microtransactions, design to make you think, "Oh Well... I've invested this many hours. Might as well pay for the privilege".

They are using literal psychology to make you think that this is okay and worth it -_-

Lol, don't be silly. The game is going to be free. They need a way to encourage people to help keep the lights on if they are going to play for hundreds of hours. The initial $30 is a ticket you bought so you could play the game before the free version.

If you can't or don't want to buy stash tabs, you can play SSF for thousands of hours. Or play normal and don't trade.

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Ellie-Jelly-#6252 wrote:

You see, this is what I don't understand. Don't get me wrong, my feelings on the matter don't invalidate your experience, but why are you actively defending the developers decisions to heavily monetise something that should be in the game from the beginning?

Pay to organise when the game is literally about organising and assessing loot. Pay to trade in a game that is completely centered and focussed around loot.

If you only spent an additional $30, then well done~ but acting like this kind of thing is OK and defending the clearly aggregious money grabbing tricks that are literally designed - Like you said it's DESIGNED to be this way - and then saying "Well it's better than competitors", like that makes it Ok?

Come on man. it's this kind of view that is the reason WHY the people publishing this game think it's okay to literally take advantage of the gamers - because you are arguing the point for them.

Fair enough if you are happy to pay for this, but don't act like it's not OBVIOUS how they are locking essential systems and functions of the game behind microtransactions, design to make you think, "Oh Well... I've invested this many hours. Might as well pay for the privilege".

They are using literal psychology to make you think that this is okay and worth it -_-

Because this game franchise is funded by mtx. PoE 1 and PoE 2 (after full release) are completely free-to-play games so there needs to be a source of income. Honestly I don't know a single player (except you) who has any problem with this.

See but what they aren't doing is making you play. It's your choice to make do with no tabs, buy the tabs, or don't play.

How ironic to complain against stash tab when they are currently on sale, very typical. Also the topic itself is very old, welcome to PoE I guess?

A pack of 6 normal stash is currently 110 points, that's 11$ USD and before you come up with premium stashes: you don't need them. The game is free and if you paid to gain access, well you should use your points on stash tabs as it's the best value you get can get with your points.

I'm honestly surprised. These counter points are so reductive and dismissive of anything I have said.

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DonJulio: "What they aren't doing is making you play"

Thank you for completely ignoring everything I said. This is meant to be a discussion about how to make the game better for people that enjoy the game. One way is to not treat me like an idiot with a wallet. Honestly, your comment is just dismissive and doesn't actually help open the conversation.

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Sakanabi: "Honestly I don't know a single player (except you) who has any problem with this."

DistributedAutomaton: "Lol, don't be silly. The game is going to be free. They need a way to encourage people to help keep the lights on if they are going to play for hundreds of hours."

Google: Specific, real-time revenue figures for Path of Exile 2 are not publicly available, but its Early Access launch in late 2024 generated significant sales, with Sensor Tower reporting $156.2 million in gross revenue and 6.5 million units sold as of early 2025

This doesn't sound like "Keeping the lights on". They are making a huge profit BEFORE the game has even launched.

I don't have an issue with games being funded by microtransactions, but locking essential gameplay before them is a really crappy approach. Like, this isn't a new conversation and I don't understand why people seem to think that this is okay. Can you not see how reductive this is and the way they are employing psychology to get your money?

I'm not saying it's a bad game or the developers are bad for making it. I'm saying the monetisation is a product of corperate greed that is getting you to Pay for something that doesn't physically exist and you completely lose if the game switches off.