Path of Exile 2 – Network-related freezes/stutters and lack of Predictive mode

Game: Path of Exile 2
Platform: PC (Steam)
Region/Gateway: (Frankfurt) (i'm from Germany so Frankfurt)
Connection: Wi-Fi (motherboard integrated adapter)

I am experiencing severe and consistent gameplay freezes in Path of Exile 2 that directly correlate with network spikes.

According to the in-game network graph, my latency is normally ~15 ms, but every few seconds it spikes to 40–100 ms.
Each of these spikes causes a visible freeze/stutter in gameplay.
This happens reliably while moving through zones and during combat.

Important details:
- The freezes/stutters are NOT related to FPS, GPU or CPU load
- Other online games work smoothly on the same connection
- The issue is clearly tied to lockstep networking behavior
- Path of Exile 2 currently does not offer a Predictive networking mode

Because PoE2 uses strict lockstep only, even small jitter or packet delay (which is common on modern Wi-Fi connections) results in hard gameplay freezes.
In 2025, many players use integrated motherboard Wi-Fi adapters rather than Ethernet cables, and the lack of any predictive or buffered networking option makes the game effectively unplayable for part of the player base.

I would like to ask:
- Is this behavior expected with the current PoE2 networking implementation?
- Are there any plans to add a Predictive networking mode or improved jitter buffering, similar to what exists in Path of Exile 1?
- Are there any recommended gateways or temporary workarounds for this issue?

At the moment, the game feels extremely punishing to play purely due to network sensitivity, even on otherwise stable connections.
I enjoy this game so much, and want to play with more stability on my screen. So please, do something with this issue.

1213.mp4
Found at least 5 reddit post with exact same problem.
- Help with constant stutters : r/PathOfExile2
- Help with stuttering and lag : r/PathOfExile2
- Stuttering, Lag Spikes and delays : r/PathOfExile2
- anyone know how to fix this stuttering? : r/PathOfExile2
- Stuttering in game : r/PathOfExile2

Thank you for your time.

I have the same issue, latency jumps and the game seizes up. There is a way to switch poe2 to predictive, but that "fix" didn't work for me. You have to edit the files to get it to work.

But like I said that seems to not fix the issue. I have tried numerous "fixes" the only thing that fixes it 80% (Still happens from time to time) is hooking up with ethernet cable. But with a laptop that's not ideal.

I can play basically any other game out there multiplayer without worrying about lost packet stutter, I am sure that this one can correct the issue.

Same issue here, latency jumps from ~40 to ~80 causing severe stutter and micro freezes with 100% stable FPS. I tried changing the networking_type in the config file to predictive but it doesn't work.

Same issue... having these problems on EU/Frankfurt since 0.1, mostly from 6-10 pm my time zone. it seems like no one cares about this issue.
My Latency graph is a rollercoaster, every other game runs on <20 ms.

https://imgur.com/a/ngZCLUm

this has been happening since EA launch. I swear last patch they did something and it seemed way better... but now for 0.4 its back again