Path of Exile 2’s first major update since its early access debut, aptly named “Dawn of the Hunt,” turned out to be quite the debacle. Last Friday, eager players logging in were met with a game that was, truthfully, humorously difficult. Even in the opening stages, getting rid of weaker monsters felt like an endless slog, and the much-anticipated Huntress class left players feeling underwhelmed. The community quickly took to Reddit, flooding it with posts like “This game feels like a massive waste of time” and “Game feels miserable.” Many well-known streamers didn’t hold back either, choosing to abandon their sessions in frustration.
Grinding Gear Games, the developers behind the title, quickly sprang into action, rolling out a series of small patches in a bid to offer players some relief. They toned down the health of monsters and bolstered a few underwhelming skills, such as skeletal minions. However, many in the community still feel that these adjustments haven’t quite hit the mark and the game continues to feel ungratifying.
In light of the feedback, Grinding Gear Games made a public statement addressing these significant concerns and laid out their plans for future updates, primarily focusing on the campaign’s sluggish pace, which players need to replay every time a new season is introduced. Although some changes have been implemented, players are still grappling with finding the patience to reach and enjoy the endgame content.
“I want to emphasize that our aim was to tone down mechanisms that made the endgame trivial even before players had accumulated their gear and other essentials,” explained game director Jonathan Rogers during a chat with streamer Zizaran on Tuesday.
“We made some pretty obvious mistakes, to be frank,” added fellow director Mark Roberts, pointing specifically to the skills that required urgent fixes. “We’re kind of winging it at times, you know? We put it out there, gather player feedback, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll just retract it.”
Rogers noted, “With PoE 2, the precision needed is higher compared to PoE 1, mainly because creating more engaging combat raises the stakes for getting the balance absolutely right.”
Rogers elaborated on how PoE 1 tends to favor players who have invested countless hours mastering its intricacies, whereas PoE 2 attempted to dodge that issue—to be a bit of a balancing act, really. Simultaneously, the game is designed to showcase a type of challenging combat reminiscent of Soulslike games, full of deliberate moves and dodge rolls. It’s meant to be challenging.
Both developers acknowledged they’re considering various aspects to ease player frustration, but they’re wary of tipping the balance too far, resulting in a game where players breeze through dungeons in a matter of hours.
“We don’t want to reach a point where a skilled player never encounters a challenge, as that won’t be a game that remains enjoyable in the long run,” Rogers noted.
