Grinding Gear Games (GGG), the developers behind the eagerly anticipated Path of Exile 2, have introduced additional emergency updates in response to the overwhelming negative feedback from the community following the Dawn of the Hunt expansion. Launched earlier this month, the update introduced the new Huntress class, which specializes in hybrid melee and ranged combat using a Spear and Buckler, along with five new ascension classes: the Ritualist, Amazon, Smith of Kitava, Tactician, and Lich. Additionally, the expansion included mechanical overhauls, over one hundred new unique items, and significantly expanded crafting options.
Despite these additions, the community backlash was swift and intense, with Steam user reviews plummeting to 'mostly negative.' Players expressed frustration over the game's pacing, which they felt had been deliberately slowed down, transforming what should have been an exciting expansion into what many described as a "total slog."
The most prominent review from the last 30 days on Steam encapsulates the community's sentiment: "Every boss fight is incredibly longer than it needs to be. Most of the skills do little to no damage. I understand they said they wanted to slow gameplay down, but I don't think I will even make it more than one week in this league at this point. It just feels incredibly awful right now, IF you can even get the game to run and be stable. That is a HUGE if."
Another review criticizes the game's design philosophy: "If you're a masochist who enjoys being punished for little to no reward, this game is for you. If you're not, it's likely that you won't enjoy the game."
Critiques extend to the game's initial release version (0.1) and the new version (0.2 - Dawn of the Hunt). Players have noted issues such as overly large map areas, slow movement, forced combo gameplay, and a significant nerf to loot drops, making rare monsters and bosses less rewarding.
In response, GGG has released patch notes for the upcoming 0.2.0e update, set to deploy on April 11, which aim to address many of these concerns:
Path of Exile 2 update 0.2.0e patch notes:
Monster Speed Changes
GGG has addressed player feedback on being overwhelmed by monsters through targeted changes across different acts. General adjustments include removing interrupt events from human monsters' melee attacks to prevent relentless pursuit, and eliminating the Haste Aura modifier from already fast monsters.
Act 1
Werewolf Prowlers and Tendril Prowlers will now walk after melee actions, only running if the player moves away. Hungering Stalkers have reduced life and damage to balance their speed. The number of Bloom Serpents and Venomous Crabs has been reduced, and Cultists in Freythorn no longer have interrupt events. Blood Cretins' Blood Pools now have a shorter duration, and monster density in Ogham Manor has been adjusted.
Act 2
Boulder Ants in Titan Valley are replaced with Risen Maraketh to reduce irritation from movement, and Faridun no longer have interrupt events.
Act 3
Diretusk Boar and Antlion Charger's charges now push players to the side, and the Lost City and Azak Bog have adjusted monster compositions to reduce ranged and elite monsters. Slitherspitter's poison spray now deals the intended Physical Damage.
GGG also identified an issue with inconsistent monster spawn density across different rooms, which will be fixed in a future patch.
Boss Changes
Adjustments to bosses include reducing the number and size of Chaos Rains in the Viper Napuatzi fight, and altering Uxmal's mechanics to make the fight less frustrating, such as reducing location changes and limiting his Energy Shield recharge. Xyclucian's arena has been cleared of ground foliage to improve visibility of his effects.
Player Minion Changes
Minion revive timers have been adjusted to prevent long delays when multiple minions die. Disenchanting certain gems now unbinds them, and tamed beasts can now navigate through smaller gaps.
Other Player Balance
Rally support now works with any Melee Attack, and Glory is no longer consumed if the player is interrupted. A bug with Blood Boils from the Ritualist ascendancy has been fixed.
Crafting Changes
All caster weapon mods have been added to runes, and Renly's shop now offers a Blank rune that can be forged into any elemental rune. Artificers Orbs are now available at fixed locations throughout the campaign.
Performance Improvements
Optimizations have been made to ground foliage across various areas to improve game performance.
0.2.0E Deployment Timeline
The 0.2.0E patch is scheduled for deployment at around 10AM NZT, with additional changes planned for post-weekend deployment.
Charm Changes
Charm slots on belts are now determined by implicit mods based on the belt's level, with a cap on the number of slots that can be rerolled using a Divine Orb. Several charms have been fixed to provide protection from the hit that activates them, and charm mods have been enhanced for better rewards.
Stash Tab Affinities
New Stash Tab Affinities have been introduced for Socketables, Fragments, Breach, Expedition, and Ritual items, with Charms now able to be stored in the Flask stash tab or any tab with the Flask affinity.
Atlas Bookmarks
Players can now bookmark locations on their atlas for easy navigation, with up to 16 bookmarks available, accessible via icons around the screen or a list under the legend.
The question remains whether these changes will be sufficient to address the community's concerns and restore Path of Exile 2 to a positive trajectory. Despite the backlash, the game's launch was a major success for GGG, though it has also brought challenges that have affected the development of Path of Exile 1.
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