Path of Exile 2 developer Grinding Gear Games (GGG) has rolled out further emergency adjustments to the action role-playing game following a strong community backlash against the Dawn of the Hunt update, which has led to a significant drop in Steam user reviews to 'mostly negative.'
The Dawn of the Hunt update, launched earlier this month, introduced exciting new features such as the Huntress class, which utilizes Spear and Buckler for hybrid melee and ranged combat. The update also brought five new ascension classes: the Ritualist, Amazon, Smith of Kitava, Tactician, and Lich, along with mechanical overhauls, over one hundred new unique items, and expanded crafting options.
Despite these additions, the Path of Exile 2 community expressed dissatisfaction, particularly with the game's pacing, which many felt had been slowed down excessively, turning the experience into a "total slog."
The 'most helpful' review of the last 30 days on Steam captures 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 negative review reflects a similar frustration, describing the game as suitable only for "masochists who enjoy being punished for little to no reward."
Players have highlighted multiple issues, including the game's slow movement, overly large area sizes, and forced combo gameplay, which contradicts the freedom typically offered in ARPGs. The loot system was also criticized for being overly nerfed, diminishing the rewards from defeating rare monsters and bosses.
In response, GGG has already implemented a series of changes and has now announced further updates in patch 0.2.0e, scheduled for release on April 11. These updates aim to address the community's concerns:
Monster Speed Changes:
GGG has adjusted monster behavior to prevent overwhelming players, with specific changes applied across different acts. Notable changes include removing interrupt events for human monsters like Cultists, reducing the speed of certain monsters, and adjusting the density of challenging monsters in various areas.
Act-Specific Changes:
- Act 1: Adjustments to Werewolf Prowlers, Tendril Prowlers, Hungering Stalkers, and other monsters to make encounters less overwhelming.
- Act 2: Replaced Boulder Ants with Risen Maraketh to reduce irritation from movement.
- Act 3: Modified Diretusk Boar and Antlion Charger behaviors, and adjusted monster pack compositions in areas like the Lost City and Azak Bog.
Boss Changes:
- Viper Napuatzi: Reduced the amount and size of Chaos Rains, and improved visibility of drop locations.
- Uxmal: Reduced movement and attack frequency to make fights less frustrating.
- Xyclucian: Enhanced visibility of effects by removing ground foliage in the arena.
Player Minion Changes:
- Improved minion revive timers to prevent repeated resets.
- Enhanced usability of Bind Spectre and Tame Beast gems.
Other Player Balance:
- Expanded the use of Rally support and fixed several bugs related to skill usage and effects.
Crafting Changes:
- Added new mods to runes for caster weapons and introduced a new mechanic at Renly's shop in the Burning Village.
Performance Improvements:
- Optimized ground foliage to enhance game performance.
The patch also includes a deployment timeline and additional forthcoming changes such as charm system improvements, stash tab affinities, and atlas bookmarks to enhance player experience.
The critical question remains whether these adjustments will be sufficient to address the community's grievances and restore the game's positive reception. Despite the challenges, Path of Exile 2 has seen significant success at launch, although this has impacted the development of Path of Exile 1.
GGG continues to listen to player feedback and promises further updates to refine the game's balance and performance, aiming to rekindle the enthusiasm of its dedicated player base.
