Beyond Seasonal Resets: Why POE2 Should Remove Standard League and Carry Over All Progress

In our previous discussions, we addressed the flaws of seasonal resets, how to stabilize the economy, and how to make item trading fairer and more efficient. Now, it’s time to tackle the final issue—why POE2 should eliminate Standard League and allow players to carry over their progress across seasons.

For years, Path of Exile has relied on a cycle of seasonal leagues, followed by a mass migration of characters and items to Standard League. However, Standard League is essentially a graveyard of abandoned assets, with the vast majority of players never returning to it.

➡ What if POE2 removed Standard League entirely and allowed players to retain their progress across seasons instead?


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1. Why Standard League is a Dead Game Mode

📌 🔹 Problem 1: No Real Player Engagement

Standard League technically serves as POE’s “permanent” game mode, but in reality, almost no one plays it seriously.

Most players abandon their characters once a league ends, and Standard is left as a dumping ground for items that are no longer relevant.


📌 🔹 Problem 2: It Doesn’t Solve the “Reset Fatigue” Issue

Standard League does not provide meaningful progression because new mechanics and meta shifts happen exclusively in seasonal leagues.

Players who enjoy long-term character building are still forced to restart from scratch every few months.


📌 🔹 Problem 3: Wasted Assets and Economic Instability

High-value items and currency are essentially deleted from relevance when they get sent to Standard.

This makes POE’s economy short-term and volatile, as nothing carries forward in a meaningful way.


➡ If Standard League doesn’t serve as a viable long-term mode, why not replace it with a system that actually encourages sustained progression?


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2. How POE2 Can Remove Standard League Without Breaking Game Balance

Instead of resetting everything each season and dumping characters into an inactive mode, POE2 could implement a true progression system where all characters and items remain relevant.

📌 🔹 Solution 1: “Persistent League” – A New Unified Game Mode
✅ Players can keep their characters, items, and assets across multiple seasons.
✅ Each new season introduces new mechanics and challenges without forcing players to restart.
✅ Players who want a fresh start can opt into a “Hard Reset” mode, but it’s not mandatory.

📌 🔹 Solution 2: Seasonal Adaptation Instead of Resetting Everything
✅ Instead of erasing progress, POE2 can introduce seasonal modifications that shift the meta, such as:

Temporary item augmentations that only apply in the current season.

Rotating skill tree modifiers that encourage new builds without invalidating old ones.

New difficulty scaling mechanics that keep the endgame engaging.


📌 🔹 Solution 3: A True Long-Term Endgame
✅ POE2 should focus on long-term character progression, allowing builds to evolve over time.
✅ Instead of being deleted, high-value items could be adapted to fit new league mechanics.
✅ Players should feel like they’re building towards something greater than just another reset.


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3. The Benefits of Removing Standard League and Allowing Cross-Season Progression

✔ Eliminates player frustration with constant resets.
✔ Allows POE2 to develop a deeper, more rewarding long-term experience.
✔ Encourages real economic stability instead of forcing artificial scarcity.
✔ Gives players the freedom to play how they want—either continuing progression or opting into fresh starts.

➡ By removing Standard League and letting players carry their assets forward, POE2 can finally break free from the limitations of traditional seasonal resets and create a true, evolving ARPG experience.


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This concludes the POE2 Evolution Series, covering economic stability, trading system improvements, item persistence, and now, the final step—eliminating unnecessary resets.

Stop posting "AI" slop.

This post is sad misunderstanding

Nice OP. I hold no love for seasonal play/endless resets. Once I make a character, I enjoy seeing it grow in power/capabilities as I progress through the game. For me, the habitual cries for F R E S H and the abandoning of ones toons has never been an attractive feature in this genre.

It wouldn't be nearly as much an issue if the novel content were available to all characters, regardless of server. It seems like a simple fix would be enabling all content/updates across all formats of the game.

+1

+1.

Im completely new to the genre and was shocked when I found out this is what happens.

I see it as a rediculous min/max strategy to sell more packs and trick people back the the game with minimum effort. Im so confused why people allow this garbage concept.

Preach King!!!!! +1

Hahaha, no

No.