Experience Gain and Loss in Path of Exile 2
Dear Grinding Gear Games Team,
As a long-time fan of the Path of Exile series, I’d like to provide some honest feedback regarding the experience system in Path of Exile 2, specifically the rate of experience gained versus lost. Currently, the experience progression feels extremely discouraging. It’s not uncommon to spend a full hour grinding carefully through high-difficulty content, only to see that effort reduced to almost nothing due to a few deaths—often from mechanics that are difficult to anticipate or avoid on a first encounter. Losing nearly an entire experience bar after gaining only half a bar over a long session makes progress feel futile. This cycle—grinding slowly, dying quickly, and watching progress vanish repeatedly—is so offputting that it actively makes the game feel unrewarding. The balance between effort and loss feels heavily skewed toward punishment, which undermines the fun and satisfaction players expect from a recreational experience. I understand that PoE is a challenging ARPG, and stakes are part of the design. But when the emotional return on time invested becomes negative, it crosses a line from challenging to demoralizing. Games should reward persistence and skill—not make players feel like they’ve wasted their time. Here’s a suggestion to consider: Remove experience loss on death entirely, or Significantly reduce the penalty (e.g., cap the number of times experience can be lost within a certain period), or Introduce an optional difficulty mode with reduced or no XP loss for players who want to enjoy the game more casually. At the end of the day, players turn to games like Path of Exile for enjoyment, not to replicate the stress and frustration of the workplace. If players wanted to feel that level of punishment for their effort, they could just go back to their job—where at least they're getting paid to endure it. Striking a healthier balance between risk and reward would make Path of Exile 2 far more enjoyable and accessible without sacrificing its depth or intensity. Thank you for your incredible work on the game, and I hope you’ll consider this perspective as you refine the experience for all types of players. Dernier bump le 23 août 2025 à 13:56:16
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XP loss is fine and healthy for the game.
- Last 5 passives are not build defining. (GGG buffed exp gain for these anyways) - Reaching level 100 is a luxury and should be challenging. - Omen of Amelioration price was 15ex at its highest state in 0.2. - You still can grind easier maps to get there if your OCD needs you to. - XP loss prevents fishing for a lucky run. - XP loss motivates to work on your build as well as skill to play. Dernière édition par Evergrey#7535, le 23 août 2025 à 09:41:37
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" Clueless response |
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" Said by someone who responded in one disregarding sentence. Such an irony. |
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" +1 |
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I agree that reaching level 100 should be challenging.
And I think there should be an additional reward for it. Something big like maybe one more ascendancy point. |
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" Hello Evergrey, I respect your point of view; in a way, I understand it. However, I don't agree with it because it doesn't reflect the player I am, and I doubt I'm alone in this case. And in a community as vast as PoE2, it's important for everyone to be able to express themselves and give feedback on their gaming experience. It will improve the future of the game. Enjoy and GL - XP loss is fine and healthy for the game. => This represents a point of view that resonates to you. However, it's now difficult to ignore the number of forum posts that demonstrate the opposite. - Last 5 passives are not build defining. (GGG buffed exp gain for these anyways) => I fully agree with you, and from this point of view, it proves that the loss of experience is useless since these last points are useless because they are not decisive for the build. - Reaching level 100 is a luxury and should be challenging. => Why should it be, since yourself is also claiming that these last points are not decisive for the build? How is grinding something that is not decisive for the build can be describe as challenging ? And should de facto constitute a burden for an entire player population? - Omen of Amelioration price was 15ex at its highest state in 0.2. => So we would have a gameplay mechanic that would consist of purchasing experience loss protection to grind the last (useless) XP levels, the same levels that you think should represent a challenge. Where's the challenge in all of this? Perhaps in achieving the goal by purchasing the fewest Omen of Enhancement? If that's the case, players have the right to aspire to a better endgame gameplay experience. - You still can grind easier maps to get there if your OCD needs you to. =>If your OCD requires it? What are you getting at? I don't understand what this assertion is doing here. If it's a roundabout way of judging the value of a proposition that doesn't suit you, then I find it clumsy. From my perspective, everyone is free to approach the game in the way it suits to him, because each player is unique and singular. - XP loss prevents fishing for a lucky run. How is a discouraging gameplay mechanic healthy for the endgame? - XP loss motivates to work on your build as well as skill to play.. I'm having trouble seeing the motivation, since the entire endgame is already pushing you in that direction. Why wouldn't the simple fact of failing be enough? If we assume that what I gain belongs to me and what is taken away is stolen. To what extent could that be motivating? Dernière édition par Hexmxm#0804, le 23 août 2025 à 12:34:17
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" WHEN? |
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" Thanks for some actual valid points in response. You're the first that did that so far in XP Loss subjects. It's usually just mumbling without actual feedback. I perfectly understand your points and I agree, yet some gating in form of XP loss makes me feel better when I succeed to overcome that handicap. It is not about the reward for me, its about being forced to get better in order to succeed. If it's just a matter of time when I reach the goal, the goal feels like a chore, not a challenge. As for the OCD, mine do make me want to hit 100, so its more talking from the experience than trying to imply something on someone. " In 0.3 they said that in the interview and im pretty sure in the announcement too. Dernière édition par Evergrey#7535, le 23 août 2025 à 12:45:52
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" +1 All my support |
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