Some thoughts on the game

The game likes to punish from both ends, by default. By both investment wasting, and by reward removal.

Let's take one example to outline what I am talking about: The Trials of Ascendancy as currently implemented. Outside of specifics, what I am going to highlight applies to both.

They are multi-hour investments that do not, in any appreciable way, leave any sort of wiggle room. Outside of the first 4 points, they require slogging trough a gauntlet without any respite. If you happen to make a mistake, oops! There goes your key and there's no way to just pop back at where you made your mistake. This was there in the original Ascendancy Expansion for Path of Exile 1, but the sheer force of power creep makes this a non issue there.

It's an issue here. You lose out on rewards and the time invested if you screw up, and if it's to a boss, well... good luck on finding a way to try again. Outside of the first try, you have to grind back up to where you can try your breaking point again, if you even encounter it due to RNG.

Ultimately, it just comes down to luck at times. And the run back to roll for it again is not engaging in the slightest, given the game's slower pace.

This might be quite obvious about a year in, but I am going to lay this out.

Path of Exile 2, at the current development cycle, is not good for both itself nor for Path of Exile 1. What is added is simply not up to the quality standards we as players expect from this company. Content that is simply too raw, too spread, and filled with massive and hard-to-mitigate bugs - from the player side at least.

I do, however, understand that this is in part motivated by financial standing, and that it is not my place to discuss such a thing.

But these things need more time in the oven, so to speak, and it may be a good idea to utilize Events in the opposing game so as to retain player interest in the franchise as a whole. Legacy of Phrechia was a good step in the right direction, but i also understand that the game in back should never outshine the game in front.

Though I am sure it's an intentional bit of design, the active skills do not allow much interaction outside of their given tab. There are also some interactions that downright should work but just don't because "it's not actually a chaos damage over time effect" or "these are ice FRAGMENTS, not ice crystals."

This limits player freedom, quite severely in fact. To the point where players just choose the skill with the most wiggle room and run with it. This was exemplified in the Abyssal league where everyone was just playing Lightning Arrow Deadeye because it allowed the most amount of freedom to do the given content with little to no downsides.

I feel the need to stress that combo gameplay does indeed exist in Path of Exile 1. It's just... well... all bent towards that "single act of power". In trying to design combos, it actually limits the combos that could exist due to closing all but the intended avenues of play.

All werewolfs look and play the same, they just choose what flavor of passives they use.

The passive tree. Oh by the goddess the passive tree. Too many downsides, not enough upsides.

Take a look at Path of Exile 1's passive tree for a second. The only appreciable downsides are from the passive masteries. Everything else is just pure upside.

I'm not saying remove all downsides from the passive tree, the keystones need some spice after all. But, to bring up an equivalent example, why have spell charges and mana cost? Why are there two or more factors going into every single notable on the tree save for a precious few?

Also life is a defense. A special kind of defense, but a defense nonetheless. Please add passive support for it outside of strength stacking. The warriors, mercenaries, and rangers in the audience will thank you.

- E1: This also applies to all of the various Charges in the game. In the general sense, not just talking about Power, Endurance, and Frenzy here. Infusions, combo, volatility, etc.

GGG. Why are you so willing and so determined to repeat the same mistakes you've done before? Most of what I have stated earlier has already been done in Path of Exile 1 or in other contemporary games - mostly in failure to be patched at a later date and multiple times to boot. Making a punishing game is easy - just have it randomly crash and kill your avatar in the process, making a difficult game is hard. The blame does not lie squarely on your shoulders though.

Those that don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it - but also one often meets their destiny on the road they take to avoid it.

The playerbase, including myself as I have no doubt made many assumptions at time of writing, needs to learn how to better communicate with you and vice versa.

I will still play the game. Maybe even give more money to you as what amounts to a tip for however many hours of engagement you have given me and many other players. Invest in us, and we will invest in you. Simple as.