Feedback on Summoner AI and Pace Mismatch in Path of Exile 2

After spending time with the current version of Path of Exile 2, I would like to offer some focused feedback regarding the current summoner gameplay experience.

This feedback is not about numerical balance or raw power, but rather about a structural mismatch between summoner AI behavior and Path of Exile 2's overall combat pacing.

1. Low Aggression and Slow Engagement of Minions

In actual gameplay, minions frequently display the following behaviors:

Very conservative engagement conditions
Little to no reaction to off-screen enemies
Poor target prioritization (such as charging or ranged enemies)
Slow target switching, resulting in delayed damage at the start of encounters

By contrast, enemies in Path of Exile 2 are:

Highly aggressive
Capable of engaging from off-screen
Clearly designed to pressure the player directly

This creates a strong asymmetry, where minions often respond too late to threats that are already reaching the player.

2. Severe Lag Behind the Player During Mapping

Another major issue is minion movement and repositioning during traversal:

Significantly lower movement speed compared to the player
Slow pathing and turning behavior
Very conservative teleport or reposition thresholds
Minions frequently remain far behind when the player moves at a normal pace

As a result:

Summoner builds often become more dangerous during mapping,

because enemies reach the player long before minions enter combat.

This effectively penalizes player movement, discouraging running, dodging, and fluid positioning-core pillars of Path of Exile 2's combat design.

3. Core Gameplay Value of Summoning Is Undermined

I understand and respect Path of Exile 2's design goals:

Players are expected to personally handle survival and positioning
Minions are not intended to function as traditional aggro tanks

This direction is reasonable.

However, in the current implementation:

Minions do not draw aggro
They do not engage quickly enough
They struggle to meaningfully contribute to space or tempo control

As a result, the practical gameplay value of summoning feels unclear, despite its conceptual intent.

4. Possible Areas for Improvement (Suggestions)

Rather than focusing on raw numerical buffs, the core issues appear to be responsiveness and timing:

Increase minion engagement aggressiveness and perception range
Implement more proactive and frequent repositioning or teleportation
Prioritize combat engagement over follow behavior
Improve reaction weighting against fast-moving or charging enemies