Fate of the Vaal — Final Considerations on This PoE2 League

As this league comes to a close (not real, but from content), it feels appropriate to look back at it through the lens of the Fate of the Vaal — not just as a lore theme, but as a reflection of how this league ultimately played out in practice.

On paper, the concept had weight. The Vaal represent ambition taken too far, systems layered on systems, and power gained at the cost of stability. Ironically, that same pattern seems to echo throughout the league itself.

Crafting: From Depth to Fragmentation
Crafting suffered not only from removals, but from the loss of interaction between its systems. The removal of homogenizing mechanics reduced consistency and predictability, while Perfect Exalted Orbs became significantly less usable, shifting from a meaningful progression tool to a situational luxury. On top of that, the scrapping of interactions — such as Omen-catalyzed exaltation working alongside Breach Catalysts — removed one of the few remaining layers where planning and system knowledge actually mattered. Instead of evolving, crafting became fragmented: fewer paths, less synergy, and far more reliance on raw currency volume rather than informed decision-making.

Performance: A Constant Friction Point
Performance issues were not occasional — they were persistent. Stutters, drops, inconsistent behavior across similar setups, and league mechanics amplifying those problems made moment-to-moment gameplay feel unstable. When performance becomes something players have to plan around, it undermines both challenge and enjoyment.

The Temple Mechanic: Unbalanced by Design, Not by Gameplay
The temple mechanic didn’t fail due to moment-to-moment gameplay bugs, but because of structural and planning issues. The unusually high rewards were later acknowledged as the result of unplanned drop behavior, which immediately destabilized progression and the economy. More damaging, however, was the discovery of exploits that allowed the temple to be “perfectly” optimized at level 72 or lower, enabling early-game players to reach ideal outcomes faster and more efficiently than those engaging with it in the intended late-game loop. This inversion of risk, time investment, and reward undermined the mechanic’s purpose and eroded confidence in long-term progression.

Economy: Rapid Inflation and Extreme Volatility
The league economy experienced extreme volatility, far beyond what was seen in the previous season. Certain chase items escalated in value at an unsustainable pace — Temporalis Silk Robe jumped from roughly 400 Divine Orbs to 3 Mirrors within a single week, while items like Rakhiata’s Flow and Garkhan’s Resolve rose from around 25–30 Divines to over 100 Divines in just three days after exploit of temple discovered. This kind of acceleration wasn’t driven by organic demand alone, but by systemic imbalances that limited supply while simultaneously removing player-side tools to keep up. For many players, progression became less about gameplay and more about timing and market positioning.

Content & Improvements: Quantity Over Impact
For a league carrying such a heavy thematic identity, the actual improvements and content depth felt thin. Changes were present, but many felt incremental or disconnected rather than transformative. When combined with removed systems and unresolved issues, the league struggled to justify its scope over time.

Class Balance: The Druid’s Narrow Meta Window
Class diversity also suffered, with the Druid being a clear example (and their release for this season after 1 or 2 seasons delay). In practice, only a very small subset of builds proved efficient at scale. High-end performance largely revolved around Comet and Spark — notably skills originating from the Mage kit — amplified by the Align Fates Oracle Ascendancy passive. Within the Druid’s own identity, Ice Wolf stood out as the only build capable of running content both efficiently and at competitive speed. Most other Druid setups either underperformed or relied heavily on cross-class skill adoption, leaving the majority of the class’s potential unexplored. Realistically, 10% or less of the Druid’s design space translated into viable meta play this league, which contrasts sharply with the expectations created by its delayed release.

Final Thought
One of the clearest lessons from this league is that introducing or emphasizing one system should not require others to effectively stop existing. Breach and Delirium are strong examples of this imbalance. Both were reduced to the point where engaging with them felt largely irrelevant — Breach openings were often ignored outright, and Delirium mirrors rarely justified interaction. Their rewards, pacing, and impact simply no longer competed within the league’s structure.

By contrast, Expedition remained relevant almost exclusively due to splinter prices, not because of intrinsic mechanical improvements or better integration. Engagement was driven by economic necessity rather than enjoyment or strategic choice. This creates a narrow loop where players aren’t choosing content based on playstyle or preference, but on which system hasn’t been economically sidelined.

PoE2 thrives when systems coexist, overlap, and reinforce each other. This league showed that when older mechanics are stripped of relevance instead of being meaningfully integrated, the game world feels smaller, not richer. The Fate of the Vaal theme unintentionally mirrors this outcome — complex structures abandoned rather than adapted, leaving only fragments behind.