POE2 disrespecting our time (Post-0.4.0)

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Japonbu#0742 a écrit :

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Mashgesture#2912 a écrit :

-10000


Sounds like automation on like a game level with these suggestions.


Can play runelite or afk simulator games for that.

Not POE2

Labeling basic quality of life features as automation or AFK simulator is just lazy gatekeeping. Wanting a UI that doesn't brick your progress or a crafting system that isn't a gambling addiction has nothing to do with making the game easier; it's about making it functional.

Even FromSoftware understood this by adding modern checkpoints and map markers to Elden Ring. They didn't lose their hardcore identity; they just stopped wasting people's time with outdated friction.

If your definition of a hardcore game is just a collection of tedious chores and poor UI, then you aren't looking for a challenge, you're looking for a second job. GGG won't survive on the elitism of a shrinking niche while the rest of the market moves forward.

Everything in your posts just asks the game to play itself


So no, not QOL at all.

I think the game directors of GGG need to get a reality check. The formular that worked post D2 mortem does not apply in 2025 and needs heavy reassesment.

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Japonbu#0742 a écrit :

3. SSF IS UNPLAYABLE (Forced Trade) I want to play Solo Self-Found. I don't want to trade. But the game punishes me for it. Why does SSF share the same Item Rarity/Quantity rates as Trade League?

Fix: Give SSF a dedicated loot buff or a "Loot 2.0" system. I shouldn't be forced into Trade League just to make a build viable.

Buff SSF Loot.

Fix the Pacing.

This means SSF characters can never migrate to Trade or even migrate to standard, will be deleted upon end of league. 100% Void. all your time wasted for the season.

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Mashgesture#2912 a écrit :

Everything in your posts just asks the game to play itself

So no, not QOL at all.

If you think a search bar and a functional UI means the game is playing itself, you clearly don't know the difference between mechanical skill and administrative chores.

Wasting time on bad UI isn't difficulty; it's just poor engineering.

The fact that you equate friction with challenge shows how little you actually understand about deep game design. Real difficulty comes from combat encounters and build decision-making, not from fighting a menu or a slot-machine crafting system.

You're not a hardcore player; you're just someone who enjoys having their time wasted and calls it a personality trait. GGG cannot build a future on players who think basic functionality is automation.

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Schranzfranz#4329 a écrit :

I think the game directors of GGG need to get a reality check. The formular that worked post D2 mortem does not apply in 2025 and needs heavy reassesment.

Spot on. The ARPG landscape in 2026 is light years ahead of the post-D2 era. Back then, PoE succeeded because it filled a void for the hardcore exile, but today the competition is elite and the audience is smarter.

Sticking to a formula that equates lack of QOL with prestige is a recipe for irrelevance. Modern players, even the hardcore ones, demand systems that respect their time and provide clear feedback loops. You can have depth without being obtuse, and you can have difficulty without being tedious.

If GGG continues to ignore this shift and treats basic modern features as a betrayal of their vision, they are essentially managing a decline.

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Nokkhi#3142 a écrit :

This means SSF characters can never migrate to Trade or even migrate to standard, will be deleted upon end of league. 100% Void. all your time wasted for the season.

That is a false dilemma. The idea that SSF must either stay identical to Trade or be voided is a artificial restriction created by GGG, not a law of physics.

Many modern ARPGs have already solved this by allowing players to choose their challenge level without punishing their time. If someone chooses to play SSF, they are already sacrificing the efficiency of trade. Forcing them to endure abysmal drop rates on top of that is not difficulty; it is a deterrent.

The fear of migration balance is also a weak excuse. You can easily tag items found in a buffed SSF environment so they cannot be traded if that character ever migrates. The technology exists.

Claiming that someone's time is wasted because their character doesn't move to Standard—a league the majority of players don't even touch—is missing the point. The time is being wasted right now because players cannot complete a build without spending half their session on a trade website. A healthy game should prioritize the fun of the current season over the hypothetical balance of a graveyard league like Standard.

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Japonbu#0742 a écrit :

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Nokkhi#3142 a écrit :

This means SSF characters can never migrate to Trade or even migrate to standard, will be deleted upon end of league. 100% Void. all your time wasted for the season.

That is a false dilemma. The idea that SSF must either stay identical to Trade or be voided is a artificial restriction created by GGG, not a law of physics.

Many modern ARPGs have already solved this by allowing players to choose their challenge level without punishing their time. If someone chooses to play SSF, they are already sacrificing the efficiency of trade. Forcing them to endure abysmal drop rates on top of that is not difficulty; it is a deterrent.

The fear of migration balance is also a weak excuse. You can easily tag items found in a buffed SSF environment so they cannot be traded if that character ever migrates. The technology exists.

Claiming that someone's time is wasted because their character doesn't move to Standard—a league the majority of players don't even touch—is missing the point. The time is being wasted right now because players cannot complete a build without spending half their session on a trade website. A healthy game should prioritize the fun of the current season over the hypothetical balance of a graveyard league like Standard.

SSF will never have buffed drop rates. The whole point is to sell you stash tabs and MTX/skins and if you are playing SSF you are not going to be buying hideouts, skins, etc. or need as many stash tabs (merchant tabs). Because I guarantee you that more than half of the people would be playing SSF if they ever buffed the rate so that's a no-no.

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2836742981#3689 a écrit :

SSF will never have buffed drop rates. The whole point is to sell you stash tabs and MTX/skins and if you are playing SSF you are not going to be buying hideouts, skins, etc. or need as many stash tabs (merchant tabs). Because I guarantee you that more than half of the people would be playing SSF if they ever buffed the rate so that's a no-no.

So you’re admitting that the game is intentionally designed to be frustrating just to push microtransactions? That is a terrible defense of a game you claim to love.

If your argument is that fun and fairness are bad for business, you’re basically saying the game is a monetization trap first and an ARPG second. Every successful modern ARPG, from Last Epoch to others, has proven that you can have dedicated SSF mechanics or loot targeting without the sky falling. Players buy skins because they enjoy the game, not because they’re being held hostage by bad drop rates in Trade League.

Also, the logic that SSF players don't buy stash tabs is objectively wrong. If anything, SSF players need more tabs to hoard crafting mats and potential gear for alt characters since they can't just buy what they need on a whim.

If GGG’s business model relies on making the game intentionally tedious to force people into a trade market they don't want to be in, then the "King of ARPGs" is just a king of a casino. Defending predatory friction as a "business necessity" is the ultimate sign that the community's standards have hit rock bottom.

I think I understand why the OP says they only have 1-2 hours to play


The forums are taking up 6-8 hours of the rest of their time.



Yea automation luckily is not going to happen to this game. And SSF is never getting increased drop rates


May just not be the game for you. You have to actually play it instead of have issues with it

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Mashgesture#2912 a écrit :

I think I understand why the OP says they only have 1-2 hours to play


The forums are taking up 6-8 hours of the rest of their time.



Yea automation luckily is not going to happen to this game. And SSF is never getting increased drop rates


May just not be the game for you. You have to actually play it instead of have issues with it

Using the "not the game for you" card is the ultimate white flag of someone who has run out of actual arguments.

If pointing out broken UI, shadow nerfs, and anti-player friction means the game isn't for me, then you are basically saying the game is only for people who enjoy being ignored by developers. That’s not a badge of honor; it’s a lack of standards.

Also, the irony is lost on you: I spend time on the forums because I actually want the game to succeed and grow beyond its current niche. You, on the other hand, are so terrified of "casuals" that you’d rather see the player count drop by 90% than admit the game has flaws.

A game that refuses to fix basic functionality isn't "hardcore," it's just poorly maintained. If you think spending 8 hours a day fighting a clunky interface is "actually playing," then you aren't a gamer; you're just an unpaid beta tester who likes the taste of friction.

GGG needs a reality check, and so do you. Blindly defending bad design doesn't make the game better; it just ensures that it stays stagnant until everyone else moves on to something that actually respects their time.