Path of Exile 2, with its first major update called “Dawn of the Hunt,” has faced quite the turbulent start since its early access debut last year. Players who logged in to explore the new content last Friday were met with a shock— the game had spiraled into an unexpectedly tough challenge. The early campaign, which should have been a breeze, became a sluggish battle against even the weakest monsters, and many found the new Huntress class to be underwhelming. This sparked a barrage of critiques on Reddit with threads like “This game feels like a massive waste of time” and “Game feels miserable” gaining traction, while popular streamers openly abandoned ship on their live broadcasts.
To quell the discontent, developer Grinding Gear Games quickly rolled out a series of small patches aimed at rebalancing the gameplay. Monsters were toned down, and several underpowered skills, such as those for skeletal minions, received much-needed boosts. Yet, despite these efforts, the community remains skeptical, feeling the game still lacks sufficient rewards to justify the grind.
The development team has proactively posted about the patch, addressing widespread player feedback and laying out future plans, notably highlighting the campaign’s pacing, a mandatory repeat with each new season. Although some improvements have been actioned, players still find it hard to muster the patience needed to progress to the more exciting endgame dungeons.
Game director Jonathan Rogers, in a candid conversation with streamer Zizaran earlier this week, explained, “Our intention was to tone down mechanics that made the endgame too easy before players earned their gear and developed their strategies.”
“There were some blatant oversights, to be completely frank,” fellow game director Mark Roberts chimed in, pointing out quickly addressed underwhelming skills. “We’re often shooting from the hip here—trying things out, gauging reception, and reversing decisions if necessary.”
Rogers further elaborated, contrasting the precise balance required in PoE 2 with its predecessor, PoE 1. “The challenge is tighter now since we aim for a more engaging combat experience, increasing the pressure to get the balance right,” he remarked.
Rogers noted how PoE 1 rewards players who have deeply engaged with its complex systems, and while PoE 2 aims to remedy that, achieving the right balance is tough. Meanwhile, the combat is intentionally challenging, designed akin to a Soulslike with strategic dodging and rolling.
While the development team is actively looking into ways to improve the experience, they’re cautious about swinging too far in the other direction, where players zoom through content effortlessly.
“In creating this game, we don’t want to reach a point where even the skilled players never face any real challenges,” Rogers concluded. “That wouldn’t make for a satisfying long-term experience.”
