Path of Exile 2 Devs Implement Urgent Fixes Amid 'Mostly Negative' Steam Reviews

Grinding Gear Games (GGG), the developers behind Path of Exile 2, have introduced a series of emergency updates in response to the overwhelmingly negative feedback from the community regarding the Dawn of the Hunt expansion. The update, released earlier this month, introduced the new Huntress class, five new ascension classes, over a hundred new unique items, and enhanced crafting options. However, these additions were overshadowed by significant gameplay changes that many players felt slowed the game down excessively, resulting in a "total slog" and plummeting Steam reviews to 'mostly negative.'

Players expressed frustration over elongated boss fights, skills with minimal damage output, and a general sense of the game feeling "incredibly awful." Concerns about stability and performance issues further compounded the negative reception. The community felt that the changes pushed the game towards forced combo gameplay and reduced loot drops, which contradicted the expected freedom of build customization in an action RPG.

In response to the backlash, GGG announced a new patch, version 0.2.0e, set to release on April 11. This update aims to address several of the community's grievances, particularly regarding monster speed and density, boss fight mechanics, player minion functionality, and crafting systems. Key changes include adjustments to monster behaviors across different acts, modifications to boss encounters to reduce their difficulty, and enhancements to player minion revive timers to prevent prolonged downtime.

Path of Exile 2 Update 0.2.0e Patch Notes

Monster Speed Changes

GGG has made several changes to address player concerns about being overwhelmed by monsters. These adjustments include removing interrupt events on human monsters' attacks, reducing the speed of certain monsters, and altering the composition of monster packs to reduce density in challenging areas.

Act 1

Changes include slower movement for Werewolf and Tendril Prowlers after melee actions, reduced life and damage for Hungering Stalkers, and decreased numbers of Bloom Serpents and Venomous Crabs. Cultists in Freythorn have also been adjusted to not interrupt their attacks.

Act 2

Boulder Ants in Titan Valley have been replaced with Risen Maraketh, and Faridun monsters no longer have interrupt events on their attacks.

Act 3

Adjustments to Diretusk Boar and Antlion Charger behaviors, changes to the Lost City and Azak Bog monster compositions, and a fix for Slitherspitter's poison spray damage type have been implemented.

Boss Changes

Modifications to Viper Napuatzi and Uxmal fights aim to reduce their difficulty, while Xyclucian's arena has been cleared of ground foliage to improve visibility of his effects.

Player Minion Changes

Minion revive timers have been adjusted to prevent long downtimes, and changes to Bind Spectre and Tame Beast gems allow for easier reuse of minions.

Other Player Balance

Additional player balance changes include broader support for Rally, fixes to Glory consumption during interruptions, and corrections to Ritualist ascendancy skills.

Crafting Changes

New mods for caster weapon runes have been added, and a new feature allows players to forge elemental runes at Renly's abandoned shop in the Burning Village.

Performance Improvements

Optimizations to ground foliage in various areas aim to enhance game performance.

0.2.0E Deployment Timeline

The patch is scheduled for deployment at around 10AM NZT, with further changes planned for post-weekend release.

Charm Changes

Charm slots on belts now depend on the belt's level, with a cap that can be rerolled using a Divine Orb. Charms themselves have been made more powerful and protective.

Stash Tab Affinities

New affinities for various item categories, including Socketables, Fragments, Breach, Expedition, and Ritual, have been added. Charms can now be stored in Flask stash tabs or tabs with Flask affinity.

Atlas Bookmarks

Players can now bookmark up to 16 locations on their atlas for easy navigation, with icons and optional labels for quick access.

The question remains whether these changes will be sufficient to restore the community's faith in the game. Despite the initial success and high player numbers at launch, Path of Exile 2's development has faced challenges that have also impacted Path of Exile 1. The community eagerly awaits to see if GGG can steer the game back to a positive trajectory with these updates.