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

Grinding Gear Games, the developer behind Path of Exile 2, has responded to the community's backlash against the Dawn of the Hunt update with a series of emergency changes. The update, which was released earlier this month, introduced the new Huntress class and five new ascension classes: the Ritualist, Amazon, Smith of Kitava, Tactician, and Lich. It also brought mechanical overhauls, over a hundred new unique items, and expanded crafting options. Despite these additions, the update's heavy nerfs have led to a significant drop in Steam user reviews, plummeting to 'mostly negative.'

The community's primary grievance was the perceived slowing down of the game's pace, making it feel like a "total slog." Players have expressed frustration over elongated boss fights, skills that deal minimal damage, and overall game stability issues. One of the most helpful reviews on Steam in the last 30 days highlighted these concerns, stating, "Every boss fight is incredibly longer than it needs to be. Most of the skills do little to no damage... It just feels incredibly awful right now, IF you can even get the game to run and be stable."

Another review sarcastically noted, "If you're a masochist who enjoys being punished for little to no reward, this game is for you." Players have criticized the forced combo gameplay, the size of areas, slow movement, and reduced loot drops. Many have voiced their disappointment over the developers' initial response to these issues, feeling that their concerns were ignored until the backlash became too significant to overlook.

In response, GGG has released a new patch, version 0.2.0e, set to launch on April 11. This patch aims to address many of the community's complaints. Key changes include adjustments to monster speed and behavior, boss fight mechanics, player minion revive timers, crafting options, and performance improvements. Here are the detailed patch notes:

Path of Exile 2 update 0.2.0e patch notes:

Monster Speed Changes

Many players have reported being overwhelmed by monsters. GGG is addressing these issues act by act, with the following general changes:

• Removed interrupt events on melee attacks for various human monsters, such as Cultists in Freythorn, Faridun, and Tribal Humans in Act Three, to prevent relentless pursuit.
• Haste Aura modifier no longer appears on already fast monsters.

Act 1

• Werewolf Prowlers and Tendril Prowlers now walk after melee actions and only run if the player moves away.
• Hungering Stalkers have 12% less Life and Damage to balance their speed.
• Reduced the number of Bloom Serpents in The Red Vale and Venomous Crabs in the Hunting Grounds.
• Cultists in Freythorn no longer have interrupt events on their attacks and walk after melee actions.
• Blood Cretins' Blood Pools duration reduced from 6 to 4 seconds, with fixed area of effect.
• Overall density of challenging monsters in Ogham Manor reduced.

Act 2

• Boulder Ants in Titan Valley replaced with Risen Maraketh to reduce irritating movement.
• Faridun modified to remove interrupt events on their attacks.

Act 3

• Diretusk Boar and Antlion Charger now more likely to push players to the side.
• Lost City monster pack composition adjusted to have fewer ranged monsters.
• Azak Bog monster composition changed to reduce ranged and elite monsters.
• Slitherspitter's poison spray in Venom Crypts now deals Physical Damage instead of Chaos Damage.

GGG has also identified an issue with inconsistent monster density in certain areas, which will be addressed in a future patch.

Boss Changes

• Viper Napuatzi's Chaos Rains reduced in number and size, with faster cleanup of visual effects.
• Uxmal's location changes reduced, Energy Shield no longer recharges in the air, and Flame Breath used less often.
• Xyclucian's arena ground foliage removed for better visibility of effects.

Player Minion Changes

• Minion revive timers now increase less with each successive minion death, capped at 7.5 seconds.
• Disenchanting Bind Spectre or Tame Beast gems unbinds them for reuse.
• Tamed beasts can now fit through gaps the player can.

Other Player Balance

• Rally support now works with any Melee Attack, not just Strikes or Slams.
• Glory no longer consumed if interrupted while using the skill.
• Fixed a bug where Blood Boils from the Ritualist ascendancy didn't propagate if the monster exploded on death.

Crafting Changes

• All mods added to runes for caster weapons.
• Renly's abandoned shop in the Burning Village now offers a Blank rune.

Performance Improvements

• Ground foliage in many areas optimized for better performance.

0.2.0E Deployment Timeline

The patch will be deployed at around 10AM NZT. Additional changes are planned for after the weekend, including:

Charm Changes

• Charm slots on belts now granted by implicit mods, with the number of slots varying based on the belt's level.
• Several charms fixed to protect from the hit that activates them.
• Charm mods made more powerful and rewarding.

Stash Tab Affinities

• New affinities added for Socketables, Fragments, Breach, Expedition, and Ritual items.
• Charms can now be stored in the Flask stash tab or any tab with the Flask affinity.

Atlas Bookmarks

• Ability to bookmark locations on the atlas for easy navigation.
• Up to 16 bookmarks available, with icons and optional labels.

The question remains whether these changes will be sufficient to address the community's concerns and restore Path of Exile 2 to a positive reception. Despite the challenges, the game has been a significant success for GGG, though the backlash has also impacted the development of Path of Exile 1, which continues to have a dedicated player base.