The Path of Exile 2 Community Divide
Path of Exile 2’s early access has been a resounding success, with over 1.2 million concurrent viewers on Twitch and more than half a million players on Steam. However, beneath this success lies a community divided.
On one side are players struggling with the game’s difficulty and demanding changes. This group includes both veterans of the original Path of Exile who are unwilling or unable to adapt to the sequel’s “brain on” gameplay, and newcomers who lack the prerequisite knowledge from the first game.
The Elitist Response
On the other side are the hardcore elitists who dismiss any criticism of the game as mere whining from the unskilled. While they correctly identify that the game’s difficulty is intentional, their dismissive attitude towards valid feedback is unproductive and short-sighted.
As someone who has created content for Path of Exile for years, I’ve personally experienced the community’s harsh response to anything perceived as inferior or uninformed. This elitism, while not entirely unfounded, fails to recognize that Path of Exile 2 is meant to be a soft reset for the franchise.
Valid Criticisms and Necessary Changes
Despite the divide, Path of Exile 2 is a fantastic game with obvious flaws. Some aspects, like the Ascendancy challenges and the lack of respec options after nerfs, are valid targets for criticism and improvement.
The Ascendancy challenges, for example, are walled behind mechanics that unfairly punish certain build types, like thorns. This isn’t a matter of skill or perseverance, but fundamentally flawed design.
Similarly, while balance changes are necessary, not providing players with a way to respec after significant nerfs renders hours of playtime obsolete. This is a choice that the developers have the power to make, but not one they should be making.
Grinding Gear Games’ Promising Response
To their credit, Grinding Gear Games has been doing an excellent job of handling player feedback so far. They’ve made reasonable changes to address a multitude of problems, threading the needle between feedback and their vision for the game.
This instills confidence in the future of Path of Exile 2. If the community can come together and provide constructive feedback, and if the developers continue to listen and make appropriate changes, the game has the potential to become the pinnacle of the ARPG genre.
The Path Forward
As Path of Exile 2 continues its early access journey, it’s crucial that the community finds a middle ground. Valid criticisms should not be drowned out by elitist dismissals, but at the same time, the developers’ vision for the game should be respected.
With open communication, a willingness to adapt, and a shared love for the game, the Path of Exile 2 community can overcome this divide and help shape the game into the masterpiece it’s poised to become.
