Oh yes, my friends, we’re gonna be shapeshifting. Here’s a quick (and almost certainly incomplete) list of new features for Path of Exile 2.
- Six new character classes, along with the six from PoE 1 for 12 total (Sorceress, Monk, Huntress, Mercenary, Warrior, Druid)
- New ascendancies, with three for each class
- A revamped skill gem system where the links are in the gems themselves, not tied to equipment
- Tons of new skills, including shapeshifting (bear, wolf, cat) and giant comets
- Meta gems, which are gems that can have other gems socketed into them (think things like cast on crit or spell totem)
- New weapon types, like spear and crossbow that have their own skills
- A six act story campaign set 20 years after the death of Kitava
- A new map-based endgame
- A dodge roll for everyone that doesn’t require a gem link, with the ability to dodge-cancel abilities
- Changes to crafting and the economy, including changes to the way chaos orbs work and the introduction of gold as a currency
- Over 100 new bosses to battle, each with unique mechanics
I respect that, and I’m not against it in theory. What I personally dislike is simply having to grind out the story content over and over when the grind to engage with mapping or seasonal content is already so involved (which is the part I enjoy about PoE, and would argue is the part most players like).
Don’t get me wrong though, I love the complexity of PoE, and the richness it provides from an organizational standpoint. I just wish GGG would be better about iterating on quality of life improvements requested by the player base. Sometimes they take the elitist/hardcore ideology too far to the point they ignore common sense improvements. I understand their commitment to the hardcore base, but I think there is a workable middle ground that they haven’t quite nailed.
This is why I haven’t returned to PoE in a year. And why I usually need several seasons of break after playing 1 character in a season. I just can’t stand the levelling any longer