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

Path of Exile 2 developer Grinding Gear Games (GGG) has announced further emergency adjustments to the action role-playing game in response to the widespread backlash against the Dawn of the Hunt update. The update, released earlier this month, introduced the new Huntress class, specialized in hybrid melee and ranged combat using a Spear and Buckler, along with five new ascension classes: the Ritualist, Amazon, Smith of Kitava, Tactician, and Lich. It also brought mechanical overhauls, over 100 new unique items, and enhanced crafting options. Despite these additions, the community's reaction was overwhelmingly negative, citing the update's significant slowdown of gameplay as making the game feel like a "total slog."

The most upvoted review on Steam over the last 30 days reflects the community's frustration, pointing out that boss fights are excessively long, skills deal insufficient damage, and the game suffers from stability issues. Another review humorously suggested that only masochists would enjoy the current state of the game due to its punishing nature and lack of rewarding gameplay.

In the initial version (0.1), players had already voiced concerns about large map sizes, slow movement, and forced combo gameplay. These issues have been exacerbated in the 0.2 version (Dawn of the Hunt), with additional complaints about reduced loot drops and a lack of build freedom.

GGG responded with a list of changes, and now, with the upcoming 0.2.0e patch scheduled for April 11, they aim to address these grievances more comprehensively. The key question for the Path of Exile 2 community is whether these updates will be substantial enough to reverse the negative sentiment and restore the game's appeal. Despite the backlash, Path of Exile 2 saw a successful launch with high player numbers, though this has also presented challenges that have affected the development of the original Path of Exile.

The 0.2.0e patch notes outline several significant changes:

Monster Speed Changes

GGG has made specific adjustments to monster behavior to reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed. This includes removing interrupt events for certain human monsters and adjusting the Haste Aura modifier.

Act 1

Changes include modifications to the behavior of Werewolf Prowlers, Tendril Prowlers, Hungering Stalkers, and other monsters, along with reducing the number of certain challenging monsters in specific areas.

Act 2

The Boulder Ants in Titan Valley have been replaced, and the Faridun's attack behavior has been adjusted.

Act 3

Adjustments to Diretusk Boar, Antlion Charger, and the monster composition in the Lost City and Azak Bog areas have been made to improve gameplay flow.

Boss Changes

Boss fights have been tweaked to make them less frustrating, with changes to Viper Napuatzi, Uxmal, and Xyclucian's abilities and arena design.

Player Minion Changes

Improvements to minion revive timers and the functionality of certain minion-related skills have been implemented.

Other Player Balance

Additional player balance changes include adjustments to Rally support and Glory consumption mechanics, along with fixing a bug related to the Ritualist ascendancy.

Crafting Changes

New mods have been added to runes for caster weapons, and a new feature in Renly's shop allows players to forge elemental runes from a Blank rune.

Performance Improvements

Optimizations have been made to ground foliage to enhance game performance.

0.2.0E Deployment Timeline

The patch will be deployed at 10 AM NZT, with further changes planned for post-weekend deployment.

Charm Changes

Charm slots on belts will now be determined by implicit mods based on the belt's level, and several charm mechanics have been improved to make them more rewarding.

Stash Tab Affinities

New affinities have been added to categorize items in stash tabs more effectively.

Atlas Bookmarks

A new feature allows players to bookmark locations on their atlas for easy navigation.

These updates reflect GGG's commitment to addressing community feedback and improving the overall gameplay experience in Path of Exile 2.