Grinding Gear Games (GGG), the developer behind Path of Exile 2, has responded to the community's backlash against the recent Dawn of the Hunt update with a series of emergency changes. The update, which launched earlier this month, introduced the new Huntress class, five new ascension classes (Ritualist, Amazon, Smith of Kitava, Tactician, and Lich), over one hundred new unique items, and expanded crafting options. However, the update also included significant nerfs that slowed down the game's pace, leading to widespread dissatisfaction and a drop in Steam user reviews to 'mostly negative.'
The community's primary grievance was that the game had become a "total slog," with longer boss fights and skills that dealt minimal damage. A particularly critical review highlighted these issues, noting the game's instability and the drastic reduction in loot, which made the gameplay feel unrewarding. Another reviewer expressed frustration over the forced combo gameplay, arguing it contrasted with the freedom typically associated with action RPGs.
In response to the feedback, GGG has outlined a list of changes in the upcoming 0.2.0e update, set to be released on April 11. These changes aim to address the community's concerns by adjusting monster behaviors, reducing the density of challenging monsters, and making significant modifications to boss fights and player mechanics.
Path of Exile 2 Update 0.2.0e Patch Notes
Monster Speed Changes
- Many players felt overwhelmed by monsters due to various factors, which GGG is addressing act by act. General changes include removing interrupt events from certain human monsters' attacks to prevent relentless pursuit and adjusting the Haste Aura modifier to not appear on already fast monsters.
Act 1
- Werewolf Prowlers and Tendril Prowlers now enter a walking stance after melee actions, only resuming running if players move a certain distance away. Hungering Stalkers have reduced Life and Damage to balance their high speed. The number of Bloom Serpents and Venomous Crabs has been reduced, and Cultists in Freythorn no longer have interrupt events on their attacks.
Act 2
- Boulder Ants in Titan Valley have been replaced by Risen Maraketh to reduce irritating monster movement. The Faridun's interrupt events on attacks have been removed.
Act 3
- Diretusk Boar and Antlion Charger's charge mechanics have been adjusted to push players to the side rather than along with them. The Lost City and Azak Bog have seen adjustments in monster composition to reduce the presence of ranged and elite monsters.
Boss Changes
- Viper Napuatzi's fight has been tweaked to reduce the amount and size of Chaos Rains. Uxmal's fight now has fewer location changes, no Energy Shield recharge while airborne, and less frequent Flame Breath usage. Xyclucian's arena has been cleared of ground foliage for better visibility of his effects.
Player Minion Changes
- Minion revive timers now increase less with each successive minion death, mitigating the issue of repeated long revive times. Disenchanting certain gems now unbinds them for reuse, and tamed beasts can navigate through player-sized gaps.
Other Player Balance
- Rally support can now be used with any melee attack, not just Strikes or Slams. Glory is no longer consumed if interrupted during skill use, and a bug fix ensures Blood Boils propagate correctly.
Crafting Changes
- All mods have been added to runes for caster weapons, and Renly's shop now offers a Blank rune that can be forged into any elemental rune.
Performance Improvements
- Ground foliage in many areas has been optimized for better performance.
0.2.0E Deployment Timeline
- The 0.2.0e patch will be deployed around 10AM NZT, with additional changes planned for post-weekend deployment.
Charm Changes
- Charm slots on belts are now determined by implicit mods based on the belt's level, with a cap that increases with level. Unique Belts can have up to three slots. Several charms have been fixed to protect from the hit that activates them, and charm mods have been enhanced.
Stash Tab Affinities
- New affinities for Socketables, Fragments, Breach, Expedition, and Ritual items have been added, with Charms now fitting in Flask stash tabs or any tab with Flask affinity.
Atlas Bookmarks
- Players can now bookmark locations on their atlas for easy navigation, with up to 16 bookmarks available, accessible via icons or a list under the legend.
The question remains whether these changes will be sufficient to address the community's concerns and restore a positive reception to Path of Exile 2. Despite the backlash, the game has been a major success for GGG, though it has also brought challenges that have impacted the development of Path of Exile 1.
