PoE2 is unique… but could it learn from what works elsewhere?

Hi GGG team,

I'm a huge fan of the franchise, with over 1,200 hours across PoE1 (150hr) and PoE2 (1000+ hr). I truly appreciate your vision and the depth you're aiming for. However, like many players, I've recently felt a growing frustration — to the point of exploring other ARPGs. And in doing so, I found systems that made me reflect on what could make PoE2 even better.



🎯 A game should bring *joy*, not punishment

Before anything else, a game should provide **fun, challenge, and engagement**. Depth is great. Difficulty is welcome. But the **player experience should never feel like punishment**.

A game can be perfectly balanced on paper — and still feel unfair if players don't understand why they died, or if progression feels gated by randomness or trade.

**Player *feeling* matters just as much as raw numbers.**

Right now, in some key areas, PoE2 often feels like we're fighting the game itself rather than progressing *through* the game.


🛠️ 1. Crafting: autonomy or disappointment?

The idea of using the game's main currency as crafting materials is unique — but also problematic.

Why burn 4 Exalts trying to roll an item with 0.1% success chance… when someone else already dropped that item and is selling it for 1?
That dynamic discourages crafting, and encourages market dependency (or worse: RMT).

Some other games offer **parallel systems** where progression and crafting components can be earned through in-game milestones (boss kills, area clears, challenge completion).
Wouldn't PoE2 benefit from a similar option for deterministic, effort-based progression?


🧗 2. Solo progression: a wall after level 95

Post-95 XP gain is minimal, while XP loss on death (especially if you don't use omen of amelioration or if you die a second time in a map) can erase hours of progress in an instant. And with unclear telegraphs or visual clutter, death often feels **unavoidable and undeserved**.

Instead of encouraging players to improve, it leads to burnout.
Other games offer *permanent progression paths*, blessing systems, or corruption scaling that keeps things rewarding — even after failure.

Could PoE2 explore similar alternatives to make solo play and high-level progression more rewarding and less punishing?


👁️ 3. Readability & “what even killed me?”

Visual clarity and combat feedback are vital, especially in a complex ARPG.
Right now, deaths often feel like a mystery — between instant telegraphs, overwhelming effects, and no combat log to review.

Dying *without understanding why* is not learning — it's frustrating.

Even a basic **combat log**, or improved telegraphing, would drastically improve how players interact with danger and learn from it. Some other ARPGs are already setting a good example here.


💰 4. The economy: central… maybe too much?

PoE’s economy is legendary — but in PoE2, it often feels **mandatory**. Solo progression feels punished, and crafting by oneself feels inefficient.

Is it possible to offer more viable alternatives for **self-found or trade-light players**?
Other games prove that it's not a binary choice between a thriving trade market and total isolation — hybrid approaches *do* exist and *work*.


🧩 Conclusion: A complex game doesn't have to be a maze

PoE2 has an incredible foundation. It’s deep, rich, and beautifully ambitious.

But some newer ARPGs have shown that it’s possible to offer **depth *and* clarity**, **challenge *and* fairness**, **freedom *and* direction**.
There is no shame in learning from what works elsewhere. That’s how good games become *great* ones.

A game should not turn its players into Pavlov's dogs: punished unpredictably, and rewarded rarely.
Let’s build a system that **respects player time**, offers **clear feedback**, and ensures **consistent progression** — even in defeat.


📣 A clear roadmap or thoughts from GGG on these areas would be hugely appreciated:

- Crafting that supports both RNG and merit-based progression
- Better readability, telegraphing, and post-death feedback
- Rebalancing XP loss and making high-level progression more rewarding
- Trade alternatives for solo/self-found players

Thank you for your incredible work — and for continuing to build a game worth caring about. Posts like this exist not because i want to say why people are leaving — but because we **want to stay** and we need you to help us do so :)