A case for the state of group play

I will prefix this post by saying I am comparing the three main ARPGs that I play:

1. Diablo 3
2. Diablo 4
3. Path of Exile 2

In terms of group play I would rank them like this:

1. D3
2. PoE 2
3. D4

Now let's get in to why I think PoE 2 can do more to be the best group play ARPG out there.

zClasses:

Give us some zDPS builds. Since this game isn't big on repeated talent switching -- which is completely fine in my opinion -- you can level a class to the start of high tier content, and then switch that character into a zClass. Being able to help your team by buffing allies, debuffing enemies, providing magic find, speed boost, etc. Can make high tier content more interesting as a group. It can create some metas around very high tier content without the simple argument of "bring all the highest numbers".

Dying in a map:

Certainly something has to be done about this in group play. I am not saying remove the penalties for dying, I think penalties for death are appropriate. But having your friends sit and watch "You Died" for 10+ minutes is not fun, is not engaging, and in fact actively makes people avoid group play.

Leaderboards:

Leaderboards make a season engaging. Allowing us to inspect other characters, their builds, etc is interesting to those deep in the mechanics. Why does this work? Why is this better? Having something to strive for beside simply "I got to level 100 now what" keeps things interesting over the course of a league/season


I am sure there are things I have forgotten, but I really want to play this game with more people, and not just solo. I don't want this game to be "the filler while I wait for a diablo 3 season" and I don't want diablo 3 seasons to continue to be the best in terms of group play. I really use that last term loosely, it is simply that there is _no better alternative_ when there really really really really should be.