Mercenaries need to go core!
" No.....no we wouldn't. The "announcement of the announcement" has ALWAYS been 2-3 weeks before the new league release. Which ISN'T RIGHT NOW lol. Also.....we already received the "announcement of the announcement"...of the annoucement. As per the exact example I showed you. And now the ones I outlined below. You are patently in the wrong here, along with the other guy. We all have access to the records, it is EASILY checked. "Confidently Wrong"....oof. And "New Player" lol: hey, when you are "confidently wrong", the next level is attacking the profile instead of the actual content. I'm not a new player, but my saying so will have no bearing on someone like you, and I don't feel like wasting my time proving anything to you about myself. Settlers: Announcement of the Announcement = July 4th First Teasers-ish, a week later Release date of the league: July 26th Timeline: 3 weeks before Necropolis: Announcement of the announcement = March 8th First Teasers-ish, a week later Release date of the league: March 29th Timeline: 3 weeks before ......Do I really need to go through every single one? They have literally kept the SAME CALENDAR of their announcements for damn near 8 years of releases. We haven't always gotten (but have recently) a message like the one a few weeks ago saying "Hey btw, the league is ending soon".....but that particular announcement, NOT accompanied by teasers or any other communication, is generally found a month before "the announcement of the announcement". Starting anew....with PoE 2 Last edited by cowmoo275#3095 on Sep 30, 2025, 2:46:41 PM
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Let’s not limit ourselves to the recent leagues, which have clearly been impacted by the shift in focus toward Path of Exile 2. These newer leagues often lack the transparency, communication, and hype-building that defined earlier expansions.
Instead, let’s look at some older leagues that weren’t subjected to these issues, and examine how GGG historically approached communication and marketing: Abyss League: Revealed on November 16, 2017, released on December 9 — over 3.5 weeks of lead time with teasers and promotional content. Synthesis League: Teaser released February 19, 2019, league launched March 8 — around 2.5 weeks of buildup. Conquerors of the Atlas / Metamorph: Teased November 15, 2019, released December 13 — nearly a full month between teaser and launch. Delirium League: Teased on February 25, 2020, released March 13 — two weeks. Sentinel League: “Announcement of the announcement” on April 21, 2022, reveal on May 5, launch on May 13 — two weeks of formal promotion. Sanctum League: Announcement tease on November 17, 2022, reveal on December 1, release on December 9 — again, roughly two weeks. It’s also worth noting that in many of these cases, small teaser content, item previews, mechanic hints, or simple images, was shared even before official reveals, making the actual teaser window closer to three weeks or more in practice. This pattern of early and steady communication was once standard for GGG. But since PoE2 became the studio’s main focus, PoE1 has increasingly taken a back seat. The departure of community manager Bex only deepened that silence. Now, based on GGG’s typical 4-month cycle, Mercenaries League, which launched on June 13, is expected to end around October 13. Assuming the usual Friday release, the next league would likely arrive on October 17, just 2.5 weeks away. Even if the target is October 24, we’re already within the timeframe when previous leagues had started dropping teasers. So yes, long-time players are absolutely right to call out the current radio silence. Based on years of precedent, teasers, even small ones, are long overdue. That being said, if GGG is taking their time, then they better be using it to actually work on PoE1, not scrambling in the final week to slap together a half-cooked league just to meet a deadline. Right now, the silence suggests they haven’t even touched PoE1’s next league, hence why there’s nothing to show. We’ve seen plenty of PoE2 showcases lately, despite PoE1 supposedly being next in line. But let’s not kid ourselves, the next league better have Mercenaries going core. Windows 11, 9950X3D, RTX 4090, 96GB DDR5, 14,100 MB/s SSD, 15,360x2160p @240Hz Ultra 4K Gaming & Workspace Powerhouse
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^the november ones have an extra week sometimes because of holidays. Not just US Thanksgiving, but other international holidays fall towards the middle/end of November which GGG is clearly aware of.
The teasers rarely, if ever, come BEFORE the "announcement of the announcement". They almost ALWAYS come before the OFFICIAL announcement though. So it wouldn't be right to ADD time to the weeks you listed....it would instead be WITHIN the overall time. I can't remember a single teaser announcement or content that has ever come out prior to the video release of the name of the next league. And that video has never had any sort of preamble on these forums or elsewhere. And yes....thank you for going through the older leagues: I specifically said I COULD but didn't want to because they have pretty much exclusively followed the same schedule of 2-3 weeks, give or take MAYBE a few days (except late november/early december league releases). It's the ones that happen EARLIER (or further apart, however you view it) that are the outliers among years of content reveals and teaser content. You are wrong that we are *overdue*, based on all the numbers YOU just wrote out. We were told by GGG 2 weeks ago that the next league is coming out "End of October". There are only two possible dates for that: the 24th or far more likely the 31st. The 17th isn't....anywhere near the end of October, that is the middle. Even by the examples you outlined, the HIGHEST amount of time before league release would STILL be looking at the end of THIS week as the first announcement or teaser at the earliest. For you mathematical folks...October 24th, the earliest likely date possible, is still over 3 weeks away. October 31st, my prediction, even more than that. As I said earlier, the EXPECTATION of long-term PoE players who have ever remotely paid attention to dates would be NEXT WEEK. And the first gut reaction wouldn't be we are being ignored, because you shouldn't even be expecting ANYTHING before next week. Or perhaps at the EARLIEST, this Friday. Starting anew....with PoE 2 Last edited by cowmoo275#3095 on Sep 30, 2025, 9:28:26 PM
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You all are re-writing history and just plain making things up....even while pointing out the actual facts.
Bex had nothing to do with it: it was exactly the SAME pattern of announcements while they were here. It was really only CW that made a TON of news posts, and that was 2017 and earlier. All the infamous "Why we did this" posts and the manifestos on design. But the game was MUCH younger back then, and MUCH smaller prior to 3.0. They no longer have any need to release documents like that, the playerbase expanded to where they want it and the game is much more "solidified". Starting anew....with PoE 2 Last edited by cowmoo275#3095 on Sep 30, 2025, 9:32:44 PM
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"Thank you for taking the time to write these down in such a detailed manner. Personally, I could go back as far as early 2016 to further proof that we really did have better communication and teaser periods back then, especially on reddit through Bex and CW himself, but I don't think it's necessary. The point is made and we can all agree that GGG, perhaps rightfully so - for the future of the company, prioritizes PoE 2. It sucks for PoE 1 players but oh well, what can you do about it. Hopefully GGG will surprise us soon with making Mercenaries go core to compensate. :) |
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" Tell us you're new to the game without telling us you're new. There has never been a league release in November, not once. What has happened in November are teasers and clear, well-timed announcements for December leagues. International holidays were never an obstacle for GGG in the past, they consistently managed to be transparent, communicative, and ahead of schedule. And it wasn’t just around league launches either. Announcements, teasers, and transparency used to happen throughout the year in a much smoother, more structured way. We used to get detailed manifesto posts explaining balance and design decisions, often sparking real community discussions, the kind that made players feel involved and respected. Back then, the official website was a reliable, up-to-date source of truth. Now? If you want to stay informed, you’re basically forced to follow Discord or Twitter, because the website no longer reflects the full scope of news and updates like it once did with how delayed they post updates from time to time. Community engagement also felt stronger, not just in tone, but in presence. Time-filler events used to be more common, helping bridge the gap between league end and league start. GGG themselves would run fun events to keep players engaged. Now? We rarely see anything official, most of the activity comes from community-run events. What used to be a regular and appreciated part of the league cycle has become a rare occurrence. There was a clear, dedicated community manager role, and much more back-and-forth with the player base. Today, PoE1 communication feels minimal, while the spotlight is firmly on PoE2. For those of us who’ve been around a while, the contrast is hard to miss, and even harder to ignore. " Anyone who’s been part of this community for a decade, or even close to it, understands exactly what’s being discussed here. For newer players, however, the most recent leagues are their only frame of reference, and as a result, they often mistake the current state of things as GGG operating at their finest. In truth, what we’re witnessing now is a shadow of the studio’s former excellence, not the golden standard, but a distant echo of a time when polish, transparency, and community engagement were truly at the forefront. Windows 11, 9950X3D, RTX 4090, 96GB DDR5, 14,100 MB/s SSD, 15,360x2160p @240Hz Ultra 4K Gaming & Workspace Powerhouse
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^This is actually quite hilarious.
Not reading my post correctly Not reading the news posts correctly Not setting up the time frame correctly And re-writing history. Simply because you feel "ignored" by a company that ultimately doesn't owe you and NEVER owed you any communication in the first place. We were explicitly told the next league is "end of October". Yet here you are IN SEPTEMBER complaining about being ignored. I don't give a damn about your attempts at "gatcha"-ing me for some odd reason....my posts were quite clear, and the dates and the posts are all right freaking there. Again, I have nothing to prove to two folks who are simply feeling personally let down and have faulty memories on timelines. You'll get your darn teasers next week. Or some this weekend possibly. Or vent your unwarranted anger at GGG. They have done plenty for us players to be mad about: this most certainly isn't one of them. Starting anew....with PoE 2
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" " " This you? " Not once in this games history has there been a November release. Naturally, since you indeed are confidently incorrect, I'm not inclined to attribute an awful lot of value on your opinion regarding this topic. "Excuse me, but weren't you the one who started this whole argument out of thin air? It is apparent that you're wrong, as factually proven by VoidWhisperer42, and I don't see any need or reason to continue this back and forth bickering. Sometimes it is wise to admit being wrong and you can leave it at that - no one would really care, or remember. However I kindly ask you to stop derailing this topic with your weird crusade, or whatever it is you're trying to accomplish, and invite you to continue discussing Mercenaries becoming part of the core game (hopefully) later this month. Last edited by Celestriad#0304 on Oct 1, 2025, 3:38:38 PM
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the copium fiends getting itchy and fighting. calm down junkies.
“Freedom is what we do with what is done to us.”
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what if mercenaries had a full progression system, kind of like Heist NPCs or how you invest gold in Kingsmarch?
Instead of just hiring one and getting busted auras or curses right away, you’d start with a weak merc and level them up using gold, currency, or other sinks. Over time, you unlock stronger versions, maybe they specialize in auras, curses, buffs, or utility roles and gradually become more impactful. They could also have merc-specific gear slots alongside regular items. Some gear might boost their aura effects, others might unlock new support abilities, or just let them carry stronger equipment for better synergy with your build. It’s a long-term investment, not a free ride. And honestly, that alone would solve the “mercs are OP” problem people keep bringing up. If you have to work your way up to the strong stuff, it’s automatically more balanced. You don’t get endgame-tier support just for stepping into a high-tier map, you earn it. Yeah, it’d take a lot of dev work to pull off, but it’d add depth, give players something meaningful to build toward, and keep the power curve in check. Plus, let’s be real, FOMO players will always complain, but that’s PoE, grind, invest, improve or get left behind. Either way, even without a full rework, mercenaries really need to become part of the core game experience. Windows 11, 9950X3D, RTX 4090, 96GB DDR5, 14,100 MB/s SSD, 15,360x2160p @240Hz Ultra 4K Gaming & Workspace Powerhouse
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