❕​❕​❕​ Is this the end of PoE1? Let’s talk about GGG’s direction ❕​❕​❕​

(I’m talking about what we’ve been experiencing for months and what was said yesterday in the live conversation about PoE1.)

Hey Exiles,

I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and after everything we’ve seen recently—and especially what was said yesterday—I feel like it’s time to get this off my chest.

Path of Exile 1 is being abandoned.

Let’s not sugarcoat it. No updates, no patches, no real future. Statements like “PoE1 is a long topic” don’t exactly scream confidence, do they? And 3.26? Feels like it’s stuck in limbo. At this rate, we might not even see it at all.

What really hurts is how long-time PoE1 players—the ones who’ve been here for over a decade—are being treated. Think about everything we’ve done to support this game. We’ve bought supporter packs, MTX, stash tabs, and played through endless leagues. We’ve hyped it up, brought in new players, and built this amazing community.

And now? Now it feels like we’re being told, “Thanks for all the money and free marketing, but PoE1? Yeah, we’re kind of done with that. Here’s The Vision™ instead.”

Let’s talk about this so-called The Vision™. Remember Ruthless? A mode nobody really asked for, nobody really plays, and yet they forced it on us anyway? That’s The Vision. And now, they’re not just trying to sprinkle it into PoE1—they’re building an entire game around it.

What about us? The players who spent years grinding, learning, and supporting PoE1? Are we just supposed to quietly fade into the background while they focus on their shiny new project? It feels like all the time, effort, and money we’ve invested over the years doesn’t matter anymore.

And let’s be real: PoE2 wasn’t supposed to be this way. When it was first announced, I was excited. I thought it would make PoE1 even better—better graphics, smoother gameplay, updated visuals for armor, weapons, and skills. I hoped for a modernized engine, more QoL improvements, and maybe some reworked mechanics to bring PoE into the future. You know, an upgrade, not a replacement.

But nope. All of that potential got thrown out the window with this split. PoE1 is stuck where it is—no engine updates, no graphical improvements, no nothing. All of that’s being reserved for PoE2, while PoE1 gets left in the dust.

What makes it even worse is the influx of newer players who barely know what PoE1 even is but somehow think they know better. These players have no idea what it was like during Breach, Delve, or Harvest. They weren’t there grinding league after league, watching PoE grow into the game it became. But now, they’re the loudest voices defending GGG’s direction, dismissing the concerns of players who’ve been here for a decade.

PoE1 is not a relic. It’s the game that built this community. It’s the game that made GGG what it is today. Millions of us still love it, even with its flaws. To see it treated like an afterthought hurts.

Look, I get that PoE2 is their focus now. And yeah, maybe it’ll be great. But does that mean PoE1 has to be left to rot? The least GGG could do is be transparent with us. Let us know if PoE1 is really being left behind. Show some respect to the people who’ve supported you for over a decade.

And yes, maybe 3.26 will drop and blow us all away. Maybe PoE1 will get the attention it deserves, and I’ll be proven wrong. I really hope that happens.

But right now? Month after month, my enthusiasm for PoE1 is fading.

Totally agree, great speech !

+1

I’m coping. Settlers was poe1 best league and I’m pretty sure poe1 hit a new peak on steam with settlers. Poe2 is now sitting at like 50k above poe1 peak and I have a feeling average player numbers will continue to drop. GGG would be mental to abandon poe1. #coping

This can be one of the worst, if not the worst outcome, but yet I cannot tell you it isnt possible. They could drop PoE for PoE2, in the process cashing out a lot of that "good will currency" Chris Wilson talked about in some interviews.

If they take this route of letting it go, however small is the chance, I hope they have a bit of space in their hearts, and make the effort of making a Standalone version of at least the last season of PoE (It could be cool to choose and play older versions, but dont know if they have snapshots of older leagues safekeeped). Gut anything that requires online connection and release it as a SSF Offline PoE, put a 30$-60$ dollar price point and give it for free to people who supported with 500$ and above.

One can only hope that they keep PoE alive and with new content, as you know, kept the lights on for over a decade and financed the new shiny version.

Also great post

"

Xmangox4#5836 wrote:

I’m coping. Settlers was poe1 best league and I’m pretty sure poe1 hit a new peak on steam with settlers. Poe2 is now sitting at like 50k above poe1 peak and I have a feeling average player numbers will continue to drop. GGG would be mental to abandon poe1. #coping

Most of these shiny new players are gone when they finished the fully released campaign and when they went through it.

They hop onto the next game and tell stories about the hardcore wolf of act1, which basically doesn't survive more than 2 minutes when you know what you are doing

Do you really think they boot that game up every 3 months to tinker on new builds, strats, league starters?

Nah, GGG needs to be careful what direction they will go with PoE2.

Screw the old players and their game and it will probably left PoE2 emptier than the Sahara desert.

Does PoE in fact have a Development Lead? That job title implies a role separate from PoE Deuce, and a role largely, if not completely, independent of Deuce's travails.

So, this PoE Development Lead ought to be earning a paycheck by working on PoE. Part of those duties ought by rights to include communicating with the not insubstantial playerbase for GGG's complete game.

So, who's wearing that hat, and what can they tell us about the game we prefer to play? =0[.]o=

Looks like the end of me playing GGG games honestly. I have 0 interest in poe 2. PoE 1 is dead now so idk what they were thinking. They just traded player base to one that's not been dedicated for a decade+
So lose a 12 year player for a D4 player? That is what is going on with poe2 numbers.

Yeah, the comment at the end does not strike confidence for POE1 and I was irritated by how vague it was. I'm hoping we are reading too much into it, and it's a simple POE1 is fine other than it slipped further than expected (which happens quite often).

I'm trying to remain optimistic about POE1 trajectory because other games out right now really are not appealing to me. LE was fun for a playthrough. Same with D4. Everything seems to be good for a run, but then not worth playing again. POE2 is kind of in this boat for me too -- though I had less fun with it when compared to LE. It's closer to D4 in terms of how much fun I had (which was less and disappointing).

But the comment could mean a lot of things including the "it's not you, it's me but I hope we can still be friends (meaning you play POE2)" conversation.