A Message to Path of Exile 1 Players

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Zackro#4672 wrote:

PoE2 should not be your main priority. I've played it way too much to not be able to say it isn't an enjoyable game if you came from PoE1. PoE2 feels like it would have been a great game...10 years ago. At best it feels like the original love child that the 3 original creators of PoE would have loved to create...but in 2024 or even now 2025, it has no place. Extremely dated, back sourced, slowed down. It's heavily reminiscent of PoE 1 original speed days. But this is 2025, no one wants a slowed version of the game. There's a ton of "Lets make it annoying which seems "difficult" but in reality it's just making it annoying to seem difficult. There is no challenge in the majority of it.

Why do I bring this up? Because we are now delaying PoE1, over, and over, and over, because this love child of PoE2 is now taking priority over everything. It's become harder to rationalize supporting a company that has gone in the opposite direction that they've done in the past decade. Such large leaps forward to only take a time machine back to 2013. We make fun of Diablo/Blizzard for not learning that when they make a new game you need to incorporate the GOOD from the original game...and now GGG is doing exactly the same Blizzard does. I get it entirely, it's a new game, any "braking" or laying off the gas pedal is seen as a failure for anyone who is a project manager or creator of it.

But to backpedal and lay off prioritizing the game that got you to where you are now...for a game that just feels like a passion project...seems like a horrible choice. I'd inquire to who your project managers are, what their investment into each is, and whether creating two project managers, one to manage a team for PoE 1 and one for PoE 2 that DO NOT pull resources from each other would be the correct step forward. You'd expect this from a start up company, GGG is long past a start up, I feel as though the grand vision of "The game we always wanted to create" is clouding the vision of the "Amazing game you already made".

I agree with this so much

Poe1 is just stale anyway. Move on to Poe2 for the better.

When you see popular builders like CaptainLance9 returning to POE1 to continue making builds, you know something is wrong with POE2 and POE1 needs to move forward.

I usually never post anything on the forums, but this time I felt the need to share the feelings that dwell in me.

One of the reasons I fell in love with Path of Exile was the deep dark atmosphere, the voice acting, the music, the "feeling" that a lot of passion went into making every detail of this amazing world.

A few of my favorite pieces were Andrew Reid's music for Acton's Nightmare - really one-of-a-kind exquisite kind of work.
Another amazing aspect is the voice acting of the Templar by Kevin Harty - so compelling, I was willing to replay a campaign just to hear the Templar's level-up voicelines.

Every character felt so unique, almost if there was an entire world behind them.

I think everything turned sour in Kalandra league. Taking one of the most sacred and unique relics in the game, expecting to have one of the largest stories behind them - and turning it into a bird-lady on a pillar that flies away. It felt, at least to me, like a very large sting that I felt in my body. Dishonorable, to say the least. I think, seeing things now, that it was a foreshadowing of what is to come.

At some point along the way, I think the passion was lost in making Path of Exile, and it turned into some sort of a generic fabrication factory of content.



I've played Path of Exile 2, finished the campaign, reached endgame - but it wasn't it. Something was flawed, and it wasn't lack of content, lack of crafting, lack of progression - something was flawed on a very deep fundamental level.
I don't think Path of Exile 2 should be named Path of Exile 2, but rather Exile: Ascendants. Naming it Path of Exile 2 confuses Path of Exile players that it is a continuation of the product that they knew and loved. It is not, it is a different game.

It's not a bad game, I personally would give it 7 to 8, but it is not to my style and preference.

As someone coming from Path of Exile and hoping for some redemption for past decisions that were made, I've only come to realize I was looking at the grave of Path of Exile, and the rebirth of something else entirely, that I do not personally like.

All the art, hard work and talent that was put into Path of Exile 1 was cut into small pieces and re-added randomly, oddly reminiscent of what once was, but eerily unalike. Some pieces (ones that I kept close to my heart), were discarded and probably will never see the light of day again.

I don't like Path of Exile 2 gameplay, style, atmosphere, voice acting, music, pace, and the overall vibe of the product. I won't be playing it anymore (and I don't expect anyone to care, but I wanted to state it because I believe I can state it).

Path of Exile is Path of Exile, and I think only time will show that it is true. All the resources spent on Path of Exile 2 could've been instead spent on additional voice acting, additional classes, more content, WASD movement, engine improvements.

There was no need for a new game.



Postscript... I have a feeling that the purpose of any additional content done to Path of Exile 1 will be to ease the transition of PoE 1 players into PoE 2, rather than to continue developing and improving PoE 1. A sad reality, if so.

What I'm hearing:
POE 2 Wasn't ready for a launch, and resources were mismanaged, resulting in a catastrophic state for BOTH games which has yet to be resolved.
Placeholder events might placate some people, but the message is clear: PoE 1 is not currently, and will never again be a development concern.
We all know, and you should too; After V 0.2.0 is released, 0.3.0 is around the corner. Then 4, then 5. Even after a 1.0 release, people are going to expect regular seasonal updates. If you don't have the resources now, this problem is never going to go away.

It's too late to go back and make different choices, but to me the only real solution is to get more resources going forward. Get more people working on the problem, so you don't need to pull existing teams off their projects.

Making people wait a year between updates is going to destroy your community.

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Zackro#4672 wrote:

PoE2 should not be your main priority. I've played it way too much to not be able to say it isn't an enjoyable game if you came from PoE1. PoE2 feels like it would have been a great game...10 years ago. At best it feels like the original love child that the 3 original creators of PoE would have loved to create...but in 2024 or even now 2025, it has no place. Extremely dated, back sourced, slowed down. It's heavily reminiscent of PoE 1 original speed days. But this is 2025, no one wants a slowed version of the game. There's a ton of "Lets make it annoying which seems "difficult" but in reality it's just making it annoying to seem difficult. There is no challenge in the majority of it.

Why do I bring this up? Because we are now delaying PoE1, over, and over, and over, because this love child of PoE2 is now taking priority over everything. It's become harder to rationalize supporting a company that has gone in the opposite direction that they've done in the past decade. Such large leaps forward to only take a time machine back to 2013. We make fun of Diablo/Blizzard for not learning that when they make a new game you need to incorporate the GOOD from the original game...and now GGG is doing exactly the same Blizzard does. I get it entirely, it's a new game, any "braking" or laying off the gas pedal is seen as a failure for anyone who is a project manager or creator of it.

But to backpedal and lay off prioritizing the game that got you to where you are now...for a game that just feels like a passion project...seems like a horrible choice. I'd inquire to who your project managers are, what their investment into each is, and whether creating two project managers, one to manage a team for PoE 1 and one for PoE 2 that DO NOT pull resources from each other would be the correct step forward. You'd expect this from a start up company, GGG is long past a start up, I feel as though the grand vision of "The game we always wanted to create" is clouding the vision of the "Amazing game you already made".

No they absolutely should and will make PoE2 their main focus, the real mess up was telling the whiney curmudgeonly fanbase that PoE1 was basically going to remain unchanged instead of saying PoE1 is nearing end of support

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pokeroots#4778 wrote:

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Zackro#4672 wrote:

PoE2 should not be your main priority. I've played it way too much to not be able to say it isn't an enjoyable game if you came from PoE1. PoE2 feels like it would have been a great game...10 years ago. At best it feels like the original love child that the 3 original creators of PoE would have loved to create...but in 2024 or even now 2025, it has no place. Extremely dated, back sourced, slowed down. It's heavily reminiscent of PoE 1 original speed days. But this is 2025, no one wants a slowed version of the game. There's a ton of "Lets make it annoying which seems "difficult" but in reality it's just making it annoying to seem difficult. There is no challenge in the majority of it.

Why do I bring this up? Because we are now delaying PoE1, over, and over, and over, because this love child of PoE2 is now taking priority over everything. It's become harder to rationalize supporting a company that has gone in the opposite direction that they've done in the past decade. Such large leaps forward to only take a time machine back to 2013. We make fun of Diablo/Blizzard for not learning that when they make a new game you need to incorporate the GOOD from the original game...and now GGG is doing exactly the same Blizzard does. I get it entirely, it's a new game, any "braking" or laying off the gas pedal is seen as a failure for anyone who is a project manager or creator of it.

But to backpedal and lay off prioritizing the game that got you to where you are now...for a game that just feels like a passion project...seems like a horrible choice. I'd inquire to who your project managers are, what their investment into each is, and whether creating two project managers, one to manage a team for PoE 1 and one for PoE 2 that DO NOT pull resources from each other would be the correct step forward. You'd expect this from a start up company, GGG is long past a start up, I feel as though the grand vision of "The game we always wanted to create" is clouding the vision of the "Amazing game you already made".

No they absolutely should and will make PoE2 their main focus, the real mess up was telling the whiney curmudgeonly fanbase that PoE1 was basically going to remain unchanged instead of saying PoE1 is nearing end of support

Actually their mistake was to lie to the player base, consistently, for months when they knew POE2 was in disarray and taking POE down with it.

Well if POE1 is going to end up falling from his throne, I hope POE2 follows in his footsteps, GGG needs to learn that his community, his fans, are the ones who rule and who feed him, and GGG has bitten the hand that feeds him, they need to learn this the hard way, I hope for POE1's sake that POE2 fails and they get back on track.

That's my take on the subject, and my sincerest wish for POE2's failure as well
(☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞

POE1 is dead, Long Live POE2!

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Davoker#7948 wrote:

When you see popular builders like CaptainLance9 returning to POE1 to continue making builds, you know something is wrong with POE2 and POE1 needs to move forward.

Bro you ever think maybe it’s because the game is in Early access? There is only so much you can do. Not sure why everyone here is so damn judgy when it’s EA treating it like this is the full release..

Poe 1 EA was trash too but we stuck it out and look what we ended up with. A masterpiece. Trust the process