Path of Exile 2 Is Far from Being Fun!

I have been playing Path of Exile 1 since January 2015, with over 3,000 hours logged on Steam, and likely three times that if we count the time spent on the standalone client. I’m completely in love with Path of Exile 1—it’s the best game on the planet for me. Naturally, I couldn’t be more excited for Path of Exile 2. However, my experience so far has been riddled with issues right from the first map. Below, I outline my concerns, along with suggestions for improvement.

Melee Classes Are Awful to Play
Specifically, the Warrior feels sluggish and clunky, as if every action (except the basic attack) is weighed down by two 100 kg iron balls chained to the character’s feet.
Suggestion: Reduce skill animation times to make melee classes more dynamic and responsive.

Unrealistic Shop Prices for New Characters
Why does the first shop offer items costing 500 gold? Even after fully clearing the first map, I wouldn’t have that much gold. This issue is exacerbated by the shop resetting whenever I level up, making it impossible to purchase items I might want.
Suggestion: Ensure the first shop offers items with prices aligned to the average gold a player would realistically collect after clearing the prior map.

Campaign Maps Are Too Large and Require Excessive Backtracking
Combining overly large maps with constant backtracking creates an unbearable experience. Large maps can enhance exploration, and backtracking can extend engagement in smaller maps, but together, they make quests feel like a chore.
Suggestion: Either reduce map sizes significantly or eliminate backtracking altogether.

Boss Fights Are Too Long and Reward Too Little
Challenging boss fights are great, but dying repeatedly, spending hours on them, only to receive subpar loot and an underwhelming quest reward, makes the effort feel pointless. Even after recent drop rate buffs, the rewards remain unsatisfying.
Suggestion: Shorten boss fights by removing unnecessary mechanics, improve drop quality to match the difficulty, or significantly enhance quest rewards.

Crafting Feels Nonexistent
Crafting in Path of Exile 2 lacks the manipulation and control expected of the term. Throwing a couple of orbs at an item and hoping for the best doesn’t feel like crafting—it feels like gambling.
Suggestion: Introduce mechanics that allow players to manipulate and shape items, giving them more agency and reducing the reliance on pure luck.

Trials of Ascension 3 and 4 Are Overly Difficult for Minimal Rewards
The difficulty of these trials feels disproportionate to the benefits they offer. The game seems to lack a sense of balance between effort and reward.
Suggestion: Either make Trials 3 and 4 more manageable or significantly enhance the power of Ascendancy points obtained from these trials.

Atlas Maps Lack Clear Objectives
In Path of Exile 1, the objective in every map is clear—kill monsters and defeat the boss. In Path of Exile 2, there’s no clear direction. Some maps end after killing rare monsters, while others require full clears with no clear indicator of completion, leading to frustrating backtracking.
Suggestion: Clearly communicate map objectives and provide directional indicators.

Respec Costs Are Too High in the Late Game
In the early acts, respeccing points in the passive tree is affordable and allows for experimentation. However, as the character levels up, the gold cost becomes prohibitive, discouraging build adjustments.
Suggestion: Reduce the gold cost for respeccing points in the late game to encourage build flexibility.

Conclusion
Path of Exile 2 has immense potential to be as groundbreaking as its predecessor, but the current state of the game is riddled with issues that detract from the overall experience. While I appreciate the effort and ambition behind the game, the elements highlighted above—ranging from clunky mechanics to imbalanced systems and poor reward structures—make it difficult to fully enjoy. By addressing these pain points and implementing improvements, Path of Exile 2 could become the masterpiece that players have been eagerly anticipating. As a long-time fan and supporter of the franchise, I truly hope to see these changes in future updates to bring the game closer to its full potential.