Path of Exile 2 PS5 Test Report – Sorceress up to Act 3

Here is my player feedback, i had it proofread from an Ai because english isn' my first language. Make out of it what you will, i hope some points will be adressed in the future, over all i enjoyed playing Poe2 - until Act 3.

General Impressions

I played the Path of Exile 2 Beta on the PlayStation 5 with a Sorceress and made it to the beginning of Act 3. Here are my thoughts on the experience, including what I loved and where I struggled.

Character Variety & Flexibility:
The variety of builds is fantastic. With the Sorceress, I switched between Fire, Ice, and Lightning builds multiple times, and each change was fun and viable.
The skill system is significantly better than PoE 1 or even Diablo 4. Experimenting with skills and optimizing my build was engaging and rewarding.

Skill System:
The dynamic gameplay and diverse skill options made it enjoyable to explore different strategies.
However, I found the concept of two skill trees unintuitive. I didn’t understand how to adjust button assignments when switching between styles, so I avoided it entirely.

Graphics & Design:
The graphics and overall design are excellent. The environments are visually appealing, and the character designs are well-done.
One frustration was the automatic map reset. I’d prefer to choose when to replay a map rather than being forced to do so.

Improved Dynamics Over PoE 1:
I only played Path of Exile 1 once because it felt too complex and tedious, like a slot machine where progress relied on luck. That wasn’t enjoyable for me.
In Path of Exile 2, the more dynamic gameplay mitigates this feeling, even though the core mechanics are still similar. The improved combat flow kept me more engaged.

Issues Encountered
Act 3 Difficulty Spike

The sudden difficulty spike in Act 3 felt overwhelming. Even basic trash mobs took too long to defeat.
The double bosses at the start of Act 3 were simply too much. Despite being Level 35 with Level 32 gear and an optimized skill tree, I couldn’t progress.
The only option seemed to be backtracking and grinding, which was frustrating and led me to end my test.

Gamepad Controls

The PS5 controls need improvement:
The “Pick Up Item” button (X) also triggers skills, making it difficult to pick up items during combat.
The inability to multi-press buttons is frustrating, especially when using the Mercenary (you have to stop shooting to throw grenades).
Customizing the button layout for the two skill trees was confusing, so I didn’t use this feature.

Support Gems

It’s too easy to accidentally sell weapons with support gems still in them. This happened to me multiple times.
By Act 3, I only had one support gem left because I lost others and got too frustrated to replace them.
The fact that you can’t view the complete Support Skill list without an Uncut Gem is unnecessarily restrictive.

Performance Issues

PS5 performance was disappointing:
Cities experienced significant lag and frame drops when populated.
Frequent frame rate drops occurred on maps.
A horizontal line repeatedly appeared across the screen when new scenes loaded.

Resistances & Guidance

In Act 2, I lost an entire day because I didn’t realize how important resistances were. Upgrading gear caused me to lose resistances, which I didn’t notice.
The GUI doesn’t clearly show where to check resistances unless you know where to look. A guide or tutorial on this would be very helpful.

Conclusion

Despite these frustrations, I enjoyed Path of Exile 2 for its dynamic gameplay, character flexibility, and improved skill system. The graphics and design are great, and the challenge felt rewarding up to Act 3.

However, the difficulty spike, poor gamepad controls, and performance issues on the PS5 ultimately prevented me from reaching the endgame. The thought of replaying all acts at a higher difficulty after struggling in Act 3 is daunting.

I hope this feedback helps improve the console experience. Path of Exile 2 has immense potential, and with these issues addressed, it could be a fantastic game.