Rethinking Navigation in POE2: A Suggestion for Improvement

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share my thoughts about a frequently discussed aspect of the game : Map size and navigation.
Act 3 perfectly illustrates this contrast with its extremes: on one side, the excellent Jiquani's Sanctum, and on the other, Aggorat and several other oversized maps that suffer from similar issues.

The Exemplary Case: Jiquani's Sanctum

This map is brilliant in its design. The mechanism that makes us follow patterns on the ground is a real stroke of genius. For once, I found myself actually observing the game environment rather than mindlessly staring at the mini-map. This mechanic naturally guides us to points of interest, creating a fluid and immersive experience.

Unfortunately, even in this excellent map, the search for cores makes us fall back into the "mini-map game" trap. While the sound of falling gems helps locate them, their random placement forces us back into tedious mini-map exploration, losing all the immersion we had previously gained.

It's this striking contrast between Jiquani's Sanctum's guided, immersive exploration and the monotony of other maps that got me thinking about how to improve the overall game experience.

The Counter-Example: Aggorat, When Size Hurts Immersion

Aggorat perfectly represents the issues I want to address. This map combines several flaws that harm the gaming experience:
- Excessive size that forces you to play with your eyes glued to the mini-map
- High mob density which, combined with the map size, can create frustrating situations
- I even experienced respawns at checkpoints swarmed with elite mobs, creating intense combat loops

I want to clarify that I'm not criticizing the game's difficulty - on the contrary, I appreciate these challenging fights. My feedback focuses solely on immersion. POE2 is an excellent game that deserves more engaging exploration than the simple "mini-map game" that Aggorat forces us to play.

An Improvement Path Inspired by the Game Itself

The game already has interesting mechanics that could be generalized. Take Beira of the Rotten Pack in Act 1: her audible dialogues when you approach are an excellent example of contextual indication that guides the player without breaking immersion.

My Suggestion: Rethinking Player Guidance

I propose extending these mechanics throughout the game:

1. Visual cues integrated into the environment (like Jiquani's Sanctum's patterns) to guide towards main and secondary objectives
2. Contextual sound cues when approaching points of interest

The goal? To stop this outdated approach of "fog chasing" and blue borders on the mini-map like a vacuum cleaner. This way of playing is neither immersive nor particularly fun.

Impact on Gaming Experience

When I was playing in Jiquani's Sanctuary, I was truly absorbed in the game, carefully observing the environment to not lose track of the path. This approach even makes combat more interesting as it integrates naturally into exploration rather than being simple obstacles on a map to "clean up".

Conclusion

POE2 is an excellent game that deserves an exploration experience matching its overall quality. The mechanics already exist, as proven by Jiquani's Sanctum. These shouldn't be treated as special features for specific maps - they need to become the standard navigation system throughout the entire game. This would radically transform the experience without compromising the difficulty that's an integral part of the game's charm.