Path of Exile 2 – Day 15-17: More Impressions From Cruel

Platform: PC
Controls: X-Input Controller
Class: Titan
Level: 63

Skills:
Rolling Slam L14 with Overpower, Splinter, and Aftershock
Boneshatter L14 with Execute, Impact Shockwave, and Magnified Effect
Volcanic Fissure L14 with Fire Infusion, Ignition, and Persistence
Shield Charge L13 with Stomping Ground, Second Wind, and Momentum
Armour Breaker L14 with Martial Tempo, Break Endurance, and Break Posture
Seismic Cry L14 with Premeditation, Murderous Intent, and Dazing Cry
Hammer of the Gods L14 with Brutality, Fist of War, and Fast Forward
Attrition L14
Overwhelming Presence L14 with Precision

Content: Cruel Hunting Grounds through Jiquani's Machinarium


My health really got in the way this weekend, to the point I decided to put this off for tonight. As it was, things were going pretty smooth otherwise. So I felt like it made sense to just compile a lot of Cruel into a single log.


What's Working:
Jonathon is no liar! Cruel is going much more smoothly and quickly than Normal did. I'm easily clearing through content and bosses and I feel like I'm making quick progress towards endgame. I'm also still having fun. And not only did I find I could often still play during my health issues, but I constantly want to play more. I'm easily finding this game more compelling than Elden Ring, and possibly more compelling than when Path of Exile first really got its hooks into me in Legacy League.

I also just wanted to shout out a cool thing I noticed today. While fighting in the Azok Bog, I noticed the enemies were lighting their weapons on fire to do more damage or enhance their attacks. This is doubly cool since it also adds a strategic element to the fighting. If you destroy burning structures, they can't light their weapons on fire.


What I'm Struggling With:
I'm still feeling the size of these zones the second time around. I honestly do think many of them are just too big. I don't know if you can easily fix this with your procedural generation engine, but I do think that they should be made a little smaller. I'm dreading if they get bigger than this in later acts or maps.

As the acts go on and higher tier mods drops, finding gear with really low rolls or getting low tier mods from crafting is becoming more common and persistent. This is one of the reasons I hate drops in PoE1. I feel like if I drop a level 86 item or craft on one, I shouldn't feel like I'm far more likely to get a garbage roll than a good one. If drops and crafting are going to be meaningful, I have to feel like there's a point to picking up items besides, “If I don't get anything good I can sell it for gold to buy another piece of trash or disenchant it to get 1/10 of a Regal that will give me a garbage mod.”

I'm still actively crafting, but I just scrapped another project I'd put Exalts into today. Please make these systems feel rewarding.

On another note, I still can't figure out how the King in the Mists' thorn trap works.


What's Not Working:
The game obviously still needs a lot of polish. There are little bugs everywhere that need to be hunted down. I also found another quest dialogue and timing issue if you enter the Freythorn before finding the Ritual in the Hunting Grounds. Again, I'm reporting everything I find.

Zalmarath was particularly bad this time around. At one point I ended up on his head.

Hammer of the Gods seems to have some issues too. This is another one where X-Input seems to need a lot of help.


That's all for now! Let's see how things pan out when I reach Endgame!