Does no one get it? New weapon types & their respective Skills/Supports will spike the playerbase

Many players are discussing the recent decline in Path of Exile 2's playerbase over the past three months. Despite the concerns regarding the game's current state, especially considering it's still in Early Access, there seems to be a failure to recognize the potential for a significant resurgence in the game's player count.

Once the game officially releases (with major and minor bugs addressed and endgame content improved upon), there are several key factors that will drive a sharp increase in concurrent players.

For example, entire Weapon Types — such as Flails, Axes, Swords, Daggers and Spears — have yet to be introduced, along with their associated Skill and Support Gems. The addition of those elements alone will unlock new Skill Tree nodes and character builds, further enriching gameplay experience.

As someone who has been involved with Path of Exile since its launch in 2013, it's clear that the developers have consistently delivered on their vision. While early criticism is common, the game’s trajectory has always been one of gradual improvement, and PoE 2 is poised for continued growth and success.

It is that simple, folks!



Let's all be a little more positive. Shall we?
HeavyMetalGear

there's basically no difference between how an explosive shot build plays and how a molten blast build plays because of howa and herald of ice

so why should a sword/spear build be any different

Check the passive tree bro, doesn't matter - sword, axe, mace or spear the pathing you take on the tree will be to the damage nodes, the attack speed nodes etc. Theres one fucking node for each weapon it's EMBARASSING. People might come back on release day only to see that its the same fkn build but you're holding a different weapon with a different animation but the clunky as fuck feel of a warrior will still be there etc.

minus 1 for this thread.

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Sydneydonza#3078 wrote:

Check the passive tree bro, doesn't matter - sword, axe, mace or spear the pathing you take on the tree will be to the damage nodes, the attack speed nodes etc. Theres one fucking node for each weapon it's EMBARASSING. People might come back on release day only to see that its the same fkn build but you're holding a different weapon with a different animation but the clunky as fuck feel of a warrior will still be there etc.

minus 1 for this thread.

How very wrong you are, especially given the new content reveal: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3738601

Your argument is the equivalent to saying "Because [almost] all fruits start from/come from seeds, all fruits will look and will taste the same in the end!" and we all know that's not true. Your argument has no foundation to it and chalks up to nothing more than troll bait.

You oversimplify weapon choice. Different weapons have unique mechanics, skill synergies, and passive bonuses that impact playstyle. Pathing in the Skill Tree might overlap yet each weapon can significantly alter how you approach combat. It’s not just about damage nodes; it's about the distinct feel and strategy each weapon brings to the table.

Yeah, there's all these people out there who refuse to play POE2 right now because it doesn't have daggers. Makes total sense.

Why would I be positive about something that doesn't exist yet?

GGG chose to destroy their most successful game to release a very early alpha build of a game they could have kept deving privately. It's like saying I should be "positive" about ordering a steak at a restaurant and they deliver me a receipt promising me a steak in 12 months time, along with a notification that my bank account has been debited in order to pay for their chef to go on a journey of discovery in the Bahamas in the hope that he may one day learn how to cook said steak.

There really is no excuse for releasing the game without 90% of skills people want to use. PoE 1 didn't launch into Act 1 closed beta without swords and other iconic fantasy weapons that most players want to use and in fact won't play without. I know, because I played it back then. The core of the game was there. You could see where it was going and whether you liked it or not.

PoE 2 puts me in this awful position of knowing my money over the years went to ruin the game I like, to fund a game that apparently wants to be the opposite of said game while billing itself a sequel, with none of the features I need to enjoy ANY ARPG on the most basic level, and I'm supposed to be fine with that because of the promise that it MIGHT be better in the future. Or it might not. It's really impossible to say. Is it going to be a good game at some point in the future? Maybe. It could also be just as bad, because it isn't fun for me as it stands, so why should I be positive about an unlikely outcome?

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Selenti#1482 wrote:

Why would I be positive about something that doesn't exist yet?

GGG chose to destroy their most successful game to release a very early alpha build of a game they could have kept deving privately. It's like saying I should be "positive" about ordering a steak at a restaurant and they deliver me a receipt promising me a steak in 12 months time, along with a notification that my bank account has been debited in order to pay for their chef to go on a journey of discovery in the Bahamas in the hope that he may one day learn how to cook said steak.

There really is no excuse for releasing the game without 90% of skills people want to use. PoE 1 didn't launch into Act 1 closed beta without swords and other iconic fantasy weapons that most players want to use and in fact won't play without. I know, because I played it back then. The core of the game was there. You could see where it was going and whether you liked it or not.

PoE 2 puts me in this awful position of knowing my money over the years went to ruin the game I like, to fund a game that apparently wants to be the opposite of said game while billing itself a sequel, with none of the features I need to enjoy ANY ARPG on the most basic level, and I'm supposed to be fine with that because of the promise that it MIGHT be better in the future. Or it might not. It's really impossible to say. Is it going to be a good game at some point in the future? Maybe. It could also be just as bad, because it isn't fun for me as it stands, so why should I be positive about an unlikely outcome?

It's important to acknowledge a few things. The game is still in development. PoE 2 is essentially being built from the ground up (not just all a copy/paste), and while we might not have all the skills, weapons, or systems we want at this stage, the devs have shown a commitment in the past to listening to feedback and making changes that improve the experience for everyone. The team has demonstrated their ability to iterate, tweak, and expand — PoE 1 didn’t launch with everything either, and we saw how much it evolved over time. PoE 2 may very well follow that same pattern.

Secondly, while it's easy to get bogged down by the absence of certain features or skills right now, what the devs has delivered isn't the final product.

The early access is not a full representation of the game but rather a stepping stone to the larger vision they have in mind. They’re testing systems, gathering feedback, and making adjustments to ensure the game becomes the experience players want. Sure, it’s frustrating to feel like you’re not getting everything you were hoping for right out of the gate, but considering how ambitious the game is, it’s unrealistic to expect a fully polished experience so early on.

As for the analogy with the steak, you're absolutely right that it feels like a tough pill to swallow. However, you’re not being asked to just wait indefinitely; you're being invited to be part of the process. You're paying for the potential, the vision, and your investment is currently helping to shape how the game evolves.

There's always going to be a level of uncertainty no matter what game it is, especially one still in early access. That doesn't mean there's nothing to be positive for.

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voodoochile78#9787 wrote:

Yeah, there's all these people out there who refuse to play POE2 right now because it doesn't have daggers. Makes total sense.

That is not what the OP said nor does it hyperfocus on missing weapons alone. It's called an example. PoE 2 is in a general incomplete state (as should be expected in any game that is in early access) and it can also be argued the devs rushed putting 'something' out not too long after Diablo 4's release to distract players away from the competition. There's variables to why PoE 2 released the way it did and you guys aren't catching onto them.

Consider also that PoE 2 is being built from the ground up. It's not a direct copy/paste like everyone thinks or thinks it ought to be just because both PoE 1 and PoE 2 are running off the core engine. That's just not how it works.

Plot twist: The devs could very well have knowingly released an incomplete game and now they're releasing what I like to call 'pent up' huge gobs of updates for the 'surprise' factor to reel players in.

The same way grocery stores are laid out the way they are (with the help of psychologists until perfected) to customers to buy certain products up is the same reason game devs do what they do with their games from a business perspective. I'm talking about game devs who know exactly what they're doing when 'principles of psychology' come into play.

TL;DR: PoE 2 in its current state the way it is isn't in its current state because the game devs don't know wtf they're doing. They know wtf they're doing and that's why I encourage players to keep things positive. There's a lot to look forward to.

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HeavyMetalGear#2712 wrote:

it's clear that the developers have consistently delivered on their vision

Didn't the devs vision include a 6 month early access period that resulted in an epic, difficult action rpg centralized around slow methodical combat? Recently they said they likely won't have all of the characters even upon full release. I support POE2, but I feel like I'm in a different world than some of the people on these forums. I'm rooting for the game, but very pessimistic.

The changes have made me less likely to play the game, not more.

My core issue with the game is that the quality of the loot is bad and you are forced to spend hours on the trade site to progress your character in any meaningful way. I could play the game for 100 hours and not find an item as good as one that costs me 5 exalts to buy from the trade site.

For example, say you are playing a witch and you want to upgrade your scepter... well, the majority of items that drop aren't going to be scepters. That's one layer of RNG. Then, once you get a scepter it has to have a decent item level... another level of RNG. Then it has to roll the right mods (to say nothing of those mods rolling well). It's layer upon layer.

All of the items in the game work like this, and while its a staple of ARPGs, some ARPGs do this better than others... and POE2 is one of the worst I've seen. Loot is too RNG. It reminds me of vanilla Diablo 3, which people hated, but now when GGG does it, its fine apparently.

Now they are introducing even more item types to the game, which means that first layer of RNG where it determines what type of item to drop is going to be even more diluted, which means the trade site (which I hate) is going to be even more necessary if you don't want to grind for hundreds of hours and have nothing to show for it.

Thanks, but no thanks.