Dear ZIZARAN...

Dear Zizaran,

Thanks for your passion for Path of Exile, your humble attitude, and for asking the tough questions during the recent (and slightly heated) interview. While I may not agree with you on every point, I truly believe that open and thoughtful dialogue about the game is in its best interest.

As a dedicated Hardcore player, I was hoping you might consider using your platform to raise an issue that has caused me—and others—to step away from the game for extended periods. I recently returned for Dawn of the Hunt, but one thing that continues to be a major frustration in HC is the River Hag. Losing a level 55 and a 72 to them was brutal. I’m genuinely curious—have you ever been gibbed by one yourself?

I’d love to see this brought to GGG’s attention, though I understand HC balance (and River Hags specifically) might not be high on the priority list right now. Still, for HC-only enjoyers, it’s a pretty significant turn-off.

Here’s a link to a thread discussing it in more detail:
👉 https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3699262

Appreciate your time, and keep doing what you do.

In my opinion river hag is one of the most annoying mobs in the game. But since she's only really in the campaign in act 3, I don't mind that much.

Whenever I see her ability pop up on my screen I instantly look around to find and remove her from existence. She's a bit of a problem fr fr

River hag + crawler is aids. A monster that completely delegitimizes character investment with some stupid disorienting effect should be re approached concceptually

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SpaceFoxyFū#3839 wrote:

In my opinion river hag is one of the most annoying mobs in the game.

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But since she's only really in the campaign in act 3, I don't mind that much.

That’s exactly what I thought too—after my first death at level 55. I’d come back to clean up the Lava Lake boss, overleveled by 20 levels, and still got insta-gibbed.

Unfortunately, I later learned the hard way that River Hags aren’t limited to Act 3—they show up in maps too. In one case, the visibility was terrible due to the map layout, and my level 72 HCSSF character was gone in a blink—no time to even hit “time-stop.”

If I had one wish for PoE right now, it wouldn’t be slower wolves or more loot drops—it would simply be the removal of a mob that’s become the bane of the hardcore community.

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SpaceFoxyFū#3839 wrote:

In my opinion river hag is one of the most annoying mobs in the game. But since she's only really in the campaign in act 3, I don't mind that much.

Whenever I see her ability pop up on my screen I instantly look around to find and remove her from existence. She's a bit of a problem fr fr

River Hag is a unique mob that makes the players adapt and react, as soon as you see her you know you need to change your plans - THAT'S AMAZING. A unique mob that changes how the game plays. If not for the river had you could just hold one button until you win and this style of gameplay is a problem POE2 is supposed to solve.

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If not for the river hag you could just hold one button until you win

Ah yes, the classic “everything’s too easy unless this one overtuned mob deletes you from existence” take. So the solution is what—keep the River Hag as the only real challenge while we nerf everything else into loot piñatas? RNG must be broken too, right? Or maybe... just maybe... people are faceplanting because they’re playing like it’s Diablo 4 with extra steps.

Hooooooo boy I guess you haven't visited maps and experienced the joy of fighting ethereal knights and those fire mages who laser you from two screens away. River hag is child's play compared to that. They do feel stronger than map bosses.

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Ragestorm26#0930 wrote:

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If not for the river hag you could just hold one button until you win

Ah yes, the classic “everything’s too easy unless this one overtuned mob deletes you from existence” take. So the solution is what—keep the River Hag as the only real challenge while we nerf everything else into loot piñatas? RNG must be broken too, right? Or maybe... just maybe... people are faceplanting because they’re playing like it’s Diablo 4 with extra steps.

I never supported any of the sweeping nerfs they did.
The game should have telegraphed and avoidable powerful attack to keep the players on their toes.

If you can't lose you can't win either, and what you're doing isn't even a game. Zizaran asking to make hardcore easier and allow to make immortal builds sounds like a the most pointless thing ever. What's even the point of hardcore if it's not hardcore?

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Cpt_Katawa#5469 wrote:

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SpaceFoxyFū#3839 wrote:

In my opinion river hag is one of the most annoying mobs in the game. But since she's only really in the campaign in act 3, I don't mind that much.

Whenever I see her ability pop up on my screen I instantly look around to find and remove her from existence. She's a bit of a problem fr fr

River Hag is a unique mob that makes the players adapt and react, as soon as you see her you know you need to change your plans - THAT'S AMAZING. A unique mob that changes how the game plays. If not for the river had you could just hold one button until you win and this style of gameplay is a problem POE2 is supposed to solve.

I like everything about the river hag except for her blue orb that kills you way too fast. It reminds me of the purple chaos homing orbs that spawn non-stop constantly disrupting your actions. It is a nightmare for melee players

I think they can change the effect of her blue orb different rather than pretty much insta killing you (frustrating), and instead have it be thrilling to deal with. I'm sure there are many possibilities

"

Cpt_Katawa#5469 wrote:

"

Ragestorm26#0930 wrote:

"

If not for the river hag you could just hold one button until you win

Ah yes, the classic “everything’s too easy unless this one overtuned mob deletes you from existence” take. So the solution is what—keep the River Hag as the only real challenge while we nerf everything else into loot piñatas? RNG must be broken too, right? Or maybe... just maybe... people are faceplanting because they’re playing like it’s Diablo 4 with extra steps.

I never supported any of the sweeping nerfs they did.
The game should have telegraphed and avoidable powerful attacks to keep the players on their toes.

If you can't lose you can't win either, and what you're doing isn't even a game. Zizaran asking to make hardcore easier and allow to make immortal builds sounds like a the most pointless thing ever. What's even the point of hardcore if it's not hardcore?