Feedback on Current 3.26 League, Expansion, and Core Game Issues

League Mechanic – General Impressions

The current league feels underdeveloped — as if it was developed in just a few weeks, not even a month.

• Lack of mercenaries testing – Frequent one-shots occur even with well-defended builds (max resists, suppression, fortify, evade, etc.), on league start it was even worse, I have no idea how it's passed QA. Even white maps are deadly. 4 weeks in — these problems are still unresolved.
• Low rewards – After hundreds of maps with 8 mods and risk scarabs, the only notable reward was a single divine on first week. The mechanic is not worth the time or effort — especially in HC.
• Gacha – Finding a needed mercenary feels like a gacha system. Desired attributes/types rarely appear, and there's no way to chose wanted instead of blocking unwanted ones for 10 maps. Even if you Exile not wanted ones - you'll just get more not wanted
• Mercenaries QoL with no way to resummon them is frustrating and unclear. Unsure if it’s technical or a design choice, but it severely reduces QoL. Only 3 mercs is not enough due to needed mercs spawn rate
• Overall, the mechanic create for me strong association with Metamorph or Archnemesis — but significantly worse in both rewards and complexity.

Expansion & Endgame Issues

• T16.5 Maps These were introduced as the "most juiced maps in PoE", then nerfed post-launch and called a “bug fix”. If T17 maps are still intended as main focus for juice farm, it would be better to communicate that clearly instead of nerfing with bug fix claim "T16.5 was intended to be most juiced, but not that juiced".
• Memory Threads & Eagon Spawn: Eagon itself has an estimated ~5% spawn rate according to open sources. Atlas passives give only +10% increased chance per node, unlike Synthesis/Elder/Shaper has flat +2-3% chance per node or Conqueror +100% increased chance. So, with this nodes we have 5%+2%, 7% in total. There are no scarabs, or other ways to boost thread spawns unlike Guardians. You can run 50–100 maps only to get the wrong thread — e.g. Theatre of Lies instead of Chambers of Purity. So, it makes difficult to farm memory thread to find specific bosses. Also, Atlas nodes that's reduce chance to drop specific boss fragment feels like they don't working properly
• Memory Petals:Roughly 90% of petals feel useless. Only Soul Eater and magic conversion petals are kinda good. Promised improvements haven't implemented 4 weeks in.

Core Game issues

• T17 Maps: Worst layouts, deadly map modifiers which weren't fixed for a year, strong gear requirement, farm strats only for specific drops and league mechanics, generating too much currency. Players are forced to rush T17 maps from day one which creating a gap between 24/7 farmers and the rest of the playerbase. This problem always was existed for POE but after T17 maps were added it became even worse. Also, if you do not farm only specific strat on T17 - you've just losing currency. So, you forced to farm T17 instead of your favored maps and not only that, you forced to farm only one or two specific mechanic like Risks or Ambush.
• T17 Map mods: You're not allowed to deal damage for 3 second, you have reduce action speed for every skill you cast, this god damn tentacles, ele+phys reflect, drowning orbs, volatile cores. Is someone who invented this in the game just hate his own playerbase and want players to suffer? This mods are not funny, you're need to burn currency to reroll them
• Stash tabs: Due we have tattoos in POE since ToTa, runes from Kalguur, Omens - why we haven't a separate stash tab for "Currency that affects player themself or his passive tree". Same for Allflame - why we haven't extension in a Fragment tab due to Allflames works like fragments
• Syndicate UI: Well, Syndicate UI must be reworked so players could easily check which Operative gives specific loot for their goals. Also, relation visibility should be improved because sometimes they are overlapping each other too much and it's impossible to see anything. I would be glad to provide an example but didn't screenshoted it.
• Map modifiers: Why we still have mods like 108% Less Recovery?
• Party farm: You've taken away MF for solo players because in your "vision" it's split playerbase and force players to builds setups around MF but you've buffed party farm which forcing players to play in party. It's became even worse in current league. Now, you've playing party and farming more T0 per map than some player will see for whole league OR farming scarabs for party farmers. At least, party RMT lobby and persons like Empy are happy

Overall:
Well, it's nice that we have T16.5 map, new bosses, could builds some chars around mercs.
Unfortunately, testing, balance, T17 meta, server issues with rollback, oneshotes from merc, hidden nerf for merc loot, unhidden nerf T16.5 maps, patchnote for buff party in a day before league start feels strongly bad.

The league for me is over, it was the worse league I've ever played in terms of quality, disconnection on 2 weeks straight is pissed me of.
The league wasn't that good as was expected after waiting for almost a year to see new league. I'm feeling disappointed of GGG "vision".

I would like to say thank you. Hoping that at least something will be different in 3.27 or it will be time to move on and try something else because current game approach it's not suitable to me. Chris vision was significantly better

I think the petal and button smashing system as a whole just needs to be replaced with something else. It's just bad design and annoying asf, especially if you are playing a build that explodes the screen before you even have the chance to press it.

And yea, memory tear rng should be reworked as well. Dunno how GGG always manages to take 1 step forward and 2 steps back when it comes to certain things. We already had rng pinnacle system in the past and everybody hated it.

Imo, the only good thing about the expansion itself are the new uniques. Those are really awesome. The rest could be deleted tomorrow and I'm sure most players wouldn't bat an eye.