🧩 [Suggestion] Passive Tree Pre-Allocation & Auto-Spend System — Plan once, play smoother

Thanks again to everyone who has shared their thoughts so far. After reading the replies and reflecting on how different players experience progression, I’ve refined a few parts of my original idea to better match the feedback and perspectives shared here.

1. Unlock condition refinement
In the original post I mentioned optional toggles and planning mode. Now I believe it would make more sense for this feature to unlock only after completing the campaign or reaching maps, and only for new accounts once they’ve reached that point for the first time, similar to how the Scion class becomes available. This way, completely new players can still learn the passive tree manually, while the feature becomes a convenience tool later for those who already understand how it works.

2. Player mindset and playstyle awareness
The original focus was on saving menu time, but I now realise that for many players, the fun is in the interaction itself, clicking each node, deciding on the fly, and feeling that sense of direct growth. My goal is for this option to be toggled off by default so players who enjoy manual allocation can keep doing it, while those who prefer to plan ahead can enable it to match the preparation they have done before starting.

3. Fluidity over repetition
The feature isn’t about removing decisions or skipping gameplay, but about giving more fluidity when you already know exactly what you want. It helps maintain the gameplay flow between fights and story progression without turning the experience into automation.

I really appreciate how everyone’s feedback helped me view this idea from multiple perspectives. It’s been great reading calm and constructive answers that make the discussion both interesting and respectful.

Maybe this idea could also be tested in a future league before being fully added to the core game, so players could experience how it feels over a short period and help fine-tune any adjustments it might need.

A small update after taking in all the feedback from both here and Reddit.
I wanted to keep this short and focused on the points that came up the most often.

1. Unlock condition refinement
After reading more feedback, it became clear that the timing of the unlock matters a lot.
Letting this feature become available only after the campaign is completed on a new account (similar to how Scion unlocks) feels like the safest approach.
This way new players still learn the tree normally during their first playthrough and nothing interferes with their experience.
Once they’ve gone through the campaign and already understand how the passive tree works, the feature becomes more of a reward or convenience for future characters.

2. Player-mindset differences
Some concerns brought up the idea of the “dopamine hit” you get when clicking each point, and I completely get that.
For many players, allocating points one by one is part of the fun and adds to the sense of progression.
There are also players like me who don’t get that feeling from the click itself but from seeing the build in action clearing maps smoothly and watching the plan come together.
That’s why the feature would stay fully optional and off by default.
Nothing changes for players who enjoy allocating manually, while players who prefer a smoother flow can turn it on if they want.

3. Not removing engagement, just improving flow
A few people worried that this would remove too much interaction from leveling, but the intention isn’t to erase decisions or automate the planning part.
A lot of players already plan their whole build before even logging in, using PoB, planners, guides and researching interactions.
That preparation is already engagement, and for those players the moment of clicking the node isn’t where the enjoyment comes from.
The choice of what to pick would still stay entirely manual.
This only automates the exact moment the point is applied, rewarding players who like to pre-plan without changing anything for players who prefer to allocate by hand.

4. League testing idea
I also mentioned that this could be tried first in a temporary league.
A league environment would be a good way to see how the feature actually feels during play and whether it needs adjustments.
It would let players experiment with it in a contained setting and give GGG a clearer view of how well it fits into normal gameplay.

Thanks again to everyone who shared constructive thoughts.
Different playstyles lead to different opinions, and that helped refine the idea far more than the original version.

another point to consider when talking about the "flow"


If you have a completely fluid "flow" from beginning to complete build when it comes to character and skill development, you have no game left. Like...literally no game. You jump in a river and simply let the current take you to the end.


I also think you overestimate the number (percentage-wise) of players that PRE-plan their build and passive tree. Only the most experienced (and not even ALL of them) players do this, and that's just because they've done it hundreds of times.

Do we really want to ADVERTISE with an in-game system that pre-planning should be more the norm? That greatly changes what the game is on a fundamental level.


Those who would benefit from this kind of system, are also the ones that don't even need it because they do their passives nigh-instantly anyway.



*In my case, I have 18000 hours in this game, I have played for 13 years. I have made hundreds, if not thousands of characters. And I STILL don't preplan anything. Nor would I want to do that in-game. I go in with an idea of what skill I want, but that's it. I adjust my tree based on what I drop or what mood potentially changes what I want to do. I find PoB pre-planning to be a waste of my time and a huge hindrance on my actual "fun" with the game. I'll use PoB LATER to min/max.

I also pretty darn regularly adjust my tree nodes to suit where I currently am in the game. Higher damage from acts 1-4 (even eventually inefficient damage) with +30 stat nodes, respeccing a bit when I get to Act 5/6 to get a bit of additional tank (depending on the build). Then I'll adjust again around 60-65 when I start to get the gear links and skills set up for my eventual build. And then I'll continue adjusting throughout the mapping process as I get upgrades that make some of my current passive points redundant.