Path of Exile 2 Dev Responds to 'Mostly Negative' Steam Reviews with Urgent Updates

Path of Exile 2 developer Grinding Gear Games (GGG) has responded to the community's backlash against the Dawn of the Hunt update by implementing further emergency changes. The update, released earlier this month, introduced the new Huntress class, five new ascension classes, over one hundred new unique items, and expanded crafting options. However, it was met with criticism due to significant nerfs that players felt slowed the game down excessively, leading to a drop in Steam user reviews to 'mostly negative.'

The community expressed frustration over the extended duration of boss fights, reduced skill damage, and overall sluggish gameplay. Players also reported issues with game stability and performance. In response, GGG has rolled out patch 0.2.0e, set to be released on April 11, with a series of changes aimed at addressing these concerns.

Monster Speed Changes

GGG has made targeted adjustments to monster behavior across different acts to reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed. Changes include the removal of interrupt events on certain monsters' attacks, modifications to the Haste Aura modifier, and adjustments to specific monster types to make encounters less relentless.

Act 1

• Werewolf Prowlers and Tendril Prowlers now enter a walking stance after melee actions.
• Hungering Stalkers have reduced life and damage to balance their high movement and attack speed.
• Reduced the number of Bloom Serpents and Venomous Crabs in certain areas.
• Cultists in Freythorn no longer have interrupt events and walk after melee actions.
• Blood Cretins' death pools have shorter durations and more accurate area effects.

Act 2

• Boulder Ants in Titan Valley have been replaced by Risen Maraketh.
• Faridun's interrupt events on attacks have been removed.

Act 3

• Diretusk Boar and Antlion Charger's charge mechanics have been adjusted.
• Monster composition in the Lost City and Azak Bog has been tweaked to reduce the number of ranged and elite monsters.
• Fixed an issue with Slitherspitter's poison spray in Venom Crypts.

GGG also identified an issue with inconsistent monster spawn density, which will be addressed in a future patch.

Boss Changes

• Viper Napuatzi's fight has been adjusted with reduced Chaos Rains and improved visual clarity.
• Uxmal's fight mechanics have been modified to make it less frustrating, including fewer location changes and reduced use of Flame Breath.
• Xyclucian's arena has been cleared of ground foliage to improve visibility of his effects.

Player Minion Changes

• Minion revive timers now increase less dramatically with each successive minion death.
• Disenchanting Bind Spectre or Tame Beast gems now unbinds them.
• Tamed beasts can now navigate through smaller gaps.

Other Player Balance

• Rally support can now be used with any melee attack.
• Glory is no longer consumed if the player is interrupted while using the skill.
• Fixed a bug related to the Ritualist ascendancy's Blood Boils.

Crafting Changes

• All mods have been added to runes for caster weapons.
• Renly's abandoned shop now offers a Blank rune that can be forged into any elemental rune.

Performance Improvements

• Optimized ground foliage in many areas to enhance performance.

The patch 0.2.0e will be deployed at around 10AM NZT, with further changes planned post-weekend. These include updates to charm slots on belts, enhancements to charm effects, the introduction of Stash Tab Affinities for various item categories, and the addition of Atlas Bookmarks for easier navigation.

The question remains whether these changes will be sufficient to restore player satisfaction and improve the game's reception. Despite the initial success of Path of Exile 2, which saw a surge in player numbers at launch, the community's feedback has been crucial in shaping the game's ongoing development, including its impact on Path of Exile 1.