Five Weeks into 0.2.0, POE2 is Down 93.2% Players All Time & 83.9% from Patch Launch

300h and all content done in 0.1 and about 50 in 0.2 here. Gotta agree with op on pretty much everything. For me, personally, game is really bad. 0.1 had problems but 0.2 is unplayable (for me).

You feel weak all the time. Everything is underpowered both offensively and defensively. Nothing is ever dropping. Everything must be bought in trade. Everything comes down to the frustrating loop of repeating maps hoping to drop currency - and nothing else matters because actual items never drop - which isn't really dropping either. It's miserable.

The direction the game is going really sucks. The "Vision" sucks. I jump in every now and then and every time it sucks.

"

ShaDarkLord#6528 が発言:

Ah, the classic “it’s all just your opinion” deflection — always a favorite when there’s nothing left to say. You skim through every point and act like I just woke up one day and started preaching “the gospel.”

So tell me — why do you keep coming back to this game? Is it because you actually enjoy it? Or are you just another masochist who keeps crawling back to their ex?

Xenonauts and sims like DCS, ARPGs like D2R, Martyr, and modded T2.

Now I get why POE 2 feels like a top-tier game to you — you haven’t seen what modern games actually look like. You’re stuck in 2002.
Come on, it’s 2025. The industry moved on. There are fresh, polished, thoughtfully designed games everywhere. Maybe open your eyes and stop clinging to aging trash.

You said you want more speed and less HP on mobs.

I never said that. Please go back and re-read what I actually wrote. It was a breakdown of POE 2’s identity crisis.
The core issue is this: POE 2 doesn’t know what it wants to be. Jonathan wants to make a “soulslike,” but his team only knows how to build zoom-zoom gameplay.
They grabbed POE 1’s engine and systems and are now awkwardly trying to Frankenstein it into a tactical experience. That’s dead by design.

I don’t even like one-button builds or pure zoom-zoom mechanics. I like challenge — real challenge.
But POE 2 doesn’t offer that either. It’s just speed-clearing waves of braindead mobs running at you in straight lines.
Play any soulslike for an hour and you’ll immediately see how far off POE 2 is from actual tactical gameplay.

That’s why I said: either rebuild the game from scratch and align the mechanics with the “vision,” or just stop pretending and make a proper remaster.
Enough with the identity crisis.

“Rest is opinion, opinion, opinion, stated as fact.”

You sound like an angry little kid stomping your foot.
Now compare the quality of your posts to mine — just read them again. I lay out arguments, structure, and context. You whine and deflect. Grow up already.

There’s 30k players left — 20k of them are probably Chinese bots.
You can keep praying to GGG and making excuses like “it’s just early access,” but maybe — just maybe — it’s time to open your eyes, my boy.

[Removed by Support]

Yes I enjoy the game.

I told you what I play right now. There is hardly any mainstream game I haven't tried, like wtf. This attempt at superiority by games played and somehow teaching me about gaming market is just soo cringe, makes my skin crawl. Aging trash like DCS omg, Xenonauts 2 is actually still in early access, and both it and X1 has actually better mechanics that the xcom remake esque tb tacticals. This aging trash idea when it comes to games is just absurd btw, like newer = better, funny stuff.

I played every single soulslike by FS, Demon Souls included, and few clones. You think this is some badge of honor, these are mainstream games, kids play them. Jonathan doesn't want to make a soulslike, he wants to merge a bit of soulslike with big arpg mobs and rpg depth, which is a great endavour for me, though obviously hard to do right and will take time. I'd actually like it to become more skill based, but it's not what they're going for, Achilles or No Rest for the Wicked are more like that, your strict comparison to actual soulslike is just you not getting it, a pattern tbh.

Am I another masochist coming back to their ex? By your own words, you play more than me, so not sure tbh. Why I enjoy it, I like an arpg where you have to actually avoid stuff, doesn't have to be Bloodborne level of mechanical skill involved. Plus it's beautiful and feels great to play, I'm sorry in advance if that statement is hurtful and triggering for you.

Stomping my feet like a kid, ok let's see. You said, it’s not tactical, it’s not thoughtful, that's an opinion for which your only argument was that mobs run straight, also I can cheese a soulsike to the point it becomes just as stupid as clicker build. That it’s just POE 1’s worst habits, duct-taped together, with nerfed numbers and janky mechanics, opinion. That the game had barely any content to begin with, opinion and a ridiculous one at that, early access that people play for hundreds of hours. So opinion, opinion, opinion. And no, I'm not angry, the only emotion you get out of me is extreme cringe and some dry laughs.

That must be the arguments, structure, and context you mentioned. You break down nothing, you just rant and throw statements around, clearly bc you feel like you have a majority behind you, that always makes the little ones play tough. This is you on why it's not tactical -

"it’s just speed-clearing waves of braindead mobs running at you in straight lines."

- great analysis, surely worth of a proper breakdown.

[Removed by Support]

"

Henide#3803 が発言:

Oh and the whole "craft only once you have budget" meaning you have played 200 hours. Thats fucking lame. Last Epoch crafting starts 30 minutes into the game AND NEVER STOPS.

Agreed!

The crafting is worthless at midgame, barebones at late/endgame and completly irrelant at the start and throughout the campaing.

"

enslavedemperor#5410 が発言:

But you are doing the same thing, I don't know if you are doing it intentionally just to troll, or actually don't realize it.

He is right though, you do frame your opinions as facts, why would you deny it?

And I don't see your point in comparing Path of Exile 1 to Path of Exile 2, you said you didn't play it. You base all your arguments to "watched" gameplay? Seems a bit weird, at least to me.

PoE2 is not pure souls like, comparing it to Sekiro is pointless, it will lead to nothing. Sure, there is room to very specifics things, but is not really a comparison because the fundamentals are different.

He said he enjoys PoE2 and you doubt it, or worse: you make it look bad for doing so, like some kind of crime for enjoying a thing. Why are you here, may I know?

Now, to adhere to your way of speaking: do you feel good from your tight circle that you are living in, to lash on others?

He didn't frame much things as fact, he actually used keywords "my opinion", "I like", "it feels" quite a lot.
The "frame" you are talking about is by definition your own perception. Starting this very sentence with "he is right", was kinda ironic.

Comparing PoE2 to different games isn't pointless in his context, as it wasn't directly game to game. Games mechanics are often designed with inspiration from other games (you like facts, this is one).
That's what he did : some mechanics aren't bad intrinsically, but they can be bad when implemented in different genres. That's what he wrote and is completely valid.
It's even more sad that you quote Sekiro, as it was litteraly brought up by him as giving context regarding his gaming habits. Did you really read or you just scanned through ?

The other guy said he enjoys PoE2, that would have been fine. That's not where the issue is. He is full of hyperboles, borderline insults, and quite often just wrong.
Sentences like "I'm sorry the maps are not empty flat squares to zoom through and leave asap, which might be your preference." are laughable if that's supposed to be an argument (that may not be obvious to you : that's the hyperbole category).
Reminder that their whole convo started with : "not some gospel to be followed just because it happens to echo your sentiments".
That's basically whiteknighting. You like the game as is ? Perfect, good for you, then go play, it doesn't need your defense on a forum.

As you seem to like facts :
"Ah yes, it's me the outlier vs the "community", ofc impersonated by you and your bs opinions."
The fact is, that majority didn't like 0.2. He can like it, good for him. But he IS the outlier and the other is more in line with players behaviour.

Finally when I read :
"I also like 1 and play it a lot even now"
and I see 2 challenges in settlers, that lasted so many months, I'll reserve the right to press X to doubt the purposes and sincerity of this guy.

It does sadly suck , but it gets even worse than this.

This post highlights problems with direction - but sadly the game is also plagued by technical difficulties.

I play a Chaos lich in this second season of poe 2, I would like to keep playing- however GGG wont let me because the servers spit me out whenever Contagion/ED/totem hit too many targets at once on a delirium map with some increased pack size, it happens absolutely non stop, losing the map entirely and atlas node.

This has eviscerated my will to keep playing , thanks.

"

rob_korn#1745 が発言:

"

enslavedemperor#5410 が発言:

But you are doing the same thing, I don't know if you are doing it intentionally just to troll, or actually don't realize it.

He is right though, you do frame your opinions as facts, why would you deny it?

And I don't see your point in comparing Path of Exile 1 to Path of Exile 2, you said you didn't play it. You base all your arguments to "watched" gameplay? Seems a bit weird, at least to me.

PoE2 is not pure souls like, comparing it to Sekiro is pointless, it will lead to nothing. Sure, there is room to very specifics things, but is not really a comparison because the fundamentals are different.

He said he enjoys PoE2 and you doubt it, or worse: you make it look bad for doing so, like some kind of crime for enjoying a thing. Why are you here, may I know?

Now, to adhere to your way of speaking: do you feel good from your tight circle that you are living in, to lash on others?

He didn't frame much things as fact, he actually used keywords "my opinion", "I like", "it feels" quite a lot.
The "frame" you are talking about is by definition your own perception. Starting this very sentence with "he is right", was kinda ironic.

Comparing PoE2 to different games isn't pointless in his context, as it wasn't directly game to game. Games mechanics are often designed with inspiration from other games (you like facts, this is one).
That's what he did : some mechanics aren't bad intrinsically, but they can be bad when implemented in different genres. That's what he wrote and is completely valid.
It's even more sad that you quote Sekiro, as it was litteraly brought up by him as giving context regarding his gaming habits. Did you really read or you just scanned through ?

The other guy said he enjoys PoE2, that would have been fine. That's not where the issue is. He is full of hyperboles, borderline insults, and quite often just wrong.
Sentences like "I'm sorry the maps are not empty flat squares to zoom through and leave asap, which might be your preference." are laughable if that's supposed to be an argument (that may not be obvious to you : that's the hyperbole category).
Reminder that their whole convo started with : "not some gospel to be followed just because it happens to echo your sentiments".
That's basically whiteknighting. You like the game as is ? Perfect, good for you, then go play, it doesn't need your defense on a forum.

As you seem to like facts :
"Ah yes, it's me the outlier vs the "community", ofc impersonated by you and your bs opinions."
The fact is, that majority didn't like 0.2. He can like it, good for him. But he IS the outlier and the other is more in line with players behaviour.

Finally when I read :
"I also like 1 and play it a lot even now"
and I see 2 challenges in settlers, that lasted so many months, I'll reserve the right to press X to doubt the purposes and sincerity of this guy.

Perfect analysis! Kudos

Also completely wrong and weird.

Assuming the other guy wants empty flat squares to zoom through is intended as a hyperbole yes, I use in debate to highlight a point. [Removed by Support] Anyway, the flat squares thing comes from constant whining of PoE 1 players about 2's speed, size of the maps and amount of terrain on them. The question then is, what do you want, small maps with no terrain to zoom freely like some maps from 1. That was a result of technical limitations, but now is some kind of reference? I say make the maps bigger, what now.

Anyway, the guy turned out not to be a 1 player, I was wrong with that assumption, and I thought I might be tbh - I said it might be his preference...

Then I was answering the guy who reacted to the guy in question's post with "how doesn't Jonathan listen to post like this", and said that it's not gospel. It's whiteknighting apparently? the original poster claimed that the game is trying to seem bigger by artificially stretching, is that fact? Where's proof then.

More than half he listed as negatives I see as positives. I like the slow speed and big zones, I don't get into the zone to just want to leave it asap, and the slow speed is more immersive than disco dashing through map. That enemies have bloated hp vs last patch might be a fact, but that this is part of artificialy stretching the game, or that it is a negative, is an opinion. It's actually ridiculous that I have to explain it to adult, literary men and am called a white knight in the process.

And yes I play a lot of 1 even now. It's so empty that it's a great time for hc ruthless ssf, so one can imagine not getting a lot of challenges done. Not my only account btw, but hey another profile detective.

[Removed by Support]

"

Rabarbar_Lichy#7553 が発言:

[...]

No point for me trying to dive in a non-discussion, your method has been pretty clear.
In the end, it's rather easy to understand my point, I'll highlight one more time for you, get it or don't, no point trying for more :

"

You like the game as is ? Perfect, good for you, then go play, it doesn't need your defense on a forum.

Good luck, have fun.

Ofc you will not get into it, you have no leg to stand on.

Same can be said to you and the other guy, you don't like it leave. And yes I am going to play it today, and will defend here or there from opinions stated as facts.

"

Rabarbar_Lichy#7553 が発言:

Ofc you will not get into it, you have no leg to stand on.

Same can be said to you and the other guy, you don't like it leave. And yes I am going to play it today, and will defend here or there from opinions stated as facts.

Oh I have legs to stand on. The issue is that you say stuff like this :

"

"Ah yes, it's me the outlier vs the "community", ofc impersonated by you and your bs opinions."

And then :

"

it's a great time for hc ruthless ssf

without flinching. You ARE the outlier, and proved it again. There is no arguing with you, because you don't make much sense alone already.

Any attempt at discussing is turned into an hyperbole, a stretch or reduced to a big generalization :

"

a reasonable dude /s が発言:

Also completely wrong and weird. (superlative)
constant whining of PoE 1 players about 2's speed (superlative)
disco dashing through map. (10% more movespeed isn't disco dashing)
explain it to adult, literary men (see below)
arrogance, condescension (see above)
guy agreeing with the other one (Never said I agree anywhere, only said valid opinion)
constant appeals to gaming authority (superlative)
what now. (my favourite, words of an open mind)

"

Not my only account btw

Convenient. How about you reply with your other account then ?