General feelings after a break since launch

I know I'll get berated for this immediately, but thought I'd share my feelings after coming back to PoE 2 after playing a bunch at launch.

The game is just.....boring. That's about all I can say about it.

Context: I come from PoE 1, 15k hours or so , every league since the beta. THAT is what I "grew up" with in the PoE community/world. I went back to PoE 1 after disliking the release of PoE 2. I gave it some time, worked my way through the game on multiple characters. But it just didn't have the same feel as PoE 1 and there were SO MANY issues that I couldn't see myself continuing long term. So I stopped

Fast forward to now, with many large patches done to the game and it fundamentally feels exactly the same to me: slow, dry, and SEVERELY dumbed down. At least when compared to PoE 1. And before folks comment that "its new, let them cook"....its NOT new: PoE 1 has existed since 2011/2012. You cannot ignore all that history just because this is a new "installment". Sequels are meant to GROW on their predecessor, its not some brand spanking new product from a new company with absolutely nothing behind it.

I'm not regularly a speed demon in PoE 1: I absolutely hate the HH-style of play. But I DO like the option of doing that if I choose to, and pretty darn early in the game too. I also like the fact that every small misstep or misclick isn't punished by instant death and total respawn of every monster. But that is PoE2: you simply CANNOT make an error.

That seems to be their design philosophy on everything from tree building, to gearing, to skill usage and planning, to bossing and even just regular play. This is TIRESOME to play this way from beginning to end, and if I'm constantly feeling overworked like that, I get bored very fast. Add in the fact that deaths respawn every monster means that its like an area fully resets and nothing you did mattered. Don't get me wrong, this is GREAT for mapping (I think 1 portal is a fantastic idea) but for all the rest of the game? It's just tedium.



I understand that they want PoE 2 to be a fundamentally different game from PoE 1 but....does it REALLY need to be? It's pretty standard for sequel games to be similar or even identical to their predecessors, but with updated graphics, additional content, QoL, new story/skills/characters, etc. Look at the Diablo 1 and 2, Torchlight 1, 2, and I think 3 (or was this the crappy one), all the Pokemon games, popular mods on all of these, etc. People are here playing the game 10 years later because they LIKE most things about the game.

When you take a game that has been exceedingly popular and quoted across a DECADE, and butcher nearly everything that makes it what it is for the next installment....that just seems like bad business to me.

PoE 2, as it is designed now, is not for me. It basically took everything that I disliked about PoE 1 throughout the years, and turned THAT into a game. And its a shame because it could have been absolutely great.

"

cowmoo275#3095 が発言:

I understand that they want PoE 2 to be a fundamentally different game from PoE 1 but....does it REALLY need to be?

Obviously it doesn't need to be but they want it to be and they are the ones who are making the game. I have 0k hours into POE1 but I can tell you POE2 is for me so I hope they keep doing what they're doing.

I'm not trying to be combative here, but... how is your account private after having played 15k hours of POE? Everything you said here is so vague and totally non-actionable, and it doesn't line up with my experience at all.

"

cowmoo275#3095 が発言:

SEVERELY dumbed down. At least when compared to PoE 1.

How so? When I played poe1, I just felt it was very bloated with a lot of useless stuff that either I didn't care about or didn't make any difference. If cutting that makes it severely dumbed down, I guess that's true.

As for the rest of what was said, I personally disagree with almost everything and can only hope poe2 doesn't turn into poe1.

Totally get people feeling the opposite of me, that's fine. This was my own feedback based on my own experience.

I personally see no need to offer actionable commentary beyond what I already wrote. All that will accomplish here is people nitpicking any little thing I say. Which again, not a problem, but not what I'm interested in doing.

As for "how can I have a private account", a rather strange comment to make, I have NEVER posted on a forum with the same account that I play games with. It's a security and safety thing. That's all. I prove my experience through my words, not people peeking behind the curtain at uncontextualized "achievements" or purchases. Frankly, I'm glad I choose to interact this way given the history of website hacks that GGG has had through the years. Especially in the early years, which I have experience with.

"

cowmoo275#3095 が発言:

Totally get people feeling the opposite of me, that's fine. This was my own feedback based on my own experience.

I personally see no need to offer actionable commentary beyond what I already wrote. All that will accomplish here is people nitpicking any little thing I say. Which again, not a problem, but not what I'm interested in doing.

As for "how can I have a private account", a rather strange comment to make, I have NEVER posted on a forum with the same account that I play games with. It's a security and safety thing. That's all. I prove my experience through my words, not people peeking behind the curtain at uncontextualized "achievements" or purchases. Frankly, I'm glad I choose to interact this way given the history of website hacks that GGG has had through the years. Especially in the early years, which I have experience with.

This is a feedback forum for a game in early development lol. Actionable feedback is what this page exists for. You're just complaining.

You don't see how "your words speak to your experience with the game" isn't lining up with your inability to make more precise criticisms?

"

YNRY#3842 が発言:

This is a feedback forum for a game in early development lol. Actionable feedback is what this page exists for. You're just complaining.

says who? I certainly don't see that written anywhere.

ALL feedback is valuable feedback, actionable or no, as long as it has some form of substance behind it. I am not a game developer, I am not a game designer, I have never created a game. Why should MY completely random, devoid of actual programming experience, "actionable" suggestions hold any weight with them? But my post is a heck of a lot more "actionable" than something like "This game sucks", to anyone that knows anything about PoE 1 and PoE 2.

Much more valuable, at least coming from me, is general feedback of how the game "feels" to play. It isn't my job as a totally random player to tell them how they should "fix" it on a feedback forum.

Much like how star ratings or thumbs up/down or other systems of feedback exist far more broadly and often than random internet idiots offering their ridiculous "ideas". Those systems do not exist here, and simply posting a Thumbs Down picture offers absolutely nothing.

I said what I said because that is how I feel. There is plenty of actionable material in my original post for game developers to work with, should they choose to, and should my feelings be shared across a sizeable portion of players.


*Oh and btw, a "complaint" is perfectly valid feedback. In fact, all negative feedback can be considered a "complaint". Do you think we should only be posting positive things?



As for my statement contradicting my "experience": that was in response to something completely off-topic about my private profile. When I DO get into the nitty gritty, that content is what would demonstrate my experience. That doesn't mean every post needs that level of detail or deserves/warrants it.

"

cowmoo275#3095 が発言:

says who? I certainly don't see that written anywhere.

ALL feedback is valuable feedback, actionable or no, as long as it has some form of substance behind it. I am not a game developer, I am not a game designer, I have never created a game. Why should MY completely random, devoid of actual programming experience, "actionable" suggestions hold any weight with them? But my post is a heck of a lot more "actionable" than something like "This game sucks", to anyone that knows anything about PoE 1 and PoE 2.

Much more valuable, at least coming from me, is general feedback of how the game "feels" to play. It isn't my job as a totally random player to tell them how they should "fix" it on a feedback forum.

Much like how star ratings or thumbs up/down or other systems of feedback exist far more broadly and often than random internet idiots offering their ridiculous "ideas". Those systems do not exist here, and simply posting a Thumbs Down picture offers absolutely nothing.

I said what I said because that is how I feel. There is plenty of actionable material in my original post for game developers to work with, should they choose to, and should my feelings be shared across a sizeable portion of players.


*Oh and btw, a "complaint" is perfectly valid feedback. In fact, all negative feedback can be considered a "complaint". Do you think we should only be posting positive things?



As for my statement contradicting my "experience": that was in response to something completely off-topic about my private profile. When I DO get into the nitty gritty, that content is what would demonstrate my experience. That doesn't mean every post needs that level of detail or deserves/warrants it.

Deep breaths buddy.

You need to try to understand why something feels bad and put it into words. That's the difference between complaining and trying to help.

I questioned your experience because you've hidden any proof of that experience and you said a few things that make me believe you haven't even made it to mapping yet.

"

YNRY#3842 が発言:

Deep breaths buddy.

You need to try to understand why something feels bad and put it into words. That's the difference between complaining and trying to help.

I questioned your experience because you've hidden any proof of that experience and you said a few things that make me believe you haven't even made it to mapping yet.

Someone who plays the game and spent a decent amount of time in both games can read what I wrote and know exactly why I said what I said. They might disagree, but the meaning and understanding is there.

In the OP I explained WHY it feels bad, you just either missed it or purposely ignored it to attack my private profile first and foremost.

I also wrote in my OP that while some of my complaints go away in the endgame, they persist through the storyline, which we will inevitably be playing hundreds or thousands of times. Another thing you didn't read.

I posted plenty when PoE 2 first launched, and contributed to many incredibly specific threads. I see no reason to rehash everything that I already said other than the statement I wrote "It hasn't changed".

You opened with your "not trying to be combative" post and have been nothing but combative for no real reason lol.

And please quit the unearned arrogance in each post:
"Deep breaths buddy"
"I'm not trying to be combative here..."
"You're just complaining"

You want to ask me why, then ask "why"...don't just contribute nothing but condescension and attempt "gotcha" moments. Three posts on full attack and you still haven't done even that. At this point I'm unlikely to answer though because I've gotten a good read on how you are going to twist anything I say moving forward.

"

iHiems#0168 が発言:

How so? When I played poe1, I just felt it was very bloated with a lot of useless stuff that either I didn't care about or didn't make any difference. If cutting that makes it severely dumbed down, I guess that's true.

The skill system is like a beta version of the skill system we have in PoE 1. Less customization, less options, a UI designed to shoe-horn less-than-experienced players into ONE playstyle, etc. The itemization with less mods and less actual uniqueness from build to build. The UNIQUES, oh my god...The gameplay (which ofc will change) which is much more monotonous and tedious than PoE 1 since most things are significantly slower. The crafting is non-existent. The skill tree which offers far less customization than anything found in PoE 1. There are more but those are just a few examples of how PoE 2 feels "dumbed down" from its predecessor.

Yes, there is a lot of bloat in PoE 1. But the bloat is not really in its SYSTEMS, its in the content. Every system in PoE 1 works together to form a really cohesive whole. Where one system falls short, another system picks up the slack and/or fills the void. It encourages much wider engagement. Bloat, in my opinion, comes from the 20+ leagues that are shoved into the endgame. But to be honest, the "bloat" itself is somewhat minimal. I find myself engaging with different mechanics with every new character I create, and I very much ENJOY having that ability. Ghosts on the other hand....should have been gone years ago. Current Betrayal? No thanks. Shrines? unnecessary.

Those who maybe didn't play through every one of them at their respective league might see it all as needless bloat that greatly complicates the endgame, but I know what each and every mechanic entails, what my build(s) excel at, and my likes or dislikes of each one. Not having anything to do is a far greater crime than having TOO MUCH to do.