To Grinding Gear Games team: A Sincere Suggestion from a Loyal POE Player

Dear Grinding Gear Games team,

I’m a dedicated player from Taiwan who has walked with POE since the early days of POE1. I’m writing this letter not because I want to leave quietly, but because I still deeply care about this game.

In POE2 testing, I chose the Lightning Longblade class and was thrilled to experience such smooth combat flow, exciting visual effects, and satisfying loot progression. It brought me back to the very core reason I fell in love with this world.

But with that excitement came fear:

Fear that future patches might “balance” the fun out of it.

Fear that my well-constructed build might become unplayable.

Fear that my motivation to support cosmetics would die with the build.

💡 My Honest Suggestion: A Two-Track Strategy
I understand some players love hardcore challenge. That’s okay—you can let POE1 and POE2 serve different audiences:

POE1: Keep the dark, Souls-like challenge path for players who love theorycrafting and overcoming obstacles.

POE2: Focus on smooth combat, rewarding loot, and fast-paced gameplay—like Diablo III or Dynasty Warriors.

Let both thrive. Don’t force one type of experience to dominate both games.

⚖️ Please Don’t Turn Passion Into Disappointment
Please protect the integrity of the players’ investments—of time, money, and heart.
Massive nerfs that destroy entire archetypes only serve to burn bridges.

You’ve created something amazing in POE2. Please don’t smother it in the name of “balance.”

❤️ I Still Believe in This Game
If I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t be here writing this.

I’m still hopeful…
But I need to know that the joy I found in POE2 won’t be stolen away like it was in POE1.

Let’s make this game something we can keep loving for years to come.

— Sincerely, player
(A player who just wants to enjoy the game, support it, and share the joy with others.)

I fully disagree. Massive nerfs (or buffs), when warranted, should be implemented ASAP. GGG has been far too hands-off in their approach to this issue.

ALL balance tuning should be league-agnostic.

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LeFlesh#9979 が発言:

I fully disagree. Massive nerfs (or buffs), when warranted, should be implemented ASAP. GGG has been far too hands-off in their approach to this issue.

ALL balance tuning should be league-agnostic.

I respect your perspective, and I agree that balance is important. However, for many of us who love the thrill of loot hunting and creative builds, excessive nerfs can feel punishing.
POE2 has the opportunity to diversify experiences—some prefer the challenge, others the freedom and fun. Why not both?
Let POE1 focus on hardcore balance, and POE2 embrace the joy of building and looting. That way, GGG can satisfy a broader audience.

"

LeFlesh#9979 が発言:

I fully disagree. Massive nerfs (or buffs), when warranted, should be implemented ASAP. GGG has been far too hands-off in their approach to this issue.

ALL balance tuning should be league-agnostic.

I don't think their stance was that there should be no nerfs at all. We can all agree that balance adjustments should be made when warranted.

They were more so referring to massive nerfs that result in almost all builds of a certain class becoming obsolete. An example would be the needlessly severe nerf to minions recently.

The original poster is right, these types of things do burn bridges. I had two friends become completely demotivated to play once their entire build was nerfed to the point where it was unplayable and they basically had to start from the ground up. One of them was playing minions. They stopped playing as soon as they got on and realized they invested heavily into something that was taken away from one day to the next.

Thankfully I've been playing warrior from the start and I haven't experienced this personally.

No

POE 1 keep the speed, you want faster speed go play POE 1.

POE 2 speed is only about 10% to slow which should be fixed in the next update.


With the combat styles increasing the speeds will make the game stupid and just a light show, you cant even see your character.


Paying 60 usd for an outfit you cant see awesome.

"

LargeHairyMan#4219 が発言:

"

LeFlesh#9979 が発言:

I fully disagree. Massive nerfs (or buffs), when warranted, should be implemented ASAP. GGG has been far too hands-off in their approach to this issue.

ALL balance tuning should be league-agnostic.

I don't think their stance was that there should be no nerfs at all. We can all agree that balance adjustments should be made when warranted.

They were more so referring to massive nerfs that result in almost all builds of a certain class becoming obsolete. An example would be the needlessly severe nerf to minions recently.

The original poster is right, these types of things do burn bridges. I had two friends become completely demotivated to play once their entire build was nerfed to the point where it was unplayable and they basically had to start from the ground up. One of them was playing minions. They stopped playing as soon as they got on and realized they invested heavily into something that was taken away from one day to the next.

Thankfully I've been playing warrior from the start and I haven't experienced this personally.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts — I completely relate.

My friends and I had the same experience. I recently returned to try POE2 and invited them to join me. Sadly, due to excessive nerfs, their builds were no longer viable, and there was no clear path for adjustment. The idea of rebuilding from scratch killed their motivation, and they eventually quit the game again.

Personally, I’ve been lucky — the javelin archetype in this league happens to match my favorite playstyle. But not everyone enjoys the same builds. After the last round of nerfs, viable playstyles became more limited, with few new alternatives introduced. So I’ve been playing POE2 with both excitement and the quiet fear that a future patch might force me to quit again.

I truly love games. Let me share an example — although it’s a different genre, MapleStory is a game that went from being extremely difficult to becoming more accessible. Over time, they introduced new classes, new systems, and constant updates to stories and items. It’s still alive today because it evolves with its players.

POE1 is also a great game. But to me, it felt like an endless reincarnation loop — every league, every restart, every forced change. It wasn't the right fit for me, so I moved on. Now with POE2, I returned hoping to relive that initial thrill from POE1’s early days. But deep down, I hope it won’t follow the same path of repeated difficulty escalation that erases player investment with each update.

Maybe I’m not the most profitable player for the game — but I have supported POE1 by buying stash tabs, effects, pets, and cosmetics. And I genuinely believe POE2 has something amazing. The visual design, the gameplay feel, the combat — they’re all fantastic. I just don’t want to be forced to leave this game too.

Many people say POE2 feels like an extension of POE1 rather than a true sequel. So here's a humble suggestion: why not draw a clear line between the two? Let POE1 continue to focus on high difficulty, hardcore character growth, and challenge-based design. Meanwhile, let POE2 embrace the joy of combat, looting, and smooth gameplay — a different flavor for a different kind of player.

After all, Diablo 3 was heavily criticized at first for not being like Diablo 2, but it eventually became a beloved game in its own right. POE2 could follow a similar path — not by copying POE1, but by becoming its own identity.

These are just my personal thoughts, shared with full respect. I have no intention of starting an argument — only to offer a different perspective for the Grinding Gear Games team to consider. Whatever path POE2 ultimately takes, I’ll continue to support and appreciate the heart behind it.

Because great games are meant to be enjoyed, together.