What was once one of the most anticipated ARPG sequels in recent memory is now facing a serious community crisis. Path of Exile 2, currently in its public beta testing phase, has been hit with a wave of backlash on Steam, causing its user review score to plummet to ‘Mostly Negative’. In response, developer Grinding Gear Games (GGG) has announced a fresh batch of emergency changes aimed at salvaging community trust and smoothing out gameplay frustrations.
📉 The Backlash: What Went Wrong?
In recent weeks, a flood of negative reviews has overtaken Path of Exile 2’s Steam page. Players have cited several major concerns:
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Aggressive monetization, including pricey cosmetic packs and unclear microtransactions.
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Performance issues across mid-range PCs, despite the game’s long development timeline.
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Overtuned difficulty spikes, particularly in the early acts, making the game less welcoming for casual or new players.
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Buggy mechanics, especially in skill tree interactions and loot drops.
The result has been a community firestorm, with long-time PoE veterans and newcomers alike expressing disappointment and frustration.
🛠️ Grinding Gear Responds with Urgency
In a late-night post on the official forums and Steam community page, GGG’s lead developer Chris Wilson addressed the backlash directly:
“We’ve heard your feedback loud and clear. While Path of Exile 2 remains a work in progress, we acknowledge that several aspects of the current experience are not meeting expectations. We are rolling out immediate hotfixes and rebalancing efforts to address the most urgent concerns.”
Here’s a breakdown of the emergency changes currently being implemented or in the pipeline:
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✅ Reduced enemy health and damage scaling in Acts 1–3 for smoother early-game progression.
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✅ Improved optimization for mid-tier hardware, with new graphical presets and memory fixes.
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✅ Temporarily disabled certain microtransactions while pricing structure is re-evaluated.
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✅ Increased loot drop rates and better visibility of rare gear to encourage meaningful progression.
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✅ Improved bug tracking UI, allowing players to report issues more easily in-game.
💬 Community Reaction: Cautious Optimism
While many players remain critical, some are already acknowledging the developer’s fast response:
“This is the GGG we know—quick to fix and transparent. Hoping the turnaround continues,” said one top-rated comment on Reddit.
Others are still wary, noting that some of the game’s design philosophy may need a deeper rework beyond just hotfixes.
📆 What’s Next for Path of Exile 2?
GGG has promised more transparent communication moving forward, including:
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A public roadmap update coming next week.
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Developer Q&A livestream scheduled for early next month.
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A temporary in-game survey system to collect feedback on specific mechanics and difficulty scaling.
The studio maintains that Path of Exile 2 is still set for its full launch later in 2025, but acknowledges that the current beta phase has highlighted “serious pain points” that need urgent attention.
