Path of Exile 2 feels like it's been dropped into early access mid-sprint: the bones are solid, but everything's still moving under your feet. You're still running maps, still chasing that one ridiculous drop, but the new systems make you play differently. The skill gem setup is less of a relic and more of a toolkit, and the passive tree has turned into a proper planning board. You'll notice it fast when you start mapping and realise you can't just wing it anymore—people are already trading, saving, and budgeting around stuff like poe2 gold because the game rewards being prepared, even this early.

When Patches Bite Back

The rough edges aren't subtle, though. The Vaal Temple situation is a good example: players found the juicy layouts, the community did what it always does, and then the hotfix landed with diminishing returns. It didn't just nudge the profit down—it changed the whole rhythm of those runs. Now you've got threads full of "it's bugged" posts about the Smithy or temple mechanics not spawning, sitting right next to arguments over whether GGG had any choice. It's that old ARPG loop: we find a loot cave, they fill it with concrete, and everyone pretends they're surprised.

Build Craft Keeps People Logging In

Still, the class design is doing a lot to keep the mood from tanking. The Druid, especially, isn't just a theme pick—it's a playstyle. Shifting into a bear feels like a real commitment, not a button you press for a buff, and the wyvern form actually changes how fights flow. What's wild is how quickly players are stitching together builds: defensive tech like Shield Wall layered with weird damage scaling and timing windows you only learn by getting smacked around. It's messy experimentation, but it's the good kind. You're not following one "correct" path, you're building a character that makes sense to you.

Why We Put Up With It

The player-dev relationship is tense, but not hopeless. "Dawn of the Hunt" got people heated because levelling dragged and some obvious problems lingered, and yeah, that frustration's real. But GGG hasn't gone silent; they've been talking to streamers, owning the misses, and pushing constant tweaks. Endgame still has choke points, and some rewards feel out of step with the time spent, but it's also the only game in this space that lets you tune your character down to the last little trade-off. That's why folks keep showing up, keep testing, and keep stocking up through places like U4GM when they want a smoother path to gear, currency, or the next build idea.