PoE2: Future Updates to Shift Focus from New Classes

The game director of Path of Exile 2, Jonathan Rogers, has shared insights into the future of the game, particularly concerning the introduction of new classes. Dive in to discover why new classes won't be the focus of major updates and what players can expect instead.

Path of Exile 2 New Characters Might Not Be Introduced Every Patch

You Can Expect More Ascendancies Instead

In a recent Q&A session, Jonathan Rogers, the game director of Path of Exile 2, clarified that the development team will not prioritize new classes in future patches. This decision stems from the unpredictable nature of class development.

Rogers expressed his initial desire to introduce a new class with each patch but acknowledged that this approach was a misstep during the development cycle. He stated, I would like it if every release would have a class, but I would say that we actually learned something during the production of this cycle, which is that it was a mistake to have a class as a wedge for the development of your expansion.

He highlighted the challenges of balancing a fixed release date with the uncertainty of class content readiness. The focus on including the Huntress in the next patch led to repeated delays. Rogers explained, We have to have the Huntress in the next patch, so therefore, the date had to float, and that meant that this expansion ended up taking a lot longer than what we had hoped.

Rogers prefers a fixed release schedule over committing to new classes, saying, While I’m very keen to have a class in the next expansion, I’m not going to promise that because that would mean we can’t fix the date anymore.

Due to these experiences, Rogers emphasized that players should not anticipate new classes with each patch. The unpredictability of class development and the desire to provide timely updates were key factors in this decision. He noted, Players really do want to see forward progress, and they don’t want to be waiting six to nine months before they see a big update. So I think it’s important that we’re constantly giving them stuff in a reasonably timely manner, so for that reason, the classes are less predictable.

However, fans can look forward to new Ascendancies in every upcoming patch. Rogers is also enthusiastic about adding more classes even after the Early Access phase concludes, stating, As I said, Ascendancies, we can definitely do; maybe even after release, we continue to add even more classes as I’m certainly keen to add more.

Path of Exile 2 Dawn of the Hunt Brings More Changes to Endgame

Promising the End to Be A Lot Harder

The upcoming patch, alongside the Huntress, will introduce over 100 new skills, support gems, and unique gear, with a focus on enhancing the midgame and endgame. Grinding Gear Games (GGG) aims to make bosses significantly more challenging. Rogers explained the need to extend the time it takes for players to reach overpowering levels that trivialize the endgame, while still allowing players to eventually achieve such power.

He mentioned, There are certainly some things that are going to have to be nerfed because they’re completely trivializing certain mechanics. People are getting [to] the point of complete outrageousness a little bit too early. Rogers believes that players should reach this level of power later in their gameplay journey, stating, I think that you need to be able to get to the point of outrageousness at some point, but you don’t want it to be that you get to that point before you even finish your initial climb.

Rogers expressed disappointment at how quickly players defeated Pinnacle Bosses, particularly one instance where a boss was defeated in just fourteen seconds. He envisions a different experience for players, saying, The first time you fight a Pinnacle Boss, it’s going to be a hard fight and crazy. But as you fight the boss more times and you get more items and you get to optimize your build and stuff, you can get to the point where you kill the boss in fourteen seconds. It’s just that it’s not your first experience.

He acknowledged that the game's balance had veered off course, particularly in terms of how easily players could gain power. Rogers concluded, Things have kind of gotten a little bit off the rails, in terms of the ability to get power too easily there, and that’s kind of the main thing. You should always be able to feel powerful and certainly should have that fantasy there, just not right off the bat. So that’s where a lot of our balance changes are focused.

Path of Exile 2 Game Director is Happy With Its Ruthless Difficulty

Things Aren’t Easier, You Just Got Better

The difficulty of Path of Exile 2's campaign has sparked debate among players, with opinions ranging from too easy to too hard. Rogers is content with the campaign's current difficulty level and believes that player perceptions will evolve over time. He noted that many complaints stemmed from players who had experience with the previous game but were new to Path of Exile 2, leading to comparisons between the two.

Rogers is optimistic that fewer complaints about difficulty will arise this time, stating, I don’t think we’re gonna get nearly as many complaints about it this time, and that’s because once you know how to play, you’re going to find the experience a lot easier. He added that if the situation doesn't improve, they will gather more data to make necessary adjustments, but he remains hopeful.

Rogers observed that players often misattribute their improved skills to game balance changes, saying, People are often surprised. A lot of the times what happens is that the second time people play through the game, they will talk about how they (GGG) must have changed the balance, but the actual reality is that they just got better at the game.