"PoE2: Future Updates to Shift Focus from New Classes"

Path of Exile 2's game director has announced that new classes will not be the main focus of major patches moving forward. This decision comes after careful consideration of development timelines and player expectations. Read on to discover the reasoning behind this choice and gain insights into the current state of the game.

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

You Can Expect More Ascendancies Instead

In a recent Q&A session, Path of Exile 2 Game Director Jonathan Rogers explained that players should not anticipate new classes in every upcoming patch. He highlighted the unpredictability of class development as a key factor in this decision.

When asked about the possibility of a new class with each patch, Rogers admitted that while the team would like to introduce a new class with every release, their experience during the current development cycle has taught them otherwise. 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.

The primary issue, according to Rogers, is the trade-off between setting a fixed release date and ensuring a substantial amount of content. Focusing on including the Huntress in the next patch led to constant delays. He 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 emphasized the importance of a fixed release schedule over promising new classes, stating, 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.

Given the lessons learned from developing Dawn of the Hunt, Rogers concluded that players should not expect new classes with every patch. This decision is driven by the need to deliver updates more frequently, as 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, Rogers assured fans that new Ascendancies will be a regular feature in upcoming patches. He also expressed enthusiasm about adding more classes even after Early Access ends, saying, 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

Alongside the Huntress, the upcoming patch will introduce over 100 new skills, support gems, and unique gear focused on midgame and endgame content. These changes aim to make bosses significantly more challenging. Rogers explained that the goal is to extend the time it takes for players to reach a power level that trivializes the endgame, while still allowing them to achieve that level eventually.

He noted, 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 a high level of power, but not before they've fully engaged with the game's progression. He added, 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 in the past, describing his ideal scenario where the first fight against a Pinnacle Boss is a tough challenge. He said, 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 concluded that the balance changes are focused on slowing down the climb to becoming overpowered, stating, 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 some finding it too easy and others too hard. Rogers expressed satisfaction with the current difficulty level, suggesting that player opinions may evolve over time. He noted that many complaints stemmed from players who had experience with the previous game but were new to the current one, leading to comparisons between the two.

Rogers is optimistic that fewer complaints 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 acknowledged that if this doesn't hold true, they would have more data to adjust accordingly, but he remains confident in the current balance.

He added, 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.