I have never played a game that requires you to be so incredibly strategic about what you equip, what skills you use, and how you build your character. *Path of Exile 2* takes that concept to an entirely different level—and not in a way that I find enjoyable.
I especially love getting one-shot by bosses despite having a high armor percentage. I love equipping a legendary weapon only to discover that I still barely do any damage to bosses. I’ve watched countless YouTube videos looking for viable classes, builds, skill combinations, or anything that might help me successfully complete an Expedition run. Yet somehow, nothing seems to work.
The item drop system only makes the experience more frustrating. The drop rate for genuinely useful items feels terrible, while the game constantly gives me repetitive equipment that has absolutely nothing to do with my class or build. When progression depends so heavily on having the right equipment, constantly receiving irrelevant gear makes the entire system feel unnecessarily punishing.
Then there are enemies with blue mana circles that can drain your life almost instantly if you do not dodge away or heal yourself quickly enough. Meanwhile, you are already trying to manage several other monsters attacking you at the same time. I understand that challenging mechanics are supposed to force players to react and reposition, but at a certain point, difficulty stops feeling rewarding and starts feeling exhausting.
Weapon progression has been equally frustrating. You constantly want to improve your weapon, but the materials you actually need to increase its quality seem almost nonexistent. Instead, you keep receiving items and resources that do nothing to help the build you are trying to develop.
The passive skill tree is another issue. It is incredibly complicated, and even when you deliberately invest points into increasing physical damage or improving your character in a specific direction, the difference can sometimes feel negligible. There are so many interconnected systems that it often feels like you need an extensive understanding of the game's mechanics just to create a character capable of surviving ordinary endgame content.
I understand that *Path of Exile 2* is designed for players who enjoy deep character-building, experimentation, optimization, and difficult combat. There is absolutely an audience for that kind of experience. But for me, the combination of punishing boss damage, inconsistent character progression, overly complicated builds, frustrating enemy mechanics, and unrewarding item drops takes the enjoyment out of the game.
I do not mind a difficult game. I actually enjoy a challenge when it feels like I am learning, improving, and becoming stronger. Here, I often feel like I am putting in the work without seeing meaningful progression.
For those reasons, I personally cannot recommend Path of Exile 2
