PoE2 is, currently, not fun.

[u/BanginNLeavin]

First off I want to say I really enjoy PoE2 when it is working normally. I am not a PoE vet but I have countless hours across Diablo 2, 3, and 4, and I have played many other ARPGs so while my specific critiques are a bit more broad than someone who has 4000 hrs in PoE1.

The game mostly doesn't work normally though, and that is a huge issue. For one, performance on PS5 is literally unplayable sometimes. I know I'll lose some of you here because console but honestly if you're going to cull the player character to keep frame rate over 20 then just don't even offer it for sale.

That's right, especially in zones such as the sun room on a character such as infernalist nothing but the actual zone geometry displays and all the mobs/effects/minions/player are flickering in and out. It doesn't matter what settings you use either.

On top of the bad performance there are a myriad of issues with skills and abilities. Half the time my curse flat out doesn't cast. Half the time unearth is directly on a corpse but no minion forms. I'm not even being facetious, these skills just do not work properly.

The skill tree also is extremely unfun and lack lustre. When I inspect a skill node for ignition the skills I have that ignite do not appear as affected by it, making me question if it even works too. Way too many flat out bad nodes exist such that builds become very narrow very quickly.

On-level content such as trials are also an absolute mess. The reward vs effort is way off balance and every trial I have completed has been a 2nd or 3rd try due to some inane issue. For instance the timed rooms are extremely unfun on console since you can't select the pillar if an enemy is ANYWHERE ON YOUR SCREEN. WTF?!

I used to rage at and ragequit games when I was younger but have figured out how to reel it in... Oh boy not with PoE2. Each of those failed trials runs don't have me getting more resolve and trying again, I just turn it off and be super pissed. This is not a good gaming experience.

It's so bad that when a non-GGG fault ruined my latest trials run(Internet died right before accepting my ascension points, just as I pressed the accept button) and I just fucking lost it.

I desperately want this game to be fun. It seems fun. The moments between the BS are fun... But they are just moments.

On top of this I'm only level 48. I haven't even gotten to the 'painful' part everyone else is complaining about. Here's hoping that the direction the game heads in through spring is a positive one.

[u/FacetiousTomato]

Well shit, I thought I was having fun.

Also for the timed rooms, just bind interact to its own key that doesn't have an attack on it.

[u/Hiero_Glyph → u/FacetiousTomato]

I use L2+X on PS5. This allows me to loot or interact while targeting enemies in combat.

[u/BanginNLeavin → u/FacetiousTomato]

Protip.

[u/Far-Manufacturer-526]

I’m sure they will do a lot of optimization in the future. Unfortunately, optimization is something you usually do, when the game is close to finished.