12-22-2025, 09:49 AM
I've been living in Path of Exile 2 Early Access lately, and it's weirdly easy to lose track of time once the new systems start clicking. Even the basic loop feels different now that skills aren't chained to whatever armour happened to drop, and that change alone takes so much pressure off gearing. You pick up gems, slot them in a dedicated menu, and swap setups on the fly without praying for the right colours or links. It also makes experimenting less scary, especially when you're trying to stretch limited resources early on and you're watching your stash like it matters, because it does—same reason people talk about PoE 2 Currency in the first place, right in the middle of planning a build rather than after it falls apart.
Buildcraft Feels Like Play, Not Maintenance
The old "socket puzzle" used to turn every decent item into a headache. Now the game lets you focus on what you actually want to do: pick a main skill, add supports, then adjust when your damage or mana starts acting up. You'll notice it fast in the early acts. You can test a new combo, realise it's clunky, and pivot without trashing your whole setup. That flexibility makes the moment-to-moment choices feel more personal, like you're shaping your character because you want to, not because the loot forced you into it.
Combat Slows Down, In a Good Way
The fighting has more texture than PoE 1's endgame sprint. Hits land with some weight, and enemies don't just explode before you've even seen what they do. A lot of attacks are readable, so when you get clipped, you usually know why. Dodging matters. Spacing matters. It's less "hold one button and watch a podcast" and more "okay, I can't stand there." Skills also feel like they're meant to chain together, not just stack damage numbers. That combo rhythm makes bosses feel like actual fights instead of speed bumps.
Where the Early Game Still Trips
Then you hit the pacing wall. If you didn't stumble into a strong archetype, damage can feel low for longer than it should. You're waiting on a support gem that finally makes a skill pop, or a passive cluster that stops everything from feeling like wet noodles. And if your homebrew path doesn't line up with what the tree is quietly pushing you toward, it's rough. The respec costs don't help either. People say "just reroll," but that's not great advice in a game that's clearly trying to sell freedom.
The Tree Is Huge, But Not Always Interesting Yet
The passive tree is still that iconic web, and I love seeing it, but a lot of nodes read like filler right now. You've got loads of options on paper, yet only a handful of routes feel efficient when you're trying to clear smoothly and stay alive. Defensive balance can swing hard, too, so one wrong lean can make your character feel brittle even when your gear looks fine. It's promising, but it needs tighter tuning so more playstyles can breathe, and so players aren't nudged into the same safe lanes—especially when planning upgrades, trading, or looking at PoE 2 Currency for sale as part of keeping a build moving instead of stalling out mid-campaign.
Buildcraft Feels Like Play, Not Maintenance
The old "socket puzzle" used to turn every decent item into a headache. Now the game lets you focus on what you actually want to do: pick a main skill, add supports, then adjust when your damage or mana starts acting up. You'll notice it fast in the early acts. You can test a new combo, realise it's clunky, and pivot without trashing your whole setup. That flexibility makes the moment-to-moment choices feel more personal, like you're shaping your character because you want to, not because the loot forced you into it.
Combat Slows Down, In a Good Way
The fighting has more texture than PoE 1's endgame sprint. Hits land with some weight, and enemies don't just explode before you've even seen what they do. A lot of attacks are readable, so when you get clipped, you usually know why. Dodging matters. Spacing matters. It's less "hold one button and watch a podcast" and more "okay, I can't stand there." Skills also feel like they're meant to chain together, not just stack damage numbers. That combo rhythm makes bosses feel like actual fights instead of speed bumps.
Where the Early Game Still Trips
Then you hit the pacing wall. If you didn't stumble into a strong archetype, damage can feel low for longer than it should. You're waiting on a support gem that finally makes a skill pop, or a passive cluster that stops everything from feeling like wet noodles. And if your homebrew path doesn't line up with what the tree is quietly pushing you toward, it's rough. The respec costs don't help either. People say "just reroll," but that's not great advice in a game that's clearly trying to sell freedom.
The Tree Is Huge, But Not Always Interesting Yet
The passive tree is still that iconic web, and I love seeing it, but a lot of nodes read like filler right now. You've got loads of options on paper, yet only a handful of routes feel efficient when you're trying to clear smoothly and stay alive. Defensive balance can swing hard, too, so one wrong lean can make your character feel brittle even when your gear looks fine. It's promising, but it needs tighter tuning so more playstyles can breathe, and so players aren't nudged into the same safe lanes—especially when planning upgrades, trading, or looking at PoE 2 Currency for sale as part of keeping a build moving instead of stalling out mid-campaign.