Path of Exile 2 Mapping Problems: What the Community is Saying

In Path of Exile 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the popular action RPG, a key component is the map system, which defines the endgame content. However, judging by player feedback on Reddit, the current implementation is drawing serious criticism. This article, based solely on community discussions, thoroughly analyzes the main problems and suggests possible solutions.

Path of Exile 2: Mapping Issues & Community Feedback

From Initial Excitement to Disappointment

Players who expected an exciting and diverse endgame from PoE 2 have encountered a number of issues that, in their opinion, make map exploration tedious and uninteresting. As one user notes, “PoE 2 Mapping is DREAFULLY dull and listless.” This sentiment is shared by many, emphasizing that a potentially interesting system has proven to be a disappointment in practice.

Key Problems Highlighted by the Community

• Inconvenient Atlas Navigation: “Holy mother of jesus, scrolling this thing BACK AND FORTH to try and find where you were in your previous session is step 1 of awful.” Players complain about the confusing and inconvenient Atlas interface, making it difficult to find the necessary maps.
• Limited Number of Mechanics: PoE 2 features only four main mechanics (Ritual, Delirium, Breach, Expedition), which, according to players, is not enough for endgame variety. “Really? You couldn’t just import Harby or Alva? Really?” expresses the bewilderment of one commenter.
• Boring Waystone Modifiers: Instead of adding monsters and increasing loot quantity, most Waystone modifiers focus on increasing the Waystone drop chance itself, which players find uninteresting. “In PoE 1 mods ADDED monsters, pack size, drop quantity. There are a few that add monsters, but the majority is to increase Waystone Drop Chance.”
• Poor Map Design: “The more I got into the maps the more I realized one thing, they purpose built maps to be as frustrating as possible to get though.” Players note confusing locations, an abundance of obstacles, and poor visual clarity, leading to character getting stuck and general discomfort. “I have easily lost 20+ maps due to my Tempest Flurry sticking my character into like… 3 pixels of a branch of a bush and get stuck inside it. WHY?!”
• Sparse Monster Spawning: “Monster Pack spacing is a huge, huge annoyance. There are multiple seconds, sometimes ten between each pack if you are just base speed running.” Players believe that the excessively large gaps between enemy groups turn the game into a “walking simulator.”
• Excessive Grinding: “I’ve gotten 4 splinters. I need 100 to even ATTEMPT the first one, ONCE.” The excessive amount of grinding required to access content, according to players, discourages them from playing. “300 breach splinters for one breachstone? 3 minute strongboxes? Like, seriously?”
• Economic Issues: “True. An economy in which one thing from a ritual costs like an airplane is very strange.” Players note an imbalance in the economy, where most items are useless, and valuable items are prohibitively expensive.

Player Quotes

• “The most egregious thing is that essences and strongboxes are absolutely awful.”
• “Ritual is fucking terrible as well, the rat tornado is just really dumb…”
• “Regarding the strongboxes, they can also have an ice spike modifier which is a damn near death sentence every time”
• “Man, this reads like a comedy, but the tragedy is most of this is so true.”
• “Endgame to me has no soul. It’s high stress low reward and overly punitive”

Suggestions for Improvement

Based on the feedback, the following improvements can be suggested:

• Redesign the Atlas interface for easier navigation.
• Add more diverse mechanics.
• Change Waystone modifiers to make them more appealing.
• Improve map design, eliminate obstacles, and increase visual clarity.
• Adjust monster spawning for more dynamic gameplay.
• Reduce the amount of grinding required to access content.
• Balance the economy.

The Path of Exile community has expressed serious concerns about the current state of the map system in PoE 2. Hopefully, the developers will listen to player feedback and make the necessary changes to improve the endgame content. Only then can PoE 2 realize its potential and become a worthy successor to the iconic game.