What was supposed to be a much-welcomed update toPath of Exile 2instead resulted in disaster, deleting players' items and shutting the game down for several hours.POE 2has been on thin ice with its players after the mixed reception of theDawn of the Huntcontent update, and an update to the game’s loot systems was meant to be something of an olive branch.
As chronicled byRock Paper Shotgun,Path of Exile 2developer Grinding Gear Games attempted to push an update that would rework how rare loot is dispersed throughout the ARPG. Players logging in after the update, however, found that they had important items – Skill Gems – deleted from their characters. The developers quickly shut down the game’s servers to roll back the update and restore players' lost items, butthe shutdown resulted inPath of Exile 2being unplayable for roughly five hours.POE 2is back up, the update will be pushed again after its been fixed, and Grinding Gear Games has apologized for the error (via thePath of Exilewebsite).
Path Of Exile 2’s Loot Update Was Meant To Be A Step In The Right Direction
A Popularly Requested Change
The offending update was meant to correct a pervasive issue that has dogged the game since its release into early access.It was meant to reshufflePath of Exile 2’s loot pool, to make significant encounters result in equally significant rewards. Players have long been frustrated that loot drops were essentially random; i.e., defeating a boss doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get high-rarity items as a drop.
The idea is sound, andit’s the exact type of work that is made possible by early access– addressing player feedback before the game is fully released – but it had unforeseen consequences that required Grinding Gear Games to shut down the servers to address. Skill Gems are an incredibly important part ofPOE 2’s skill systems, dictating which actions a player character can take in combat. The update’s mistake was an oversight in the code for certain Skill Gems, where attempting to activate them simply deleted the item instead.
Path Of Exile 2 Players Were Already Frustrated With The Game
Recent Changes Have Not Gone Over Well
It’s unfortunate that such a well-meaning update ended up being a catastrophe, becausePath of Exile 2players have been voicing many concerns recently.POE 2had a very successful launchinto early access, but players have slowly soured on various aspects of the experience – the aforementioned loot issues being one.Dawn of the Huntmade sweeping changes to combat that have not gone over well, and this failed update saga, though largely rectified now, only adds fuel to the fire.
Early access can be a blessing for many games, especially those that depend on a symbiotic relationship with players, but it can also stunt a game’s growth when mistakes like this are made. It’s largely going to be die-hard fans that stick with a game through its unfinished early access state, and alienating them too much can result in permanent damage to the game’s popularity.Path of Exile 2has a lot going for it, and competes at the top of the ARPG genre, so hopefully this unfortunate update is only a slight bump in the road.
