As a dedicated player of ARPGs, I've thoroughly enjoyed my journey through "Path of Exile 2," especially with the thrill it offers as an alternative to titles like Diablo. Although the campaign remains unfinished, I've experienced the first three acts across two difficulty levels, reveling in the game's slower-paced, methodical gameplay and the myriad build options it offers.

However, I've recently reached a breaking point. After diving into the endgame content, I quickly found myself overwhelmed and frustrated. Initially, I felt confident in my build during the campaign, clearing early endgame tiers with relative ease. The expansive explorable map looked promising, but it became a source of confusion when I encountered punishing enemy damage that led to frequent one-shots from seemingly nowhere—be it from an elite, a boss, or an unassuming ground effect.

In the campaign, death wasn't particularly punishing, as I could respawn near bosses after failure, learning from my mistakes without excessive backtracking. But the endgame throws a curveball: if you die during a map, that’s it—you’re booted out and lose the Waystone you used to enter. This raises serious questions: Is this what the endgame is meant to be? Do I fundamentally need to reshape my build to survive these unexpected one-shots?

In my search for answers, I turned to popular streamer Kripparrian, whose insights have guided many players in the Diablo community. The consensus he presented was alarming; I'm not alone in this struggle, and things seem poised to worsen. Even top-tier players critique the current state of the endgame, suggesting that being one-shotted becomes an unyielding reality.

Kripparrian highlighted how one-shot deaths require players to stack defense, armor, and resistance to the max, yet even this can prove futile. The gameplay requires precise timing as players must dodge attacks, but many of these enemy moves are inadequately communicated, leaving players often blindsided and without a clue as to what caused their demise.

Another huge concern is the penalties for dying in higher-level content. Not only do you lose your map, but you also incur damage to your experience points and, in some cases, lose your progress toward better maps entirely. It's a daunting analogy to compare it to facing Malenia in Elden Ring, where one mistake costs everything—ruins and all.

While I appreciated the challenge during the campaign, where strategy and quick thinking could lead to victory, this current state of the endgame has stripped me of that fun. Kripparrian’s reassurance that things likely won't get better anytime soon has made me feel disheartened. If you’ve experienced the endgame in its full capacity and your response to my concerns is merely “git gud,” then perhaps you haven’t truly faced this brutal challenge yet.

With "Path of Exile 2" still in Early Access, there's hope for change, and if GGG takes player feedback seriously and revamps the endgame, I would certainly consider returning. But for now, navigating this nightmare of a system is just not enjoyable.

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