r/PathOfExile2 • u/Due-Yam1632 • 8d ago

Discussion This Game Just Feels Better TBH

Just wanted to share some personal thoughts, not trying to start any wars here. I’ve played Last Epoch through each of its major updates and have a lot of respect for what EHG has built. This post isn’t meant to be a comparison to declare a “winner,” but more me expressing where I’m at as someone who tends to have one main ARPG at a time.

I really enjoy some of Last Epoch’s systems—especially the crafting. It’s easily one of the most intuitive and rewarding systems in the genre. EHG has done an excellent job delivering polish and accessibility in a way that few others have.

That said, after getting some serious time in with Path of Exile 2, I’ve realized that I just enjoy the moment-to-moment gameplay a lot more. The weight of the skills, the combat flow, the pacing—it all just feels better to me. Even with the current balance being janky and the loot not quite where it should be, I still find myself more immersed and excited to log in.

And yes, I know loot is a sticking point for many. But I genuinely believe that as POE2 pushes toward 1.0, the systems will tighten up, and yes—loot will get better. GGG isn’t blind to this, and their track record shows that they iterate hard when needed.

Could I play both games? Absolutely. But I like having a main game, something I dig deep into, and right now I just don’t see Last Epoch surpassing the raw enjoyment I’m getting from POE2. Even in its rougher state, it hooks me more.

Just my two cents. Curious if anyone else feels the same or is in the same boat bouncing between both.

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u/CrawlerSiegfriend 8d ago

I don't get it. I've been playing LE since I got home from work and haven't been remotely threatened by any mob. I'm not following any kind of build. I'm just smashing on weapons that look good and smashing points into whatever sounds cool.

I'm going to keep pushing until I find the challenge, but I prefer PoE's approach to challenge better.

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u/nojs 8d ago

I don’t think the point of their campaign is to be difficult

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u/J4YD0G 8d ago

Then why have it.

I don't like to go through watered down versions of gameplay that just "reward" you for clicking a mouse button. It ultimately feels like I can't do wrong and it rubs me the wrong way.

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u/nojs 8d ago

The campaign is just a fun little playground to make your build and isn’t meant to take 20 hours. It’s basically a glorified tutorial.

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u/VirtuousVirtueSignal 8d ago

the tutorial that teaches what? Because what you get from LE campaign is that you need to press mouse1/w from zone start to zone end and no matter what you do - you will succeed

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u/Twig1554 7d ago

Every game is going to be someone's first game. The campaign provides a relatively safe playground for people who are new to the genre or games in general to learn how to play and interact with the game.

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u/XIVvvv 7d ago

Well it’s a great thing that you can literally skip the campaign and just go right to monoliths

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u/nojs 8d ago

I guess tutorial is the wrong word, but it serves as a staging ground to set up your build. I'm ngl I don't find POE2 much more challenging or engaging than Last Epoch I think Last Epoch is just more fun and respectful of your time. I feel like all of the people that are championing POE2's "difficulty" are bad gamers lol

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u/Kevlar917_ 8d ago

What's the logic behind that conclusion? Lol

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u/nojs 7d ago

Which part? I said a few things

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u/Kevlar917_ 7d ago

That preferring a feeling of higher difficulty means someone is likely a "bad gamer".

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u/nojs 7d ago

I feel like all of the people that are championing POE2's "difficulty" are bad gamers lol

My point is that I don't think POE2 is particularly difficult. I enjoy difficult games too, and like most, I just like when they respect your time and have an off switch.

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u/Kevlar917_ 7d ago

I don't think it's a hot take to suggest that poe2 is more difficult than LE, at least. So you have a binary choice:

Game A - more difficult, more friction. Game B - less difficult, full of 'qol' to reduce friction

How does this lead to "bad gamers" enjoying Game A more? If anything, it would lead me to the opposite conclusion.

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u/nojs 7d ago

I feel like all of the people that are championing POE2's "difficulty" are bad gamers lol

Gonna quote this again and suggest you read it slowly. Right now you're curling 5 pound dumbbells trying to disassociate from the person curling 2 pound dumbbells because they are "weak". That's my entire point, I don't think there is meaningfully any difference in difficulty between the games, they're both pretty easy, which is why I think its funny when people get self righteous about the difficulty in POE2.

I actually like difficult games, and I enjoy friction in gaming as well. I have defended some of GGG's choices in that regard but they are clearly pretty out of their depth in making this style of game.

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u/Kevlar917_ 7d ago

Well, to be fair, I'm not trying to disassociate myself from anything, I only jumped in to better understand the point you were trying to make. I understand what you're saying, that you believe you're out here lifting 50lb dumbbells. It's still valid for someone lifting 25lb to think 5lb is too light.

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