Path of Exile 2 got its first major update in Early Access, and for many fans, Dawn of the Hunt fell short of expectations. The 0.2.0 update has been a long time coming, and sneak previews had gamers excited. Then, the Dawn of the Hunt arrived, and many fans found it failed to breathe new life into the game. In fact, Path of Exile 2 might have climbed the concurrent charts, but its Steam ranking took a hit. In particular, the new Huntress class, area sizes, and balance adjustments were poorly received.
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True to form, Grinding Gear Games quickly released a statement addressing the issues and planned fixes. Now, we have a more detailed look at the first wave of Act 3 changes headed for Path of Exile 2. On April 6th, Grinding Gear Games outlined a few general areas they plan to work on to bring the game back up to player standards. This includes adjusting the Huntress class so Parry isn’t quite as essential by adding a new skill while also adding in a bit more ranged potential for the class. Player minions, which recently had a life and damage debuff, will be tweaked so it’s a smidge less of a punishing nerf. Monster life, which had gotten a bit too beefy after Act 1, has already been reduced.
These issues, along with significant crashing after the 0.2.0 update arrived, hampered many gamers’ enjoyment of the new features in Path of Exile 2. Another primary concern relates to area size, and it’s this issue that Grinding Gear Games is now ready to dive deep into. Many areas in Act 3 in particular have been taking players too long to get through, so that will be the first focus for Path of Exile 2 fixes to improve area clear times.
Path of Exile 2 Plans Sweeping Changes to Act 3 Areas
In an April 8th blog post, Grinding Gear Games outlines the various areas in Act 3 that have been giving players issues. The post also addresses the changes that the developers are making to smooth out gameplay in these areas to improve the overall Path of Exile 2 experience. Here are the major changes that players can expect to see in the next few days to help Act 3 area clear times feel more manageable, according to Grinding Gear Games’ recent forum post.
RELATED: Path of Exile 2 Patch Notes Revealed for Massive 0.2.0 Update
Quick note: if you haven’t yet reached Act 3 in your current or previous playthrough, there may be minor area spoilers in the notes below.
The Drowned City
- Dead end leading to inaccessible door removed, creating a smaller play area
Utzaal
- Two dead ends leading to inaccessible areas not added in Early Access removed
The Apex Of Filth
- Reducing the overall size of the area
The Azak Bog
- Shape adjusted from square to rectangle, making it easier to quickly encounter the boss without as much roaming around
Infested Barrens
- Adding a bottleneck to force players to encounter the waypoint early on, cutting down what players need to find to proceed
Jungle Ruins
- Made the exit to the Infested Barrens easier to identify and moved checkpoint so it’s easier to see
- Overall area size reduced
Chimeral Wetlands
- Moving the Temple of the Chaos and Machinarium entrance closer together to reduce backtracking
Jiquani’s Machinarium
- Added additional to Soul Core to reduce time taken to find the right number
Jiquani’s Sanctum
- Added additional Soul Core to reduce search time
General Changes
- Increased the timeout for areas with side-areas so the main area doesn’t need to be cleared quite as frequently
- Longer-term solution in progress – this is a temporary fix
We don’t yet have the exact date for when these major area changes will arrive in Path of Exile 2. However, the update is planned for the next few days, so gamers should see them ahead of the next weekend with the Dawn of the Hunt content.
Have you encountered any of these frustrating area clearing issues with Path of Exile 2? Let us know in the comments below!
