PoE2: Future Updates to Shift Focus from New Classes

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Path of Exile 2's game director has clarified that new classes will not be a central feature in future major patches. Learn more about the reasoning behind this decision and what players can expect moving forward.

Path of Exile 2 New Classes Might Not Be Introduced Every Patch

Players Can Expect More Ascendancies Going Forward

During a recent Q&A session with Path of Exile 2 Game Director Jonathan Rogers, he explained that introducing a new class with every patch will no longer be a priority for the development team. The unpredictability of class development has led to delays in expansion rollouts, prompting a strategic shift in how content is delivered.

When asked whether fans should anticipate a new class in each upcoming patch, Rogers responded that while the team would like to include a new class per release, they've learned that centering an entire patch around a class was not ideal. He stated: I would like it if every release would have a class, but I would say that we actually learned something during the production of this cycle, which is that it was a mistake to have a class as a wedge for the development of your expansion.

He elaborated on the trade-off between having a fixed release date or a guaranteed amount of content. Focusing heavily on including the Huntress in the next patch resulted in multiple release date shifts.

Rogers noted: We have to have the Huntress in the next patch, so therefore, the date had to float, and that meant that this expansion ended up taking a lot longer than what we had hoped.

He expressed his preference for fixed release dates and emphasized that promises regarding new classes may not always be feasible. While I’m very keen to have a class in the next expansion, I’m not going to promise that because that would mean we can’t fix the date anymore, he added.

Given the lessons learned from developing Dawn of the Hunt, Rogers made it clear that players shouldn't expect new classes to be included in every patch due to the unpredictable nature of their development timeline. He pointed out that players want consistent updates rather than long waits for big releases. Players really do want to see forward progress, and they don’t want to be waiting six to nine months before they see a big update, Rogers said. So I think it’s important that we’re constantly giving them stuff in a reasonably timely manner, so for that reason, the classes are less predictable.

However, there’s still good news. Rogers confirmed that additional Ascendancy branches will be released with every upcoming patch. He also shared his interest in expanding the class system even after Early Access concludes. As I said, Ascendancies, we can definitely do; maybe even after release, we continue to add even more classes as I’m certainly keen to add more, Rogers concluded.

Path of Exile 2 Dawn of the Hunt Brings Major Endgame Changes

Making the Endgame Significantly More Challenging

In addition to the Huntress, the Dawn of the Hunt expansion will introduce over 100 new skills, support gems, and unique gear aimed at enhancing both midgame and endgame experiences. However, one of the primary goals of these changes is to increase the difficulty of endgame encounters. According to Rogers, Grinding Gear Games (GGG) aims to extend the time it takes for characters to reach peak power, ensuring that the journey remains challenging and rewarding.

There are certainly some things that are going to have to be nerfed because they’re completely trivializing certain mechanics, Rogers explained. People are getting [to] the point of complete outrageousness a little bit too early, he added. I think that you need to be able to get to the point of outrageousness at some point, but you don’t want it to be that you get to that point before you even finish your initial climb.

Rogers admitted disappointment over how quickly players defeated Pinnacle Bosses in previous leagues. His vision for these encounters is for them to be intense challenges—especially for the first player to defeat them. Unfortunately, some builds were able to take down bosses within seconds, which diminished the sense of accomplishment.

He hopes the revamped progression system and balance adjustments will change how players experience these fights. The first time you fight a Pinnacle Boss, it’s going to be a hard fight and crazy. But as you fight the boss more times and you get more items and you get to optimize your build and stuff, you can get to the point where you kill the boss in fourteen seconds. It’s just that it’s not your first experience, Rogers explained.

He added: Things have kind of gotten a little bit off the rails, in terms of the ability to get power too easily there, and that’s kind of the main thing. In summary, GGG is focusing on making the climb to dominance more gradual, allowing players to feel powerful without skipping the grind. You should always be able to feel powerful and certainly should have that fantasy there, just not right off the bat. So that’s where a lot of our balance changes are focused.

Path of Exile 2 Game Director Satisfied With Its "Ruthless" Difficulty

It’s Not Easier—You’ve Just Improved

The campaign difficulty in Path of Exile 2 sparked mixed reactions among players, with some calling it too easy and others labeling it excessively punishing. Rogers, however, expressed satisfaction with the current level of challenge and believes perceptions will evolve over time.

He explained that much of the criticism came from players who had previously played the first Path of Exile but hadn’t yet fully adapted to the sequel’s mechanics. As a result, many comparisons were skewed by familiarity with the older title.

Rogers remains confident that complaints about difficulty will lessen once players become accustomed to the game. I don’t think we’re gonna get nearly as many complaints about it this time, and that’s because once you know how to play, you’re going to find the experience a lot easier. If needed, the team will reassess based on feedback, but for now, Rogers feels the balance is appropriate.

People are often surprised. A lot of the times what happens is that the second time people play through the game, they will talk about how they (GGG) must have changed the balance, but the actual reality is that they just got better at the game, Rogers concluded.