PoE2: Dawn of the Hunt– Full Dev Interview Summary
Time: 2025-04-09 by mmojugg Game: Path of Exile 2 Guide
On 8 April 2025, Grinding Gear Games (GGG) directors Jonathan and Neon sat down for a two-hour podcast hosted by the always insightful Zizaran to unpack the Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt's early access launch. This wasn't just a casual chat - it was a deep dive into player complaints, design goals and the road ahead for this ambitious ARPG. Whether you're grinding hardcore or dipping your toes into Wraeclast, this article distills the juiciest bits with a fresh twist. Catch the full convo in the video below - it's worth every minute! If you like this kind of breakdown, consider bookmarking our site and checking out our store - your support keeps the content flowing. Let's dive in!
Watch the Full Interview Here
A Shaky Start: Campaign Stumbles
The Dawn of the Hunt launch landed with a thud for many. Players found the campaign harder than expected - monsters hit like trucks, builds felt fragile, and the power curve was more crawl than climb. Jonathan admitted that GGG was blindsided: "We didn't nerf the campaign - at least that wasn't the intention!" The plan was to tame endgame outliers, not punish early acts. But glitches like overzealous minion nerfs and tanky rares soured the experience. Neon noted how minor slip-ups—like rare minions outlasting bosses—piled up fast.
GGG is already on it. Monster lives have been cut once, and they're open to more if the mood is still off. The sprawling zones of Act 3 are shrinking, and the speedy Faradin of Act 2 is due for a chill pill. The vision? You start weak, grow powerful, and actually enjoy the journey - no rage-quitting required.
Pacing Predicament: Slow or fast?
A big question remained: should POE 2 lean towards slower, combo-heavy builds, or should every playstyle be able to shred packs with ease? Jonathan dodged a hard answer - pacing is a beast with too many variables - but promised: "If it's not fun, we'll fix it. The Early Access data flipped the script: most builds, not just the sluggish ones, are wheezing, bucking the usual "one OP build rules" trend.
The fix is surgical. Weak skills (hello, 0.1% Acolyte) are targeted for buffs, and swarming zones like Canopy are getting a speed audit. Neon revealed that they're scouring every area for a mix of lumbering heavies and zippy threats. It's all about flow - enough chaos to keep you sharp, not so much that you're rolling away from garbage mobs all day.
Monster speed Questions
Monster mobility stirred heated debate. Fast enemies disrupt combo setups like Cyclone and make players feel rushed. Jonathan argued, "If monsters are always slower, then combat is optional - you just sprint past them. Fair enough, but the flip side hits hard: ARPGs thrive on slaughtering hordes for loot and levels, not endless kiting.
GGG's solution is targeted tweaks. They scour zones for "swarmy" overloads, and plan to balance fast movers with slow tanks. Think fewer Faradin flash mobs and more varied pacing - some enemies to dodge, others to smash. It's not about slowing everything down, it's about giving you room to fight back and feel badass doing it.
Balance on a Razor's Edge
POE 2 dares to differ from its predecessor. "In POE 1, a monster with a double life by mistake? No big deal," says Jonathan. "In POE 2, it's a wall." This tighter balance makes combat important, but it's a slog to perfect. Early Access is the lab, and GGG is tweaking it daily to get it right.
Hardcore fans flagged defence as a weak link - bosses like Arbiter one-shot even 15k health pools, pushing players towards glass cannon builds. Jonathan's on board for the buffs: armour gets an overhaul (flat breaks, not percentages), Charm slots could reach six with uniques, and defensive nodes could be beefed up. The trick? No immortal tanks or insta-kill metas - both take the thrill away over time.
Gear Gripes and Rune Realities
Loot and runes drew scrutiny. Sparse drops and socket shortages stifled early fixes to resists or stats, leaving players scrambling. Jonathan was puzzled - he is flush with sockets in tests - but conceded that the RNG might be too swingy. Fixes include more Artificer's Orbs via quests, rune sockets for caster weapons, and a re-evaluation of loot drops.
The skill tree's "gear sets stats, tree multiplies" mantra limits quick patches such as POE 1's resist nodes. GGG's got its eye on rune power-ups or early tree resists, but they're cautious, overpowered tools that favour veterans over newbies. The goal? Clear, newbie-friendly solutions - think NPCs tossing you a rune with a wink and a "try this".
Mid-League Momentum: Buffs Galore
GGG's not twiddling thumbs. Jonathan's pushing daily patches - Act 3 checkpoints, minion timer tweaks, and a wave of skill buffs. Mid-league boosts are the plan, targeting flops like Blood Mage. Ascendancy Respects? Still a maybe, but the pressure is on for a verdict soon.
Endgame's shaping up too. Map sustain is more predictable (a win for some, a miss for others), Delirium speed is under the microscope, and corrupted drops may shed the "useless white" stigma. Recombinators are too fresh to judge, but GGG is keeping an eye on the numbers.
Hardcore Hopes: Defense Matters
Defense dominated the hardcore convo. Armour break feels like a gut punch, and affliction thresholds (stun, freeze) hit hard with few counters. Jonathan's quick fixes: armour break switches to flat reductions, charm slots expand (up to six with uniques!), and ailment charms get a power pass. Bleed and Poison aren't killers yet, but they're watching.
Bosses have ignited a deeper riff. Some prefer tanky attrition to one-shot roulette, but Jonathan warned that a full pivot would overhaul the core of POE. Still, Arbiter's corridor chaos is getting clearer cues—because dying to bad luck's the worst.
Quality of life: Small Tweaks, Big Impact
The wishlist piled up: a tab for equipped gems to level skills fast? In the works. Movement speed boosts without pausing combat? On the table - maybe not boot implicits, but something's brewing. Console debuff toggle for PC? Scheduled for a UI overhaul. POE 1 goodies like pause and highlight effects? Possible once microtransaction rigs sync (late 2025, fingers crossed).
Minions, Maps, and More
Minion fans groaned about resurrect timers resetting fully—GGG's tweaking it to scale with losses, not restart. The "one rare left" map completion frustration? You're looking at minimap icons from the start, not a 90% threshold. Delirium's breakneck pace? Being tested for map-specific balance. Class identity tied to weapons? A deliberate win for newbie clarity and diversity.
Thanks for Reading
Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt is raw, bold and evolving by the day. This chat with GGG's Jonathan and Neon proves they're all in - over 15 changes are already cooking. From campaign polish to endgame finesse, it's a journey worth watching. Stay tuned to MMOJUGG for updates, and hit the video above for the full scoop!
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