PoE2: Jonathan Rogers on Dev Challenges & Future
Time: 2025-04-15 by mmojugg Game: Path of Exile 2 Guide
Did you miss the latest Dropped Frames interview with Jonathan Rogers, co-founder and game director of Grinding Gear Games (GGG)? In episode 425, hosted by JP, Zeke and CohhCarnage, Jonathan opened up about Path of Exile 2's Early Access journey, covering everything from the controversial Huntress class to community feedback and plans for future patches. If you don't have three hours to watch the whole video, we've got the key takeaways for you. For more deep dives like this, bookmark our site and visit our store to gear up for your next adventure!
The Genesis of Path of Exile 2: A Passion Project Born from Diablo II Dreams
Jonathan's story with GGG kicks off in 2006, fresh out of university, when he and best friend Chris Wilson decided to create the spiritual successor to Diablo II. "Nobody's doing that," they thought, and so Grinding Gear Games was born. Fast forward 19 years and GGG has grown into a powerhouse, with Path of Exile 2 now in Early Access, boasting a massive player base and concurrent user numbers that surpass any Path of Exile 1 launch. Jonathan's influences? An eclectic mix - StarCraft, Half-Life, Final Fantasy 7-9 and even Spyro. His love of single-player shooters also shines through, although he admits that an ARPG shooter from GGG is "probably not in the cards".
This mix of nostalgia and innovation drives Path of Exile 2's ambition to push the genre forward. But with great ambition comes great scrutiny, especially when you're juggling a community as passionate as GGG's.
The Huntress class: A Bold Experiment with Mixed Reactions
The Huntress class, introduced in patch 0.2, was meant to shake things up with its parry-and-disengage combat style. Jonathan calls it his favourite class, praising its "in-out gameplay" and action-packed feel. However, its release caused a backlash. Many players found the parry mechanic alien, with some, like the 60 hour Huntress interviewee, admitting they stopped parrying altogether after level 10. Why the disconnect?
Jonathan attributes this to a failure to communicate the intended style of play. "If people aren't playing the way we expect them to, it's because we haven't shown them how or they haven't enjoyed it," he says. To address this, GGG introduced the "Call the Weak" skill after launch, allowing players to access Frenzy charges without having to rely on parries. This change opened up build diversity, especially for elemental and whirlwind-focused Hunter builds, but it also highlighted a broader lesson: testing skills in isolation doesn't capture the full player experience. Jonathan emphasises the importance of playing a profession from level one through to the endgame to truly understand its flow - a process that revealed gaps in the original Huntress design.
For players struggling with Huntress, Jonathan is considering streaming his own gameplay to demonstrate the "right" way to play, possibly between class announcements and releases. This transparency could bridge the gap between developer vision and player execution, especially for newcomers intimidated by the class's complexity.
Community feedback: Listening, Iterating, and Avoiding the “Early Access” Excuse
The Path of Exile 2 early access launch was a rollercoaster. With unprecedented player numbers came unprecedented criticism, particularly around monster speed, balance, and the third and fourth Ascendancy trials. Jonathan doesn't shy away from the heat. “We've never had the community this unhappy,” he admits, but he sees it as a chance to refine the game. His approach? Reproduce the problem himself before making any changes. “I'm not going to believe something's bad until I feel it suck for myself,” he says, ensuring tweaks align with both player feedback and his vision for a fun game.
Take monster speed, for example. Players complained about feeling swarmed, which led GGG to discover an interrupt event bug where monsters would chase players mid-combo, creating a frantic pace. By disabling this for most of the game's 400+ monsters (set to exceed 700 by full release), combat felt less overwhelming without changing the core speed. This iterative process - identify, test, fix - defines GGG's response to feedback, with daily patch notes during the 0.2 launch to keep players in the loop.
Jonathan's stance on early access is refreshingly grounded. "We don't have a right to the player's forgiveness," he says, rejecting the idea that an early access label excuses bugs. While the polished feel of Path of Exile 2 makes it easy to forget that it's not a finished product, he insists on delivering an enjoyable experience now, not later. This attitude has earned him the respect of fans, as evidenced by YouTube comments praising his accountability.
Balancing Fun vs. Balance: The Eternal ARPG Struggle
As game director, Jonathan leans toward fun over rigid balance. "I'm usually the one pushing for more fun," he says, advocating readable, intuitive gameplay where "if you expect it to work, it should work". However, he acknowledges the need for balance to maintain build diversity. Overpowered mechanics can funnel players into a single meta, reducing the long-term enjoyment of experimenting with new builds - a core pillar of Path of Exile's replayability.
The 0.2 patch nerfs, which targeted overpowered builds that trivialised content, caused significant backlash. Jonathan understands why: "When you play and your character gets nerfed, it feels like your character is ruined." To mitigate this, GGG paired nerfs with new content like the Huntress and Wisp mechanics, hoping to soften the blow. However, he reflects on an unintended consequence: "The nerfs made veteran players feel like they sucked, a feeling that no one enjoys. Going forward, with the balance now in a "normalised" state, GGG plans to focus on buffs to increase fun without breaking the game.
The Wisp Mechanic: A Step Toward a Richer Endgame
The Wisp mechanic, introduced in 0.2, isn't a full-fledged league but a taste of what's to come. Designed to add "overlapping axes of randomness" to the endgame, Wisps inhabit monsters, bosses or strongboxes, creating unique combat scenarios. Jonathan explains that this addresses a key early access shortcoming: the lack of dynamic endgame content. Compared to Path of Exile 1's Tormented Spirits or Abyss mechanics, Wisps are relatively easy to develop, using existing assets such as bear and deer models with minimal new VFX.
However, players have found Wisps to be unrewarding, despite a 300% rarity boost and additional drop slots. Jonathan is already looking into this and suspects an issue with the item drop system. Expect tweaks in patch 0.3 to make Wisps feel more impactful, along with more mechanics to enrich the endgame - a necessity for a full release that can rival the depth of Path of Exile 1.
Campaign Repetition: A Thorny Issue with No Easy Fix
One of the biggest gripes from Path of Exile veterans is the campaign's repetition. With Path of Exile 2's slower, more methodical pace and dual difficulties (Normal and Cruel), replaying the campaign for new characters can feel like a slog. Jonathan disagrees with the idea that the campaign and endgame are separate entities. "The only difference is that the order of areas is fixed in the campaign," he argues, noting that endgame maps can also feel repetitive after dozens of runs.
His solution? Make the campaign inherently fun. Leagues introduce new mechanics to keep it fresh, and different classes change the feel of bosses. He also points to power-up items and currency from endgame runs that should speed up subsequent playthroughs. However, he acknowledges gaps, such as underpowered leveling uniques, and plans to address these to respect players' time. While shortcuts or alternate routes aren't on the horizon, Jonathan is open to improving the campaign's replayability through better rewards and variety.
Catering to Newbies and Veterans: A Delicate Dance
Balancing Path of Exile 2 for new players like Zeke (who bounced off Path of Exile 1 but logged 55 hours in Path of Exile 2) and veterans like Zizaran is, in Jonathan's words, “a smaller target to hit.” He believes there's a Venn diagram overlap where both can thrive, achieved by removing incidental complexity (like Path of Exile 1's gem socketing) without sacrificing depth. For example, a planned feature (possibly not yet live) would allow players to import build files to highlight passive tree nodes and gem support, helping newcomers without spoon-feeding them. Jonathan is adamant about keeping this optional - players should seek out guides, not have them thrust upon them, preserving the joy of discovery.
The Future: More Content, Better Communication
Looking ahead, patch 0.3 will prioritize fixing outstanding issues (like Ascendancy trial monster difficulty and Wisp rewards) while introducing new content. Jonathan has learned from the 0.2 hiatus, exacerbated by the Christmas break, and has added "make sure players aren't unhappy" to the scope document. He's also committed to maintaining Path of Exile 1's development, addressing concerns about its slowdown, and ensuring that both games cater to their respective audiences without diverging too far philosophically.
On the competitive front, Jonathan isn't obsessed with rivals like Diablo IV or Last Epoch. He respects their contributions and even considered delaying Path of Exile 2's release to avoid clashing with Last Epoch, only to be thwarted by New Zealand's holiday schedule. His focus remains on making Path of Exile 2 the best it can be and letting the game speak for itself.
Thanks for Reading
Jonathan Rogers' interview offers a rare glimpse into the heart of Path of Exile 2's development—a journey of passion, iteration, and relentless pursuit of fun. Whether you're parrying with the Huntress or grinding endgame maps, GGG is listening and evolving. Stay tuned to MMOJUGG for more insights into the game, and keep an eye on Path of Exile 2 as it continues on its path to greatness.
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