The path of Exile 2 is under fire: Steam reviews are plummeting after just two days. The Dawn of the Hunt patch introduced so many tweaks that fans are fuming across the board.

The fall from grace can be sudden. While Path of Exile 2 isn’t a failure just yet, Grinding Gear Games’ action-RPG has triggered a wave of criticism and negative reviews practically overnight. Once hailed as one of the biggest launches of 2024, boasting over half a million active players, the game has now hit turbulence after its first major update, Dawn of the Hunt, unleashed a flood of backlash on Steam.

Though the title was a breakout hit at launch, its recent performance on Valve’s platform tells a different story: only 55% of recent reviews are positive. The overall rating is still hovering at 77%, but if the trend continues, that number could nosedive quickly.

Why Are Players So Upset With the First Major Patch?

Much of the frustration stems from sweeping changes in Dawn of the Hunt. The update added a brand-new class, over 100 new skill gems and unique items, and reworked large chunks of the endgame. But what really enraged the community were nerfs to many fan-favorite builds, making progression slower and leaving players more vulnerable to crowd control effects like stuns and freezes.

As a result, leveling in Path of Exile 2 now feels like a slog. Even basic enemies are difficult to dispatch, and forums are filled with complaints that the enemies still behave like in Path of Exile 1—fast and swarming—despite the sequel’s more deliberate, combo-driven combat.

The backlash has even reached top streamers, some of whom have gone on record calling this the worst phase they’ve ever experienced in the franchise. Frustration around progression has become the dominant narrative, eroding goodwill within the community.

Although the game remains in Early Access, giving Grinding Gear Games time to respond and rebalance, the clock is ticking. With rivals like Last Epoch and Diablo 4 waiting in the wings, PoE 2 risks losing its player base if things don’t turn around fast.

Source: 3djuegos