The game director of Path of Exile 2, Jonathan Rogers, recently shared insights on the development and future updates of the game. In a detailed Q&A session, he explained why new classes will not be the primary focus of future patches, and provided updates on other aspects of the game.

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

You Can Expect More Ascendancies Instead

During the Q&A session, Rogers emphasized that the development team has learned from past experiences that introducing a new class in every patch can lead to unpredictable delays. 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."

The focus on the Huntress for the next patch, for example, resulted in multiple shifts in the release date. Rogers explained, "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 added that prioritizing a fixed release date over the inclusion of new classes would be more beneficial for consistent updates. "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," Rogers noted.

Rogers highlighted the importance of delivering updates in a timely manner to keep players engaged. "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," he 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."

Despite the shift away from new classes, Rogers assured fans that new Ascendancies will be a regular feature in upcoming patches. He also expressed enthusiasm for adding more classes post-Early Access, stating, "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."

Path of Exile 2 Dawn of the Hunt Brings More Changes to Endgame

Promising the End to Be A Lot Harder

Along with the Huntress, the upcoming patch will introduce over 100 new skills, support gems, and unique gear, with a particular focus on enhancing midgame and endgame experiences. Rogers emphasized that the goal is to make bosses significantly harder. "There are certainly some things that are going to have to be nerfed because they’re completely trivializing certain mechanics," he explained. "People are getting [to] the point of complete outrageousness a little bit too early."

Rogers expressed disappointment over how quickly players were able to defeat Pinnacle Bosses in the past. He envisions a scenario where the first encounter with a Pinnacle Boss is challenging, stating, "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."

The focus of the balance changes, according to Rogers, is to extend the time it takes for players to reach peak power levels. "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," he said. "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 is Happy With Its "Ruthless" Difficulty

Things Aren’t Easier, You Just Got Better

The difficulty of Path of Exile 2's campaign has sparked debate among players, with some finding it too easy and others too hard. Rogers expressed satisfaction with the current difficulty level, suggesting that player opinions may evolve over time. He noted that many complaints stemmed from players comparing their experiences with the previous game.

Rogers is optimistic that as players become more familiar with the game, the difficulty will feel more appropriate. "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," he said. He added that if the difficulty continues to be an issue, they would gather more data to make necessary adjustments.

He concluded, "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."