Path of Exile 2's latest patch is "build-destroying," and action RPG fans are now stuck with heavy nerfs thanks to astronomical respec costs

2024-12-12

GamesAction RpgPath of Exile 2Path of Exile 2’s latest patch is “build-destroying,” and action RPG fans are now stuck with heavy nerfs thanks to astronomical respec costsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Grinding Gear Games)

Path of Exile 2 screenshot from the opening cinematic trailer, showing someone stood surrounded by flames.

Path of Exile 2just got a significant new update with a veritable feast of bug fixes and improvements, but it’s hard for action RPG players to see the positives when it’s also deployed some “build-destroying” nerfs that some are now stuck using.

Amidst the many tweaks, crash fixes, and squashed bugs detailed in thepatch notesfor Path of Exile 2’s version 0.1.0d update, there are significant changes to “trigger gems and energy gain.” Developer Grinding Gear Games says: “Trigger gem energy gain was not in the right place and it was far too easy to use ailments to trigger spells. One problem with the previous system is that if we balanced it to make triggering happen in boss fights then the triggering would happen far too often during clearing.”

To fix this, it’s incorporating ‘Monster Power’ into the calculation used for energy gain so that it’s “far easier to trigger skills from Unique Monsters than it is from normal monsters” overall. On top of that, the patch notes say there was an issue with players “using low-level skills with unconditional ailment applications such as Flame Wall to ignite enemies for triggering. In order to make the source of the ignite matter we are making the energy gain be dependent on the strength of the ignite. We have also rebalanced all energy gain across the board.”

Over on Reddit, action RPG players haven’t exactly been taking the news well. In particular, builds using Cast on Freeze have been severely impacted, with one saying its energy gain has been"absolutely gutted,“and anotherunlucky player claimingthat they “spent 170k on a respec and it was brutally nerfed within an hour.”

Even before this latest round of nerfs, the game’smassive respec costs had been raised as an issue, but even more people are bringing it up now, since some can’t afford to change away from their newly weakened builds.

“The build-destroying patch notes have completely killed my will to play,“one says. “Not only are 50+ hours of grinding gone, but how am I meant to farm for respec gold on a broken build? Why would I reroll when this can just all happen again?”

“We need to have a free respec because right now my character is completely brick[ed] and I have no way to spec into something else,” argues another. “I believe every time GGG [makes a] change that COMPLETELY rebalances some builds, we should have some free respec.”

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Path of Exile 2 is still in early access, so we can definitely expect more changes to come, but let’s hope players might be given a bit more freedom to work around the alterations.

If you have enough gold to spare, be sure to check out our guide onhow to respec in Path of Exile 2, or take a look at our ranking of thebest Path of Exile 2 classes.

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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”

Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”

4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

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1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

Shadow brandishes a gun in Sonic The Hedgehog 3

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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

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