"PoE2: Future Updates to Shift Focus from New Classes"

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Path of Exile 2’s game director, Jonathan Rogers, recently shared insights into the future direction of class development in Path of Exile 2. According to Rogers, new character classes will no longer be a central focus of major patches moving forward. The decision stems from lessons learned during the development cycle of the upcoming "Dawn of the Hunt" expansion and the desire to maintain a consistent release schedule.

Below, we break down the reasons behind this shift in strategy and explore what players can expect in terms of content updates and endgame improvements.

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

You Can Expect More Ascendancies Instead

During a recent Q&A session, Game Director Jonathan Rogers clarified that while the team would love to introduce a new class in every patch, doing so has proven disruptive to the overall development timeline.

He explained: 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 inclusion of the Huntress class in the next patch caused repeated delays due to its complexity and scope. As a result, Rogers admitted that tying an entire update to the completion of a new class made scheduling unpredictable.

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 noted.

To provide more consistency, the team now plans to focus on delivering regular, meaningful updates without relying on class introductions as a core component of each patch.

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 added.

That said, fans shouldn’t lose hope—Rogers expressed his enthusiasm for expanding the roster of classes post-Early Access. In the meantime, players can look forward to new Ascendancy options in every major update.

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, he concluded.

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

Promising the End to Be A Lot Harder

In addition to the Huntress, the Dawn of the Hunt update brings over 100 new skills, support gems, and unique gear items designed to enhance both midgame and endgame experiences. However, one of the most notable shifts in this patch involves balancing progression difficulty—particularly when it comes to boss encounters.

Game Director Rogers acknowledged that certain builds were reaching absurd levels of power too early in the game, effectively trivializing endgame content. He stated:

There are certainly some things that are going to have to be nerfed because they’re completely trivializing certain mechanics. People are getting [to] the point of complete outrageousness a little bit too early.

He emphasized that players should eventually reach that level of dominance—but not until later in their journey.

I think that you need to be able to get to the point of outrageousness at some point, but you don’t want it to be that you get to that point before you even finish your initial climb.

This sentiment was reinforced by Rogers’ disappointment in how quickly Pinnacle Bosses were defeated in previous leagues—some within mere seconds due to highly optimized builds.

His vision? That the first encounter with a Pinnacle Boss should be a true test of skill and build optimization.

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, he elaborated.

Rogers confirmed that many of the current balance changes are aimed at slowing down the power curve, ensuring players feel the gradual increase in strength that makes the endgame satisfying.

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

Player feedback regarding the campaign difficulty of Path of Exile 2 has been mixed, with some calling it too easy and others labeling it excessively harsh. Rogers, however, remains confident in the game’s design and believes much of the criticism stems from comparisons to the original Path of Exile.

He noted: 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.

Additionally, he pointed out a recurring theme among returning players:

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.

With that in mind, Rogers remains optimistic that players will come to appreciate the challenge presented in Path of Exile 2, especially as they become more familiar with its systems and mechanics.

For more news, updates, and in-depth analysis of Path of Exile 2, stay tuned to [ttpp].