PoE2: Future Updates to Shift Focus from New Classes

If you're a fan of *Path of Exile 2*, you might have noticed the buzz around new classes and how they'll fit into the game's future updates. During a recent Q&A session, Game Director Jonathan Rogers shed light on the development strategy moving forward, particularly regarding the introduction of new classes. Rogers expressed that while he'd love to see a new class in every release, the development process has taught them a valuable lesson: focusing on classes can lead to unpredictable timelines and delays. He mentioned, 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 reason behind this shift in focus is the tradeoff between having a fixed release date and an uncertain amount of content. 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 emphasized the importance of a fixed release schedule, stating, 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. As a result, players shouldn't expect new classes with every patch due to the unpredictability of their development.

However, Rogers assured fans that they will see new Ascendancies in every upcoming patch. He also expressed his enthusiasm for adding more classes post-Early Access, saying, 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. This approach aims to provide players with consistent updates and progress without the long waits that new class development might cause.

In addition to the class development strategy, Rogers touched on the upcoming *Dawn of the Hunt* patch, which will introduce over 100 new skills, support gems, and unique gear focused on the midgame and endgame. A significant change will be the increased difficulty of bosses. Rogers noted that the power progression needs to be adjusted to prevent players from trivializing the endgame too quickly. He stated, There are certainly some things that are going to have to be nerfed because they’re completely trivializing certain mechanics. The goal is to ensure that players can reach a point of power, but not before they've experienced the full climb.

Rogers was particularly disappointed with how quickly players defeated Pinnacle Bosses in the past, mentioning an instance where a boss was defeated in just fourteen seconds. He hopes that the new progression and balance changes will make the initial encounter with Pinnacle Bosses much more challenging and rewarding. He explained, 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.

Regarding the game's difficulty, Rogers is content with the current state of the campaign in *Path of Exile 2*. Despite initial complaints about the difficulty being too high or too low, he believes that players will find the experience more manageable as they become more familiar with the game. 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. Rogers also pointed out that players often mistake their own improvement for changes in the game's balance, saying, 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.