Summary
With Path of Exile 2's 1.0 release on the horizon, Grinding Gear Games has signaled a shift in philosophy. Instead of simply nerfing the strongest builds into the ground, they're talking about raising the floor—making more skills, weapons, and archetypes viable so players have real choices. For those looking to experiment with these newly viable options, you can always buy POE2 Currency to gear up faster. This article breaks down five areas where GGG should focus their buffs in patch 0.5.5 to prepare for launch.
1. Underperforming Skills
This is the most obvious area. There's a slew of skills in PoE2 that aren't just "slightly worse than the meta"—they're outright unusable. You can invest heavily, get the right gear, and build around them properly, yet they still don't compete. They're not even close.
The Problem: Some skills are so weak that using them feels like intentionally gimping yourself. That shouldn't be the case. Artificial challenge should come from self-imposed rules, not from using skills that are fundamentally broken.
What GGG Should Do:
Buff base damage on underperforming skills
Improve scaling mechanics
Rework how certain skills function or combo with others
Address not just the top 5 skills but the 20-40 that are significantly behind
Why It Matters: If Lightning Arrow is too strong, nerfing it by 20% helps, but buffing 30 weak skills creates a far greater impact on the game and player base. Players want more viable options, not fewer.
2. Melee and Weaker Weapon Archetypes
Melee has problems that ranged characters simply don't face:
You have to be cheek-to-cheek with enemies
Animation commitment leaves you exposed
You're vulnerable to attacks ranged characters can avoid
If your clear isn't good, you spend time chasing enemies
Stunning enemies pushes them away from you—a terrible feel
The Solution:
Adding another 10% damage doesn't fix melee. The gameplay itself needs work. This is where GGG's comments about adding new skills to existing weapon archetypes are encouraging.
What I'd Like to See:
Better clear tools for weapons like quarterstaves
More than just fire and physical options for maces (chaos, cold, lightning variants)
Defensive skills baked into weapon kits
Better bossing tools for struggling archetypes
If one weapon has five great skills and another has two nobody wants, players will gravitate to the same builds forever. Every weapon doesn't need to be equally powerful, but more should reach a point where you choose one because you like the playstyle, not because you're accepting a worse character.
3. Damage Over Time and Chaos Damage
This one has actual backing from GGG themselves. They've talked about wanting to improve DoT and chaos damage for a while, so we have good reason to be optimistic.
The Current State:
Some builds clear screens, delete bosses, and move at lightning speed with minimal investment. Meanwhile, ignite builds need a spreadsheet to figure out why their damage isn't working—and even then, it's often not enough. DoT builds feel like the redheaded stepchild of PoE2 right now.
What GGG Could Address:
Better base damage for DoT skills
Improved scaling mechanics
Reworking how ignite works in PoE2
Passive tree changes for DoT and chaos
Redesigning certain skills from the ground up
If you're playing poison, ignite, or bleed, I'd be optimistic about patch 0.5.5 addressing your archetype.
4. Weaker Ascendancies
Your ascendancy is supposed to be a substantial part of your character. You spend time grinding through trials (everyone's favorite activity!) to make this big choice. You should feel the impact of that choice.
The Disparity:
Some ascendancies have the power of two passive points compared to another's full eight points. The Martial Artist and Spirit Walker are fantastic, but others like Lich and Gemling need help. Some ascendancies immediately communicate what they're for; others leave you wondering what you're actually getting.
What GGG Should Do:
Not necessarily make every ascendancy equally strong (that's impossible)
Make weaker ascendancies more compelling
Add 1-2 nodes to struggling classes (like they did with Gemling Legionnaire in 0.5)
Create interactions that make you think, "I could make a super cool build with this node"
GGG has changed ascendancies a ton during Early Access. Another pass to bring the weakest ones up would add meaningful options to the game.
