Why Does Clearing an Area in Path of Exile Feel Empty Now?
I have been dragging my feet writing this. That alone should say something.
It makes me sad that this needs to be said. I was enjoying Path of Exile. I was genuinely looking forward to new leagues in both Path of Exile 1 and Path of Exile 2. I wanted to be excited about where these games were going.
Keepers of the Flame started off fine. I was having fun. Then something became impossible to ignore. As I progressed through Acts 1 through 10, I was not receiving loot that mattered to my character.
I kept playing, assuming it would correct itself.
It didn’t.
The Core Gameplay Loop Quietly Changed
At some point, the focus shifted.
I stopped killing monsters to get stronger. I started clearing areas to feed systems. I was hunting breaches to collect blood. I was expanding a tree designed to give me items later. I was gambling more, hoping the game would eventually give me something usable.
The goal was no longer tied to clearing an area well.
The goal became accumulating currency to engage with mechanics.
That change matters because it alters how progression feels. Progress stops being tied to skill and momentum. It becomes delayed, abstract, and conditional.
Why Merchant Tabs Are Pay to Win in 2025
This is where the problem becomes impossible to ignore.
When relevant gear stops dropping on the ground, players are pushed toward buying upgrades from other players. Trade becomes the most reliable path forward. Speed matters. Visibility matters. Convenience becomes power.
Merchant tabs allow instant selling. Items are listed automatically. Buyers find them faster. Sales happen without interaction.
Players without merchant tabs must actively manage trades. They need to respond to messages. They need to be online. Their items sell slower or not at all.
In a game where progression increasingly depends on trade, faster selling equals faster upgrades. That is power. That is an advantage. That is pay to win.
This is only one mechanic, but it is an important one. Both Path of Exile 1 and Path of Exile 2 now rely on systems that reward players who pay for efficiency when the core loot loop fails to deliver.
Where the Gear Actually Went
Grinding Gear Games adds a new mechanic every three to four months. That takes time, effort, and money. Those mechanics need incentives for players to engage with them.
The gear ends up there.
If meaningful upgrades dropped consistently during the campaign, there would be less reason to engage with those mechanics. The rewards are redirected. The ground loot becomes filler. The real progression lives elsewhere.
The outcome is predictable. Players clear familiar areas without anticipation. They move forward because they have to, not because they are excited about what might drop.
The Campaign Lost Its Reward
Every league requires players to run Acts 1 through 10 again. These are areas most players know by heart.
What made that repetition enjoyable was loot.
Two items dropping and having to decide which one fits your build better. A weapon upgrade that made combat feel smoother immediately. That quiet sense that your time mattered.
Those moments are largely gone.
I asked friends what their gear looked like while progressing. The answer was consistent. Gear underleveled by ten levels or more. Weapons that should have been replaced hours earlier.
For gear dependent classes, this feels punishing. Damage lags behind. Survivability drops. Difficulty spikes without meaningful tools to respond… except the game mechanics the gear is locked behind.
Loot Drops Without Relevance
Gear still drops. The issue is relevance.
While playing a Witch, wand upgrades were rare. What dropped instead were claws and bows. Over and over. The game was rewarding me in theory while ignoring my class in practice.
On the surface, frequent game updates sound positive. They keep the game active. They give players new things to do. When those updates undermine core progression, they erode something fundamental. That erosion is now visible.
Why Path of Exile 2 Feels Worse
Everything described above is amplified in Path of Exile 2.
Combat is harsher. Mistakes are punished more heavily. Encounters demand better gear and tighter execution. When progression stalls, frustration sets in faster.
I stopped forcing myself to have fun.
I want to feel like clearing an area matters. I want progress to come from playing well, not from feeding a system until it pays out.
I quietly uninstalled both games.
Later, I found out my friends had done the same thing. No planning. No discussion. One of them had purchased a $100 supporter pack and stopped playing after about a week.
That should worry someone.
Path of Exile Forgot Its Roots
Path of Exile was inspired by Diablo 2.
In Diablo 2, clearing an area meant gear dropped on the ground. Sometimes it was incredible. Sometimes it was just good enough. Either way, it moved you forward.
I reinstalled Diablo 3 recently. I cleared an area. Gear dropped. I got an upgrade.
It was not perfect. It was not game changing gear. But… it mattered.
That “Yay!” feeling came back immediately.
The Bigger Issue Beneath the Loot
This goes beyond one league or one mechanic.
Path of Exile has optimized itself around engagement systems. Progression has been abstracted away from moment to moment gameplay. When rewards stop feeling immediate and personal, motivation fades.
Players do not leave because they hate the game. They leave because the game stops respecting their time.
If clearing an area no longer feels rewarding, players will stop clearing areas.
Path of Exile built its identity on meaningful loot drops and earned progression. When those foundations weaken, systems and monetization step in to fill the gap.
Fun comes from feeling stronger because you played well.
That is the part worth protecting.
