I really enjoyed playing Path of Exile 1 so naturally I jumped right into POE2 when it came available. But I don't think this is the right move for everyone.

In this post I'll share why it makes sense for some ppl to play in early access but for a lot of others to wait.

Some data about Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2 is available now in early access by buying one of the supporter packs starting at $30. Early access generally means that the game is not yet complete and that's definitely the case for POE2.

• POE2 is expected to be in early access for about 6 months - ~2025.06. When it leaves early access, it's expected to go free to play.
• POE2 currently has 3/6 story acts complete. Basically you play acts 1-3 twice in order to "beat" the game and access endgame material. But you're still missing half the actual story (though story is generally not the main draw of POE games)
• POE2 on has 6/12 classes available - meaning the skill tree will have an inevitable large overhaul when they do arrive.
• Early Access players have uncovered many major bugs like falling outside of maps, getting locked out of areas, and ofc balancing issues of all kinds in terms of loot, builds, etc

Should you play Path of Exile 2 right now?

I think this depends on who you are and what you like.

If you're a hardcore Path of Exile fan then it may make sense. This is someone who plays multiple characters from start to endgame, enjoys the minmaxxing of the skill tree each season, and / or is a creator so gets smth out of exploring each major overhaul of the game. For these people it may make sense to play right now - you can give the dev team feedback, create good content, and you probably enjoy POE's frequent overhauls.

If you're a regular / casual player waiting may make more sense - at least until all the classes and campaign acts are available. You save $30, you get a game that has all promised content, and it will have gone through 1000s of hours of play testing / balancing so you (hopefully) don't hit any game breaking bugs.

I loved POE1 so much that I figured I probably was in the first boat. But after playing for a few hours I think it needs more time to cook so find myself in the second boat.

That's okay - once minion builds are buffed (ideally with some nice ascendancies) I'll be back to wipe some mobs.