Path of Exile 2 needs one feature that's inexplicably underrated in ARPGs
Path of Exile 2 is still in early access, and as we go on, we’ll see plenty of new features added to the game. In this ARPG, there are times you’ll suffer deaths you can’t explain or be overwhelmed by enemies and not be sure what did the final blow. With that in mind, I think one of the biggest features Grinding Gear Games could add to PoE 2 is a death recap. Even the simplest one would go a long way in helping players figure out where they are lacking.
Of course, you can make the argument that “PoE 1 doesn’t have one and it works just fine” — and I guess that’s a fair statement. But just because the previous game doesn’t have a death recap doesn’t mean Path of Exile 2 shouldn’t have one. I think the previous game ought to as well, quite frankly. Not sure what killed you in a Trial of Chaos? A bit of extra information would go a long way.
Path of Exile 2 desperately needs to add a death recap feature to the game
Especially in the endgame of Path of Exile 2, having a death recap feature would do a lot to help players figure out what exactly beat them. Games like PoE 2 can be overwhelming when it comes to visual clarity — being able to see exactly what’s going on at all times on the screen. For example, I primarily play an Infernalist Minion Witch — that means Fire Walls and tons of minions running around on top of everything else on the screen.
The deeper you get into endgame territory, the harder it will be to see what’s going on. Lots of elites, minions, and attacks all happening at once make it hard to see where your build is falling apart. I’m not suggesting it be perfect, or go back like 15-30 seconds, either. Even having a death recap in Path of Exile 2 that goes back for say, 5-7 seconds, could give you a lot of info.
Are you suffering lots of crits? Are the enemies hitting for elemental attacks you didn’t expect? Is your armor too low for the type of map you’re on? All of these and more could be answered with a death recap. It may not be too bad right now but think about five, six, or seven months in the future. Who knows what Path of Exile 2 looks like?
The developers could even make the death recap optional — I know some people don’t care about it at all. I know when I die, I want to have at least a reasonable idea of where I messed up, so a death recap would be a great way to go. When there are 40 enemies on the screen, there’s no real way to know what beats you in many cases.
Sometimes, you’ll die to something that isn’t even on the screen yet in PoE 2, and how are you to know what did it? Even if it were something as simple as Enemy Name, Enemy Attack, Damage, Crit (Yes/No), Elemental Type, or something along those lines, I think it could go a long way to helping players in PoE 2 improve.
That way, you have a good idea of where your defenses are falling off. It’s just a thought, and one that I for one, hope the Grinding Gear Games team looks into for the future.
Check out our other Path of Exile 2 guides and features:
- Path of Exile 2 patch notes 0.1.1: Temporalis nerf, new maps, monster changes, pinnacle encounter respawn, and more
- When will Path of Exile 2 release fully? The developers have answered, but it’s not exact
- Path of Exile 2: How to anoint an Amulet