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80 Hours In And Playing Path Of Exile 2 On Controller May Not Be The Right Call

Kate Sánchez Posted:
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Editorials 0

Path of Exile 2  has been my hyperfixation since it was the review period for Early Access. With about 80ish hours in the game, so far, and more to come, Grinding Gear Games’ dedication to making this sequel accessible to new players isn’t just commendable but a masterclass in how to do so. One of the chief ways that the barrier to entry was lowered was by investing time and consideration into the game’s control. 

One of the new additions to POE2 was WASD controls. This allows players to move their character with the WASD Keys in addition to the traditional ARPG click-to-move control scheme. It’s an addition that allows the game to open itself up to new players and continue to give players agency in customizing their play experience. Additionally, having developed for console simultaneously (and not done as an afterthought), the gameplay is seamless from mouse and keyboard to controller. 

On the whole, playing Path of Exile 2 on a controller is my preferred way to play. A lot of work has clearly been done to help adjust and balance the targeting assistance to help compensate for not having a mouse to click your target. Sure, there are some hiccups occasionally, but I’ve never felt at a disadvantage while playing on a controller. And up until around 20ish hours, there really weren’t any noticeable differences in how I played and how my co-op partner played. Then, we started to get more involved with the systems, and that’s where things started changing. 

The UI for the controller and mouse-and-keyboard inputs are entirely different. This means that the HUD, the menus, and even the chat function work differently and appear differently to the player, depending on what you choose. This also means that while you can move from using  WASD controls to point-to-move whenever you want, switching from controller to mouse and keyboard requires you to log out entirely. 

At first, the little annoyance of accidentally logging in with the enter key didn’t amount to much for me. But when I started communicating with my co-op partner on how to see how many charges they had in their flasks, how to equip their support gems outside of the recommended ones, and even look at gear they linked in chat, the divide between experiencing POE2 on the different inputs came into focus. 

Understanding that having two completely different UI makes learning with a co-op partner harder than it should be. It causes lags in communication. More frustratingly, though, until we realized that we were looking at the same systems displayed in different ways, it created friction when trying to explain specific elements like discussing builds, stash tabs, support gems (and skill gems, for that matter), 

It’s no surprise that in simplifying the UI for controller input, some elements were condensed or removed entirely, especially on console. However, the inability to switch between mouse and keyboard to controller and back is the most frustrating thing I’ve experienced while POE2. And that came into focus when I was looking to buy new stash tabs during a sale. 

As two first-timers in Path of Exile, we didn’t want to spend the coins we had gotten with Early Access. So we asked around and got a list of stash tabs to buy to make our life easier. I tried to buy each one individually, but when I recounted what I purchased and needed, my partner kept saying “Just put it in your cart.” The only problem is that on controller there is no cart icon. 

Path of Exile 2 Input Menu

Instead, it’s all click to buy. With no cart and a smaller viewable selection, watching a screenshare of my partner show me what to buy really didn’t help. Ultimately, I logged out and came back with mouse and keyboard selected. Problem solved. 

Inherently, I understand why the two UIs are different. Mouse and keyboard offer much more freedom when navigating information over a large screen. A controller input requires moving through menus and systems as simply as possible with triggers or bumpers only allowing a few number input variations. While the adjustments made to hotbars and flask management with a controller are intuitive, the character screens and shop tab are sometimes too simplistic for their own good. 

Add in the fact that linking items is close to impossible on controller once you bring up chat, and chatting in general is a rough navigation, and playing on controller finally seems to be putting me at a disadvantage. Controller also makes it difficult to navigate tooltips effectively, which made my learning curve for elemental damage, understanding what counted as support spells, and other elements crucial to understanding my build all the more steeper than the person I was playing with. 

POE2 has notably excelled in adapting its signatures, expansive passive skills tree, and even socket system for newcomers. In fact, there isn’t a single element of the game that hasn’t been thought of from the perspective of reaching someone who hasn’t played POE before or even an ARPG. Because of that, the oversimplification of the controller HUD and menus stands out like a sore thumb. 

The takeaway is that If you know you’re going to be in your stash tabs, chat, or about to spend your in-game currency, just log in with mouse and keyboard instead. This isn’t enough to put down the controller entirely, but it is enough to give me my first real gripe with a game I love. 


ohymymithrandir

Kate Sánchez

Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles.