The director of Path of Exile talked about improvements in quality of life (QoL) and explained how the team is enhancing Path of Exile.
Who is he? Mark Roberts is the Game Director of Path of Exile. During a press preview for the new season, he answered questions from MeinMMO and other journalists. We wanted to know how he and the Path of Exile team are handling quality-of-life changes, meaning enhancements to existing aspects of the game.
Mark Roberts candidly revealed the strategy that makes Path of Exile and its successor so good.
Here you can watch the trailer for the new season “Keepers of the Flame”:
Secret strategy ensures good quality
What kind of strategy is that? Mark Roberts explained in the conversation that the Path of Exile team selects 10 themes to improve each season. These are not trivial matters, but 10 different systems and mechanics in the game that they want to revise for the next season.
Since its release in 2013, Path of Exile has received countless new systems, changes, and mechanics that all run parallel in the game. This makes it nearly impossible to improve everything at once. However, by focusing on 10 themes per season, the developers can deliver noticeable improvements in every season without having to overhaul everything each time.
How do they make the selection? Which themes the developers tackle each season is also explained by Mark Roberts. He says the team reviews where the problems are and what could be improved each season. The timing also plays a role.
Thus, systems that need to be unlocked a second or third time are less annoying than a mechanic that players must level up for the tenth or twelfth time before they can use it effectively. Therefore, some changes may only come after years.
Big changes also in the new season
What have they changed this time? In the new season “Keepers of the Flame”, the developers of Path of Exile have again made several improvements to the game’s quality. This time, the developers already explained in several videos on YouTube what players can expect.
One of the changes concerns the NPCs in the Heist endgame. From the new season onwards, these characters no longer need to be leveled up before they can be used effectively. Another change involves the Scrolls of Wisdom. These will be needed much less often, as various NPCs in towns and the hideout can now identify items for free.
However, the biggest change concerns trading. Starting with the new season, players will be able to sell their items easily through an auction house and will no longer need to rely on an active trading system.
That the developers ensure good changes with 10 focal points each season is part of Path of Exile’s success model. The long-term success of the ARPG proves that the strategy works and the developers are successful with their method. More about the new trading system and the other highlights of the new season can be found here: Path of Exile announces new season, finally introduces the new trading system
