Grinding Gear Games introduced a type of loot boxes with the Salvage Boxes into the action RPG Path of Exile. The community’s reaction was extremely negative.
What did Grind Gear Games announce: The studio wanted to introduce a new type of loot boxes with the Salvage Boxes into the hack ‘n slash Path of Exile.
The basic idea behind this was as follows: You put duplicate items that you got from the previous Mystery Boxes into these Salvage Boxes. You now destroy these items in the box and receive rewards in the form of higher-tier microtransactions that you otherwise find in the regular Mystery Boxes (except for exclusive items). The more valuable the destroyed item is, the higher the chance of receiving better rewards.
Essentially, it is a new loot box that gives you a loot box with random items. And among these, there could also be duplicate items again.
A Salvage Box costs 30 POE Points and can be used once. You can buy 50 points for 5 dollars.
Negative Reactions to New Loot Box
How did players react to the Salvage Box? The outcry was great. There was a deluge of criticism from the community. Until now, Path of Exile was known for having a very fair item shop and is considered a very good free-to-play game. However, the Salvage Box did not go down well at all.
Players felt that such an item should actually be available for free in the game. Many like the idea of destroying duplicate items to receive something new. However, having to pay for it is out of the question. Within a few hours, an extremely large amount of negative feedback accumulated. Players even threatened to boycott Path of Exile.
The Developers React Immediately
What was the developers’ reaction? Only four hours after the announcement, Grind Gear Games backtracked. The Salvage Boxes were removed from the item shop. However, those who have already purchased one can still use it.
“Today we released the Salvage Box, a mystery box that increases the value of its rewards when you destroy duplicate microtransactions,” explained GGG’s Chris Wilson. “The community’s feedback on this feature was extremely negative. We have removed this box from sale.”
This quick reaction is highly appreciated by the Path of Exile community towards the developers. However, the developer studio’s shine has lost some luster with this action.
