As great as the hack ‘n slash Path of Exile is, there has been a problem for some time. Melee combat is significantly less effective than ranged combat. This is exactly what the developers want to address in the upcoming update.
What is the problem? In the successful action RPG Path of Exile, it makes little sense to play a melee character, at least if you want to focus solely on melee combat. That’s why you mostly see ranged fighters and mages running around in the game, or players who use swords but also rely on magic.
This is because, in Path of Exile, especially in fights against masses of enemies, it’s important to take them out as quickly as possible. A mage or ranged fighter has less trouble with this. Area spells, for example, wipe out entire hordes of enemies in seconds.
Especially in leagues that have increasingly focused on speed, melee characters have simply become pointless.
As a melee fighter, you find yourself in the thick of it and face the enemies essentially one by one. This is simply not effective, which is why players of the hack ‘n slash have been complaining about it for quite some time.
Melee fighters need to become effective again
How is the development studio reacting now? The team does not go into the exact changes, but it is said that there will be significant balance optimizations for melee combat in the upcoming update 3.7.0.
The developers are aware of the problem and will finally address it.
How are the fans reacting? Discussions are already happening over Reddit. What might this optimization look like? Players agree that this is a desperately needed adjustment for the game. There is hope that after the update, it will make much more sense to play melee fighters.
- Galeforce77 writes on Reddit: “God, I hope this doesn’t just include elemental adjustments. A gladiator should feel like a gladiator.”
- dickturd9000 explains: “Hopefully these are fundamental changes so that melee combat doesn’t mean playing a mage with a sword.”
When is the update coming? Grind Gear Games plans to launch update 3.7.0 along with a new small league between May 17 and 24. The update should be released for all versions of Path of Exile, including the recently launched PS4 version.
