• 2017 last time played (PoE 1)
  
• 200 hours in PoE 2
  
• level 90 witchhunter
  
• quitting the game now

Is it worth the ~30 bucks? Absolutely. (+ I trust GGG will address many of the frustrating issues in the endgame...)

CAMPAIGN
The campaign alone justifies the early access price.

1. Great storytelling
   
2. Outstanding voice acting
   
3. Incredible boss fights
   
4. Amazing gameplay pacing (I really loved the level up -> check vendors for potential upgrades cycle)
   
5. Pressing buttons feels veeery good

ENDGAME
The endgame is not only very undercooked but also very frustrating in multiple ways: leveling up, progressing, upgrading gear, and simply playing your character (not always, but most of the time)

1. Level up -> check vendors for potential upgrades = "GONE". Not really but pretty much useless in endgame.
   
2. You HAVE to use GGGs TRADE SITE for upgrading your gear or your screwed (unless you're a veteran who knows what to pick up, when to craft, and how).
   
3. You SHOULD also use third-party tools like Sidekick or Exiled Exchange 2 or something else or you endgame experience will suffer greatly.
   
4. If you still decide to craft without deeper knowledge -> Crafting = RNG, have fun :) (I personally don't like it at all).
   
5. Ascendancy progression is locked behind 2 types of trials, both heavily RNG-based and requiring very little skill. Set 1 and Set 2 are easy, good luck, have fun with Set 3 and 4.
   
6. Waystones mechanic (MAPS in PoE 1) is extremely punishing (1 death = Map gone; 10% XP gone; Boss gone; Breach gone; Every other Icon + Modifier gone). This might be acceptable IF...
   
7. ...VISUAL CLARITY wasn’t the absolute worst in gaming history. So many one-shot and on-death mechanics... EVERYONE on the internet seems to hate this in particular, and for good reason.

(Video) Visual clarity is bad, REALLY BAD. This is what will frustrate every single one of you :) (+ obviously all the on-death effects):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8KHK1igUu8&list=PL8InGed9Mc4m_AlhBw5UMSwrsl2H6iW8h&index=2&pp=gAQBiAQB

(Video) Proof of how RNG-based the Trial of the Sekhemas truly is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC7Tp97Aibw&list=PL8InGed9Mc4m_AlhBw5UMSwrsl2H6iW8h&index=1&pp=gAQBiAQB

[list] [*]2017 last time played (PoE 1) [*]200 hours in PoE 2 [*]level 90 witchhunter [*]quitting the game now [/list] Is it worth the ~30 bucks? [b] Absolutely. [/b] (+ I trust GGG will address many of the frustrating issues in the endgame...) CAMPAIGN [h1] 9/10 [/h1] The campaign alone justifies the early access price. [olist] [*]Great storytelling [*]Outstanding voice acting [*]Incredible boss fights [*]Amazing gameplay pacing (I really loved the level up -> check vendors for potential upgrades cycle) [*]Pressing buttons feels veeery good [/olist] ENDGAME [h1] 3/10 [/h1] The endgame is not only very undercooked but also very frustrating in multiple ways: leveling up, progressing, upgrading gear, and simply playing your character (not always, but most of the time) [olist] [*]Level up -> check vendors for potential upgrades = "GONE". Not really but pretty much useless in endgame. [*]You HAVE to use GGGs TRADE SITE for upgrading your gear or your screwed (unless you're a veteran who knows what to pick up, when to craft, and how). [*]You SHOULD also use [b]third-party tools[/b] like Sidekick or Exiled Exchange 2 or something else or you endgame experience will suffer greatly. [*]If you still decide to craft without deeper knowledge -> Crafting = RNG, have fun :) (I personally don't like it at all). [*]Ascendancy progression is locked behind 2 types of trials, both heavily RNG-based and requiring very little skill. Set 1 and Set 2 are easy, good luck, have fun with Set 3 and 4. [*]Waystones mechanic (MAPS in PoE 1) is extremely punishing (1 death = [b]Map gone; 10% XP gone; Boss gone; Breach gone; Every other Icon + Modifier gone[/b]). This might be acceptable IF... [*]...[b]VISUAL CLARITY[/b] wasn’t [b]the absolute worst in gaming history[/b]. So many one-shot and on-death mechanics... EVERYONE on the internet seems to hate this in particular, and for good reason. [/olist] (Video) Visual clarity is bad, REALLY BAD. This is what will frustrate every single one of you :) (+ obviously all the on-death effects): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8KHK1igUu8&list=PL8InGed9Mc4m_AlhBw5UMSwrsl2H6iW8h&index=2&pp=gAQBiAQB (Video) Proof of how RNG-based the Trial of the Sekhemas truly is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC7Tp97Aibw&list=PL8InGed9Mc4m_AlhBw5UMSwrsl2H6iW8h&index=1&pp=gAQBiAQB