I never played much PoE but after this last xpac

There are only 2 reasons I can’t go back to POE 1 now.

WASD movement spoiled me with how good it feels

POE 2 skill gem system feels much more intuitive and less restrictive

Poe 1 skill gems being tied directly to an item made any item that wasn’t a perfect 6-link feel useless. While I don’t like how MANY different “augments” (socketables) there are in POE 2, the system itself is much better imo

If you know what you are doing and don't cut skill gems randomly, most if not all of your skills should keep up with the current area level of the content you are doing.

Also, during the campaign, there are many breakpoints where the game will give you skill gems appropriate to your level, regardless of your luck with drops.

I haven't played PoE1 in many years but I vastly prefer the skill gem system in PoE2.

Check vendors and do side stuff along through the campaign. Haven’t had an issue with not having high enough level skill gems, especially with the market and being able to buy shit quick.

Though, each will have its merits. There was something nice about getting that first gem to level 20 in the first, Vaal it, Miss, then purchase the 21 version (this isn’t sarcasm, it was a 10/10 experience).

I noticed some Path of Exile keywords in this post:

• RNG - Random Number Generator or Random Number Generation, i.e. randomness or chance

---

^(I am a bot.) ^| ^(All acronyms) ^| ^(Suggest)

Yeah I feel the exact same way. In PoE1 it was so nice being able to just grind and level up your skill gems whenever you hit a wall — that steady progression felt super rewarding.

PoE2's uncut gem + drop system makes everything way more RNG-dependent and it can be really frustrating early on. I think GGG wanted gems to feel like actual exciting loot instead of something you just passively level, but a lot of us miss the old way.
Though it also feels great to find a lvl 20 skill gem early in a league by pure chance xD