The upcoming 3.28 update for Path of Exile is generating a lot of discussion in the community. While the game remains one of the most complex and rewarding ARPGs on the market, many players feel that several long-standing systems could use refinement.

Here are seven design and quality-of-life areas that many players, including content creators, believe deserve attention.

1. Ground Loot Needs a Better Identity

Over the past few years, the game has shifted toward a structured loot-tile system where monsters and containers drop predefined rewards. While this improves reward consistency,with POE chaos orbs,it has reduced the excitement of random ground drops.

Many veteran players miss the feeling of target-farming items such as divination cards directly from monsters. The current system isn't necessarily under-rewarding, but it has reduced the organic thrill of finding valuable items on the ground.

The ideal solution may be a hybrid approach—maintaining modern reward structures while reintroducing meaningful random drop moments.

2. Synthesis Item Drops in Synthesis Maps

The handling of synthesis rewards remains confusing.

Players can obtain synthesis-related items more efficiently outside of synthesis-themed maps than inside them, which feels counterintuitive.

In particular, synthesis maps only reliably drop synthesis rewards from special encounters such as certain league mechanics, rather than naturally rewarding players for running them.

Many players want at least a clear explanation or, better yet, a direct fix that allows synthesis items to drop naturally inside synthesis content.

3. Boss Fragment Naming Consistency

The introduction of the three incarnations—neglect, fear, and dread—created unnecessary confusion due to fragment naming mismatches.

The bosses include:

Incarnation of Neglect

Incarnation of Fear

Incarnation of Dread

However, their fragment sources use unrelated “echo” naming conventions, making farming information harder to memorize.

While this is a minor UI and design clarity issue, better naming alignment would improve player experience without affecting gameplay balance.

4. Tier 17 Map Design and Purpose

Tier 17 maps have become one of the most controversial endgame systems.

Originally, high-tier maps were expected to function as specialized content for farming boss fragments rather than becoming the dominant farming location.

Players worry that tier 17 maps have become:

The most rewarding farming environment

The place where scarabs and modifiers are most economically optimal

Maps with restrictive layouts and dangerous “build-bricking” modifiers

Many players would prefer tier 17s to return to a more focused role: a challenging but optional fragment-farm stage before Uber encounters.

Separating challenge scaling from reward scaling could help restore diversity in farming strategies.

5. Memory Pedal Skill Mechanics Feel Tedious

The tier 16.5 memory pedal mechanic has been criticized for gameplay flow.

The main complaints are:

Requires players to stand close to enemies

Often conflicts with fast-clear or aura-based builds

Forces button activation repeatedly during mapping

For builds that rely on automatic killing or explosion chains, these mechanics can even be physically unusable.

A better design approach would be integrating the effect directly into map progression rather than requiring constant player interaction.

6. Atlas Passive Tree Needs a Shake-Up

The Atlas passive system, introduced in 2022, has remained largely unchanged for years.

The main concern is meta stagnation.

Currently, map modifier effect scaling dominates optimization because it is extremely powerful but also restrictive. If a player pushes modifier strength too far, many defensive and utility mechanics can be disabled.

This leads to build convergence, where only highly universal builds can efficiently farm top content.

Possible directions for improvement include:

Redistributing passive bonuses across the tree

Exploring alternatives to map modifier scaling

Adding new diversity-driven progression mechanics

The goal is to keep build creativity alive while preserving challenge.

7. Remove Breach Walls and Improve Breach Flow

The classic breach mechanic remains fun, but its wall-breaking system is considered outdated.

In earlier versions, players used story-given tools to break breach barriers, but such systems may no longer exist in the current progression structure.

The community generally prefers:

Faster breach clearing loops

Higher reward density for time investment

Removal or replacement of restrictive wall mechanics

If breach content continues to exist,with POE currency,the surrounding structure should match modern gameplay pacing.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the 3.28 discussion reflects a common theme: balance reward structure, gameplay flow, and build diversity.

Path of Exile remains one of the most mechanically deep ARPGs available, but like many long-running live-service games, it faces the challenge of evolving without losing its core identity.

If the developers address even a few of these community concerns, the next league could significantly improve player satisfaction.