TLDR: Poe2 is absolutely amazing, But currently has some flaws in early access. Its also in my opinion both different from its predecessor in all the right ways.

The new direction for combat is the main thing that i'll focus on. Its more intense, demanding you constantly pay attention or die. its slower but in a good way, rewarding skill combinations and considered positioning in a way most other ARPG's just cant.

In my opinion the main benefit of this is the devs being able to deliver what are the best boss fights i've ever seen in an ARPG, And needing to rely far less on cheesy mechanics to kill players like on death effects (all though that stuff still exist and is currently an issue). Yet with that being said it somehow still manages to capture those amazing moments from Poe1 where you feel like completely overpowered, blowing up a screen of mobs in a single click.

I think this new direction has been a huge point of division in the community as many were not expecting such a jarring change from Poe1 or simply do not enjoy the slower and frankly more skill based approach to combat (which i think is valid), but for me its so refreshing because pretty much every other ARPG out there including Poe1 has combat that quickly devolves into a incomprehensible mess where your character is essentially a human lawn mower.

That being said the game currently has many flaws, but most of which i think is very fixable during the early access. So for most people i would highly recommend waiting until the full release unless your willing to be a lab rat for a while and have a lot of spare time on your hands ;)

TLDR: Poe2 is absolutely amazing, But currently has some flaws in early access. Its also in my opinion both different from its predecessor in all the right ways. The new direction for combat is the main thing that i'll focus on. Its more intense, demanding you constantly pay attention or die. its slower but in a good way, rewarding skill combinations and considered positioning in a way most other ARPG's just cant. In my opinion the main benefit of this is the devs being able to deliver what are the best boss fights i've ever seen in an ARPG, And needing to rely far less on cheesy mechanics to kill players like on death effects (all though that stuff still exist and is currently an issue). Yet with that being said it somehow still manages to capture those amazing moments from Poe1 where you feel like completely overpowered, blowing up a screen of mobs in a single click. I think this new direction has been a huge point of division in the community as many were not expecting such a jarring change from Poe1 or simply do not enjoy the slower and frankly more skill based approach to combat (which i think is valid), but for me its so refreshing because pretty much every other ARPG out there including Poe1 has combat that quickly devolves into a incomprehensible mess where your character is essentially a human lawn mower. That being said the game currently has many flaws, but most of which i think is very fixable during the early access. So for most people i would highly recommend waiting until the full release unless your willing to be a lab rat for a while and have a lot of spare time on your hands ;)