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The Steam-review backlash over Path of Exile 2’s Dawn of the Hunt update belongs to its April 2025 launch period—not to the game’s current review snapshot. At the time this article was prepared, Steam showed the game’s reviews from the previous 30 days as Mostly Positive: 77% positive from 1,345 reviews, as of October 8, 2026. Steam’s recent-review rating changes over time.
What was Dawn of the Hunt?
Dawn of the Hunt was Path of Exile 2 Content Update 0.2.0. Grinding Gear Games (GGG) launched it on April 4, 2025. The update’s identity and launch timing are documented in the official launch announcement and patch notes.
Contemporary coverage of the update’s reception followed on April 7, 2025. PC Gamer reported that players objected to what the outlet described as widespread nerfs, harder or slower progression, and changes that made the game feel less enjoyable. That reporting captures prominent complaints at the time; it does not establish that every reviewer objected for the same reason.
Why did players criticize the update?
The reported objections centered on the update’s gameplay direction: players felt that nerfs and a more demanding or slower progression experience reduced the appeal of playing. PC Gamer also reported that GGG acknowledged complaints and outlined changes. These are descriptions of the launch-period reaction, not evidence that the update had one universally agreed-upon flaw or that Steam reviews were manipulated.
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The available sources do not establish a reliable exact Steam review percentage at the backlash peak. It is therefore not possible to make a precise numerical comparison between the lowest point in April 2025 and today’s recent-review rating.
What does the current Steam rating show?
Steam’s store page, accessed October 8, 2026, displayed a Mostly Positive recent-review rating: 77% positive from 1,345 reviews submitted in the preceding 30 days. This is a dated snapshot of recent reviews, not a permanent score and not a measure of how players rated the April 2025 launch.
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Keep that review metric separate from numbers GGG published about gameplay. In a May 4, 2025 post covering the first three weeks after the update’s launch, the developer reported 3.27 trillion gold dropped, 185,961,090 player-character deaths in standard leagues, 355,877 Arbiter of Ash defeats, and 3,406,779 Unique Maps cleared. Those figures describe in-game activity; they are not review counts or measures of review sentiment. See GGG’s gameplay statistics post.
What did GGG say about the difficulty?
In an interview published by PC Gamer on August 20, 2025, game director Jonathan Rogers reflected on the difficulty of the 0.2.0 period: “0.2.0 was certainly pretty difficult.” He added: “And the problem is that we hadn’t really done enough to address that.” These comments came months after the April launch, rather than during the initial backlash. The interview is available at PC Gamer.
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- Officially Licensed Artwork from POE2
- Machine Washable
- Smooth, Easy-Glide surface
- Printed at 300 Dots Per Inch
How should Early Access factor into the reaction?
Path of Exile 2 entered Early Access on December 6, 2024. Steam describes it as incomplete and subject to change. When its store page was accessed on October 8, 2026, Steam listed December 11, 2026 as the planned Early Access departure date and said the full version would be free-to-play after Early Access. Both the planned date and review rating are time-sensitive store-page details, not guarantees that the game’s schedule or status will remain unchanged. See the Steam store page.
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