1. The Ground Loot Debate

No topic dominates community discussion more than ground loot. And when people say they want "better loot," they usually mean one of two things.

The first argument centers on rare items and POE currency. In the current state of the game, rare gear that drops on the ground is almost never worth picking up. Identifying items in hopes of finding an upgrade is exciting on day one of a league-but quickly becomes inefficient compared to crafting or trading. Turning PoE into an ID-every-rare simulator might sound nostalgic, but in practice, it becomes tedious fast.

Some players point to the tiered rare system from Path of Exile 2 as a possible solution. But even there, the vast majority of rares are still junk. Increasing rare item drops doesn't automatically make them meaningful.

The second-and far more popular-solution is simple: more currency drops in regular Tier 16 maps. Right now, meaningful currency rewards are heavily concentrated in optimized Tier 17 strategies. Players want the average red map experience to feel rewarding again.

More currency means more crafting. More crafting means better gear progression. And unlike random rare drops, currency orbs are always valuable.

If there's one ground loot change that would universally land well, it's that: buff currency, not clutter.

2. Tier 17 Maps Need a Redesign

Tier 17 maps were meant to represent the pinnacle of mapping difficulty and reward. In theory, that's exciting. In practice, they're awkward.

The layouts are often narrow, hallway-heavy, and restrictive. The scaling is punishing. And the balance between difficulty and reward feels inconsistent. Some map mods border on build-disabling, while others barely justify the added risk.

Developers have already acknowledged that tying both Uber boss access and peak juicing to Tier 17 maps isn't ideal. But solutions remain unclear.

What would help?

 More open layouts with Tier 17 scaling.

 More unique Tier 17 bosses.

 Fewer damage-immune downtime phases.

 A clearer separation between Uber access and extreme juicing.

The concept is strong. The execution just needs iteration.

3. Tier 16.5 Memory Skills: Rework or Remove

Tier 16.5 maps-standard layouts with enhanced loot and "memory abilities"-sound fantastic on paper. The base idea works. More loot on familiar maps? Great.

The issue lies in the extra keybind memory skills. Many feel clunky, underwhelming, or outright useless. They add complexity without meaningful payoff.

If these bonuses were redesigned to function passively-or at least rebalanced to feel impactful-Tier 16.5 maps would instantly improve. Right now, they're a cool idea weighed down by awkward execution.

4. Breach Needs Retuning

Since Breach is going core immediately, it deserves serious attention.

The most requested change? Remove the walls around Alith Hive-style encounters. No burning them down. No forced downtime. Just let players fight.

Beyond that, collapsing breaches need better rewards. The mechanic adds monsters-which is good-but the payoff often feels underwhelming compared to other league content.

Breach doesn't need a full overhaul. It just needs to feel worth the time.

5. The Genesis Tree Balancing Act

The Genesis tree currently sits in a strange position. It's extremely powerful for crafting-but dangerously close to invalidating other systems like essences and fossils.

If nerfed too hard, it risks becoming dead content. If left untouched, it overshadows alternatives.

Striking that balance is critical. Ideally, Genesis remains strong-but not mandatory.

6. Atlas Passive Tree Revamp

Perhaps the most important change of all: the Atlas passive tree needs a shakeup.

We've had roughly the same structure for multiple leagues. While small adjustments happen, the overall strategy meta feels solved.

A substantial Atlas redesign would revitalize the endgame without requiring entirely new content. New keystones.

Rebalanced clusters. Creative incentives. Shake things up.

Pair that with a meaningful scarab redesign, and you've got an endgame renaissance.7. Extra Content Frequency Control

"Extra content" mechanics-Sentinels, Wildwood events, reflected items-are some of the most fun juicing tools available. They're not always the most powerful, but they're engaging.

Imagine being able to heavily spec into Sentinels so they appear in nearly every map. That kind of control would feel amazing.

It's more exciting than simply stacking map mod effect for currency scaling.

8. Eater and Exarch Refresh

The altar system tied to the Eater of Worlds and Searing Exarch has remained mostly unchanged for years.

While decoupling quantity and rarity was a meaningful tweak, the core mechanic is aging. A reshuffle of rewards, risk-reward scaling, or altar mechanics themselves would go a long way.

Even swapping certain reward identities-like which influence favors chaos or divine-style bonuses-could freshen the experience.

9. Ascendancy and Skill Balance

Saboteur Buff

Saboteur has fallen into near irrelevance. Mines are still strong-but other ascendancies do them better. Saboteur should at least feel competitive within its niche.

Life vs. Energy Shield

Energy Shield once again dominates defensive scaling. Life builds could use modest buffs to close the gap-without recreating absurd life-stacking metas.

Blade Vortex Buffs

Blade Vortex remains iconic but underwhelming. More base duration, AoE, or damage would allow creative Elementalist or Occultist variants to shine again.

Chaos DoT and Poison

Chaos DoT spells like Essence Drain and Bane have lost relevance. Poison skills feel similarly narrow-dominated by a couple of standout options.

Broader viability would diversify build choices dramatically.

Pathfinder and Warden

Pathfinder's flask identity feels mechanically exhausting. Warden lacks identity altogether. Both could use reworks to justify their place in popular classes.

10. Returning Mechanics: TOTA and Metamorph

Trial of the Ancestors was widely loved. Its return would be a massive crowd-pleaser.

Metamorph, despite its flaws, arguably aged better than several current mechanics. A refined version-less gray blob chaos, more clarity and reward-could succeed.

11. Maven Invitation Issues

The reworked "Remembered" fight (formerly Hidden) feels tedious due to required memory thread farming. Compared to traditional Maven invitations, unlocking it is slow and awkward.

Either streamline access-or reconsider the system entirely.

12. Quality-of-Life from PoE2

One simple feature worth importing: alching magic maps automatically. In PoE2, rolling maps feels smoother. That convenience belongs in PoE1.

13. More Atlas Tree Loadouts

Currently, players can unlock multiple Atlas passive setups-but more flexibility would be welcome. Five, ten, or even unlimited presets would encourage experimentation.

For players who love swapping between strategies, this would be huge.

14. More Story Progression

The Secrets of the Atlas storyline started strong. More narrative development would deepen immersion and maintain momentum.

Endgame story often takes a backseat to mechanics-but it doesn't have to.

Final Thoughts: The Bingo Board

Will all of this happen? Of course not.

Some changes are realistic. Others are hopeful dreaming. But as we wait for 3.28, imagining improvements is part of the fun.

What players want isn't necessarily radical reinvention-it's refinement:

 Reward mapping more consistently.

 Balance risk and reward better.

 Refresh the Atlas.

 More POE orbs.

 Buff underplayed ascendancies.

 Bring back beloved mechanics.

 Keep build diversity alive.

The foundation of Path of Exile remains incredibly strong. With thoughtful tuning and a few bold adjustments, 3.28 could feel transformative without reinventing the wheel.