GGG Director Nerfed Vaal Temple Mid-Season, Has No Regrets

Path of Exile 2 director Jonathan Rogers had strong words about Vaal Temple farming: the exploit ruined his Christmas, and eliminating it mid-season genuinely thrilled him. Speaking about the currency-generation tactic that let players become in-game millionaires, Rogers confirmed Grinding Gear Games acted quickly to implement a mid-patch nerf.

“The amount of joy I can get out of just going and obliterating the Temple right now, trust me,” Rogers told PC Gamer. He mentioned that the farming method “destroyed” him during the holiday season and that he’s “lost all sympathy” for players who took advantage of it. For a studio director to joke openly about the emotional toll a player exploit took on him shows unusual honesty. It also highlights how seriously GGG takes economic balance in its free-to-play ARPG.

Vaal Temple farming became one of the most effective currency-generation methods during PoE 2’s early access. It allowed dedicated players to amass wealth at a rate that upset the in-game economy. GGG’s decision to act mid-season—a move that can often provoke backlash from players who’ve built characters around certain strategies—signals a firmer stance on economic integrity than the studio adopted in many Path of Exile 1 leagues.

This nerf comes amid a time of major structural changes for the game. Rogers confirmed to GamesRadar that his view is clear: “I don’t care if it’s a mid-season nerf.” Patch 0.5, released in May 2026, already revamped the entire endgame, and GGG has indicated more expansions are on the way. Eliminating a dominant farming strategy aligns with a studio that is actively reshaping its endgame rather than letting exploits dictate the meta between updates.

Path of Exile 2 is still in early access, giving GGG more freedom to make bold balancing decisions than a fully launched game would allow. The original Path of Exile boasts an 86 on Metacritic and has 88% positive reviews out of over 142,000 Steam ratings. This sets a goodwill baseline that the sequel is still working towards. With 55,367 players currently active on Steam, the community is closely watching how the studio handles these early-access challenges.

By The Numbers

Steam Review Score (PoE)	88% positive
Total Steam Reviews (PoE)	142,708
Metacritic Score (PoE)	86
Current Steam Players (PoE)	55,367
PoE 2 Major Endgame Patches (2026)	2 (Patch 0.5 + mid-season nerf)

Community reactions to mid-season nerfs often split opinions, and this case is no different. One Steam reviewer with extensive playtime remarked, “Really a great game you never feel bad for returning after a while. No matter the league, the studio always kept a nice balance between allowing insane end-game builds and cozy fun builds.” This sentiment captures the balancing act GGG performs: players trust the studio to keep the game fun and functional over the long haul, even when specific strategies get removed.

What To Watch

• Player retention after the nerf: Mid-season nerfs aimed at dominant strategies can lead to short-term population dips. Monitor Steam’s concurrent player counts over the next two to three weeks to see how the community reacts to this change.
• New farming meta emergence: Removing one top-tier strategy usually pushes players toward the next most efficient method. Keep an eye on community sites and trade forums for what takes the place of Vaal Temple as the go-to currency route.
• PoE 2 full release timeline: GGG has talked about expanding the endgame beyond Patch 0.5. Rogers’ firm stance on balance mid-season suggests the studio is tightening systems ahead of a full launch—any official release date announcement would change the perspective on these early-access decisions.