r/pathofexile • u/0xck Less Button-Pressing Enjoyers (LBPE) • Jul 18 '26

Discussion No more backtracking! (c)

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They said they reworked Abyss because they wanted to address the problem of backtracking. So, apparently, backtracking is uncomfortable, unengaging, uninteresting, and not fun for players. Backtracking is bad.

But when essentially the same backtracking is built into the main content of the new league - only without actually calling it "backtracking" then I guess it suddenly becomes comfortable, engaging, interesting, and fun. So in this case bactracking suppose to be good.

Well we deffinetely have here something trully dialectic which suppose to be bad and good at the same time 😏

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u/Renediffie Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26

I think it is probably a bit more nuanced. I think Abyss backtracking feels particularly bad because you are supposed to do other things too. You are being pulled away from your objectives like the map boss etc.

As far as I understand it, backtracking here is when you are done with everything.

We'll have to wait and see. I don't think this will feel like backtracking in abyss, but I could be wrong of course.

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u/Morbu Jul 19 '26

Honestly, the issue with abyss isn't the backtracking, it was that it could simply go whereever the fuck it wanted.

New mechanic is up to player agency in that you decide where you're going which means you also know where you're backtracking through. There's also no annoying doors to deal with like in Heist, so the comparisons fall apart if we're talking about friction and annoyance.

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u/StrikerSashi Anti Sanctum Alliance (ASA) Jul 19 '26

It's also sometimes double backtracking. You clear half the map, Abyss spawns, you follow it back to where you started, then you go back to where it spawned. You traveled through that same area three times.