Players impacted by skill nerfs are often left with POE2 Currency characters that no longer perform well or fit their original vision. This has led to increased demand for:

    Full passive tree resets following significant balance changes.

    Refund options for skill gems when a gem is reworked or nerfed.

    Temporary “grace periods” after major patches where respecs are freely available.

GGG has not yet committed to offering full respecs but has acknowledged the concern. In a forum post, they said they were “monitoring the impact of these changes” and may introduce solutions if build diversity is harmed long-term.

Balance Philosophy: Preservation vs. Flexibility

GGG’s design philosophy has always leaned toward long-term character development and meaningful choices. Respecs are intentionally limited to encourage experimentation on new characters rather than constant re-tuning of existing ones.

However, in a live service environment where major updates can drastically alter skill behavior, many players believe flexibility should take priority. Investing dozens of hours into a build only for it to be weakened by patch notes feels punishing to casual and hardcore players alike.

This tension between design integrity and player agency is at the heart of the respec debate.

What Players Can Do Now

Until a full respec system is implemented—or if it ever is—players are left with a few options:

    Plan builds with flexibility in mind, choosing passives and gear that can support multiple archetypes.

    Follow community guides that are updated frequently to reflect the latest patch meta.

    Stockpile Orbs of Regret and quest respec points for mid-season adjustments.

    Explore alternate classes or Ascendancies when significant nerfs impact one’s main build.

Many in the community are also calling for build templates, which would allow players to save and swap between different setups without buy POE2 Currency manually redoing skill trees and gear.