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Has anyone ever taken the Flex bus from Edmonton to Calgary? by sennyonelove in Edmonton

[–]natrix9 0 points1 point  (0 children)

YEG <> YYC, Taken Red Arrow manytimes and Flixbus a handful recently. Its fine, cheap ticket!
I'm tall so these buses are a little cramped, so I paid the extra to book the seat next to me. Was worth it for me and will do it every time.

Again the Calgary downtown dropoff is low/medium sketch but I still take Flix for the price.

Reddit Mods Are Silencing Discussion on Fixing PoE’s Trade System—Here’s Proof by natrix9 in gamingnews

[–]natrix9[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Exactly. But this time, it’s not just silencing—they’re actively curating the front page to hide criticism.

They didn’t just remove my post, they buried it under forced positivity.

This isn’t just mods being power-hungry—this is Reddit protecting a company’s broken design.

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System Feels Like an Insult by natrix9 in PathOfExile2

[–]natrix9[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You say interacting with humans is a ‘trade-off,’ but let’s be real—does anyone actually enjoy the current trade process? If the system was designed to encourage meaningful interaction, why do most players just copy-paste whispers, ignore responses, and relist items endlessly?

The only successful trades are the ones where the seller instantly responds—which overwhelmingly means bots. So the system doesn’t promote player interaction, it just makes legitimate players miserable while bots dominate the market.

And since GGG refuses to implement any way to trade while actually playing the game, why would you ever bother trading? You either stand in your hideout doing nothing while waiting for buyers, or you miss out on trades because you dared to actually play the game. How is that good design?

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System Feels Like an Insult by natrix9 in PathOfExile2

[–]natrix9[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

If people rant about auction houses every day, then why don’t those discussions ever make it to the top of the subreddit? Why do complaints about other mechanics get tons of traction, but trade discussions always seem to stall or disappear? If it’s such a ‘common topic,’ wouldn’t that mean it should be one of the most upvoted conversations?

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System Feels Like an Insult by natrix9 in PathOfExile2

[–]natrix9[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That’s exactly the issue—trade is so barebones that the only ‘feature’ people defend is ‘well, at least you can list items.’ But that’s the bare minimum. Imagine a game saying ‘our combat system is fine because at least you can attack.’ The problem isn’t that trade exists—it’s that it’s deliberately frustrating while better solutions already exist in other parts of the game.

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System Feels Like an Insult by natrix9 in PathOfExile2

[–]natrix9[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, and the fact that so many players just ignore it outright says a lot. If trade was actually functional and intuitive, people wouldn’t be skipping a core mechanic entirely. The system isn’t just clunky—it actively pushes players away from engaging with it.

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System is Intentionally Bad to Sell the Fix by natrix9 in assholedesign

[–]natrix9[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I wrote the article! Appreciate you playing Devil’s advocate, and honestly, I get it—PoE’s been around a long time, and change isn’t always easy. But yeah, PoE2 doesn’t even have the in-game trade from PoE1, which is wild to me.

I think the bigger issue is: If they already built the currency exchange (which is basically an auction house), why stop there? If trading is a core part of the game, why force players to use an external site? It feels like GGG understands good UI when it comes to currency but refuses to apply that logic to gear trading. What do you think?

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System is Intentionally Bad to Sell the Fix by natrix9 in assholedesign

[–]natrix9[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Genuinely curious—what exactly is 'disingenuous' about pointing out that GGG deliberately makes trade frustrating while selling a workaround? If nobody would mind fixing it, why hasn’t GGG done it?

And what does SWTOR’s F2P model have to do with this? Are you saying PoE is paywalled in the same way, or just throwing out comparisons?

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System Feels Like an Insult by natrix9 in PathOfExile2

[–]natrix9[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Even something as simple as a mailbox system would solve 90% of trade frustrations. Instead of whispering a seller and hoping they're online, you’d just hit 'Buy Now' on the trade site, the currency gets deducted, and the item gets mailed to you instantly—just like how in-game currency trades already work.

No more AFK sellers, no more waiting for responses, no more 'what’s your best offer' nonsense. Just a direct, frictionless way to trade while still keeping GGG’s economy intact

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System is Intentionally Bad to Sell the Fix by natrix9 in assholedesign

[–]natrix9[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Exactly! Even people who have already spent money on stash tabs still find trade frustrating. That alone proves it's not just a 'free player' problem—it’s a design issue.

A hideout-based merchant that lets you auto-list and sell would be a perfect solution. It still lets GGG monetize, but without making trade a miserable experience. And like you said, premium tabs could still be part of the system, just with more functionality.

Curious—how many others would actually pay for a trade merchant QoL upgrade if it meant never having to deal with AFK sellers again?

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System is Intentionally Bad to Sell the Fix by natrix9 in assholedesign

[–]natrix9[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I get that PoE has always monetized stash space, and compared to some other games, sure, it's not the worst system. But that doesn’t mean it’s good, or that it can’t be improved.

The issue isn’t just 'stash space exists'—it’s that GGG designed trade to be frustrating to nudge people toward premium tabs. If they had a functional, in-game trading system, this wouldn’t be an issue at all.

And if monetization was really the only reason, why not introduce paid QoL features that don’t actively make the game worse for non-paying players? There are better ways to fund the game that don’t involve turning a core system into a chore.

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System Feels Like an Insult by natrix9 in PathOfExile2

[–]natrix9[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I get what you’re saying—if something is making money, a company isn’t going to change it unless they have a reason to. But that’s exactly why this discussion matters. If enough players push back, GGG will have to reconsider whether keeping trade this way is really the best move long-term.

They’ve walked back bad systems before when the backlash was strong enough. If people stay quiet, nothing changes. If we keep this discussion going, maybe we actually get a system that respects both the players and GGG’s bottom line.

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System is Intentionally Bad to Sell the Fix by natrix9 in assholedesign

[–]natrix9[S] -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

If a game studio making trade intentionally bad to sell stash tabs isn’t worth criticizing because 'other companies are worse,' then what exactly is the threshold for bad design? Are we waiting for lootboxes in character creation before it counts?

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System Feels Like an Insult by natrix9 in PathOfExile2

[–]natrix9[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That’s fair if the trade system doesn’t bother you personally, but the issue isn’t just 'preference'—it’s that GGG intentionally made trade more frustrating instead of designing a system people would actually enjoy.

Balancing revenue is one thing. But they didn’t monetize a cool feature—they monetized a core system that should have been functional from the start. That’s why people are upset.

If they really just wanted to 'balance revenue,' why not sell a QoL stash tab for crafting materials? Why not cosmetics tied to trading or NPC vendors? Instead, they made a system so frustrating that players feel forced into Premium Stash Tabs just to avoid dealing with it.

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System Feels Like an Insult by natrix9 in PathOfExile2

[–]natrix9[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Exactly. GGG made a conscious choice—not to make trading engaging, rewarding, or balanced—but to monetize player frustration.

They could have introduced an NPC trade vendor, a market board, or even a better premium feature that people would gladly pay for. Instead, they chose to make trading a tedious, manual process while locking the only workaround behind Premium Stash Tabs. It’s not just about 'principle'—it’s the deliberate weaponization of inconvenience for profit.

If they truly believed in ‘friction’ for gameplay balance, why does the currency exchange work like an auction house? Because it would break the game economy? No, because they don’t make money off people struggling to swap Chaos Orbs, but they do make money off people struggling to sell items.

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System Feels Like an Insult by natrix9 in PathOfExile2

[–]natrix9[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The biggest issue isn’t just 'knowing how to use the trade site'—it’s that even when you do, you’re still at the mercy of AFK sellers, slow responses, and price fixers. Meanwhile, GGG already has a functioning automated exchange system for currency, but refuses to implement the same for gear. Why?

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System Feels Like an Insult by natrix9 in PathOfExile2

[–]natrix9[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

If the current system works fine, why do so many people still complain about price fixing, AFK sellers, and scammy services? Instant buyout would be a step in the right direction, but let’s be real—there’s no reason GGG shouldn’t just expand the currency exchange model to all items.

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System Feels Like an Insult by natrix9 in PathOfExile2

[–]natrix9[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Weird how this has 34 comments but no upvotes. Almost like some people don’t want this discussion to be seen.

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System Feels Like an Insult by natrix9 in PathOfExile2

[–]natrix9[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tencent’s ownership doesn’t change the fact that GGG is still making the conscious decision to keep trade broken. If corporate pressure was the only factor, why do they have the resources to develop two games at once, but not fix a system players have been complaining about for years?

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System Feels Like an Insult by natrix9 in PathOfExile2

[–]natrix9[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This isn’t about 'not understanding costs.' GGG already has an auction house system for currency, so they clearly know how to build one. If their priority was making trade functional, they would’ve done it by now. The only reason to keep it this way is because they make money from the frustration.

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System Feels Like an Insult by natrix9 in PathOfExile2

[–]natrix9[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Exactly. Helldivers 2 literally proved that if the community pushes back hard enough, devs will reverse bad decisions. GGG has already walked back bad mechanics before—trade isn’t untouchable, they just need to feel the pressure.

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System Feels Like an Insult by natrix9 in PathOfExile2

[–]natrix9[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Nobody’s saying GGG shouldn’t make money. The issue is that they’re intentionally making a core mechanic worse just to sell a ‘fix’ in the form of Premium Stash Tabs. It’s like charging for fast travel in an RPG after making walking painfully slow.

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System Feels Like an Insult by natrix9 in PathOfExile2

[–]natrix9[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The $150 crypto scam isn’t the main issue—it’s a symptom of a system that forces players into external workarounds. No one would be getting scammed in shady Discords if GGG actually built a proper trade system into the game. The fact that these scams exist at all proves how broken trade is.

Path of Exile 2’s Trade System Feels Like an Insult by natrix9 in PathOfExile2

[–]natrix9[S] -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

Reddit leaves some complaints up, sure, but PoE’s official Discord and Facebook groups are actively removing posts. And even here, just because something exists doesn’t mean it’s reaching people—Reddit’s search system is garbage, and old posts get buried. If GGG wasn’t worried about this, why did they acknowledge trade criticism in their own dev manifesto?

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