Path of Exile players are being harassed by tornadoes forcing devs to come to the rescue

Path of Exile has a brand-new expansion with Settlers of Kalguur, causing thousands of players to flock back to the game over the weekend to try out the new content, gear up new characters, and experiment with new builds. It’s a time for celebration for PoE players, but some opinions on the update are still up in the air courtesy of a new threat: tornadoes.

You see, as part of Settlers of Kalguur, you need to assist in the construciton of a town side-by-side with a number of recognizable characters. To do so, you’ll need to collect various new resources around Wraeclast, including Bismuth. Each resource has its own quirks, but Bismuth is deeply connected to elemental powers. This means that the process of harvesting it can result in a deadly reaction — namely tornadoes — which follow the player endlessly until they leave the map.

Movement is the name of the game in Path of Exile, but every now and again you’ll need to stop to loot or adjust your inventory. Or hell, just to have a stretch. But with these tornadoes they’re always chasing you down at significant speeds. They deal serious damage too! One mistep and you can find yourself dashed to the winds, so to speak. There’s also visibility concerns for some players, especially on maps where your surroundings are dark, making it hard to actually see these tornadoes coming.

This has resulted in a mix of players taking to the hub of complaining about video games: Reddit. Various posts are flooded with comments with likeminded players, all having an otherwise good time with the new league, but a tad angry at their experiences dealing with Bismuth tornadoes.

Thankfully, the team at Grinding Gear Games have come to the rescue earlier this morning, issuing an hotfix that nerfs the threat of Bismuth tornadoes significantly. They deal 33% less damage on-hit, are less aggressive, spawn less often, and can now spawn further away which should give players some breathing room. Whether or not this remedies the community complaints remains to be seen, but it’s a good move.

How are you finding the Settlers of Kalguur update? Let us know below, as well as your expeirence with Bismuth tornadoes.