Path Of Exile Removes Controversial Nested Microtransaction Loot Box

Pretty much everyone loves Path of Exile, but if there's one thing that people might have reason to gripe about, it's the game's loot boxes. Sure, they're totally cosmetic -- and in a game where you care more about your gear's stats than its appearance, that's not so bad -- but gamers can only take so much before open rebellion occurs.

That's what happened yesterday, when the new Salvage Box was announced, just a few days after the launch of the Blight expansion. Because there are no duplicate guarantees in PoE's loot boxes, players can rack up more than a few extras that they don't need. The Salvage Box costs 30 points ($3) and "lets you destroy your duplicate microtransactions to increase the chances of receiving rarer microtransactions" from the Salvage Box, which can contain items from previous, now-expired boxes. In other words, you can consume your bad drops for a chance at a better drop -- which might not actually be better and might be another duplicate.

It's not too surprising, then, that the idea went over with players like solar panels on Wraeclast. As a result, Grinding Gear Games has canceled its plans for the Salvage Box, as reported in a post this morning. Player feedback was "intensely negative," and the box has been removed from sale, though already-purchased boxes still function normally.

That being said, duplicate microtransactions are a thing in Path of Exile, and lots of players would probably like to find a use for all the common and uncommon junk they have lying around. So I'd expect we'll see another attempt at dealing with that inventory situation in the future, and maybe -- in the farther future, depending on how various regulatory bodies decide things -- the removal of loot boxes entirely.