Grinding Gear Games has released an incident report detailing a significant database issue that caused approximately 5 hours of downtime for Path of Exile 2 players. The problem, stemming from patch 0.2.0g, resulted in players' skill gems being deleted upon login due to an accidental Type ID modification.
What Went Wrong With Patch 0.2.0g?
According to the May 1, 2025 incident report, the development team discovered that a particular support gem had its database Type ID accidentally modified. This seemingly minor change had severe consequences - whenever a player attempted to log in with a skill linked to this support gem, the item failed to load and was subsequently deleted from their inventory.
Upon identifying the issue, GGG immediately took the servers offline to prevent further gem loss. What followed was a complicated recovery process hampered by configuration differences between the databases for Path of Exile 2 and its predecessor.
Recovery Complications and Current Status
The standard database rollback procedure would have taken over 24 hours to complete - an unacceptable downtime period. Instead, the team opted to use a recent database snapshot and roll it forward. However, this process failed specifically for the Ladder database, resulting in leaderboard data being approximately 3.5 hours out of date.
Players need not worry about permanent ladder position loss, as positions will automatically update once characters gain experience. The fixed version of patch 0.2.0g is scheduled for deployment on May 2, 2025.
How Will GGG Prevent Similar Issues?
The incident report outlined several preventative measures being implemented:
- Modifications to database configuration to enable faster rollbacks
- Implementation of ready-to-go database snapshots before deploying new versions
- Updated policy on which patches require Item Destruction Tests
- Technical fixes for Type IDs to prevent accidental changes
- Improved deployment processes for faster incident recovery
This transparency from Grinding Gear Games has been generally well-received by the community, with many players acknowledging that such issues are not unexpected for a game still in early access at version 0.2.0.
The incident highlights the complex technical challenges faced by online game developers, especially when managing database systems across multiple game versions. GGG's detailed explanation and commitment to improvement demonstrate their dedication to maintaining player trust during Path of Exile 2's ongoing development.