I'm reposting this from another thread to start a new topic on this subject:

Wolcen is sometimes described as having a hardcore favouring approach to it's design, or that it has only 1 or 2 build options that are capable of clearing the maximum expedition level. This is due to Wolcen having more of a META approach to it's design rather than a balanced approach. Like so many similar games, it creates a META within the game in which some builds are just plain stronger than others, by a large margin. Wolcen studios have said that they intend to change the passive grid in the future, i really hope they they strive for balance and aim to make as many builds as possible capable of reaching the maximum level of expedition.
Having a META is good for presenting a sort of puzzle to the player, the player must figure out which combination of passives, gear, and skills are the strongest available if they want to succeed as much or as far as they can, but it also severely limits the feeling of having build variety that can perform well and hence also limits creative builds for the purpose of aesthetics rather than strength. Having balance rather than META is better for the long-term replayability of a game, people will come back or continue to play if they know that there are still build options available that they have not yet played and are also good enough to perform well. This keeps the playerbase at higher numbers which is ofc good for turning a profit; more active players = more purchases of MTX or expansions.
So i.m.o. keeping all build options balanced and capable of clearing the hardest content in the game is not just good for the game's experience that a player plays, it is also good for the company in terms of the game's profitability. So let's hope that Wolcen studios buff lots of major nodes by making them stronger, usually by turning an additive bonus into a multiplicative one, and also adjust the numbers of nodes and skill modifiers so that the variety of strongest-viable builds is as large as possible.

Does anyone else agree with this design philosophy? Please share your thoughts.