Path of Sales Executive (Exile) 2
Gamification from actual games make sense, isn't?
Why didn't corporates use it? I mean it.
Like everyone is talking about gamification, but isn't the actual game and its mechanics the key to that?
Recently, my partner, Michael, asked why we would not use the PoE2 skills map as a growth plan, like going to your node, unlocking your bonuses, and increasing your salary.
and I’m like….fuck, really.
I’m a PoE 2 HC player, a sorceress (I died five times and started again), and I remember the pain of it.
I truly suggest this game; it’s worth it, but it’s trying to make you suffer. This is not a gaming newsletter, so let’s move, lmao.
Spawn
Imagine you’re a recently hired Sales Executive.
HR drops off a welcome box: a white shirt, headset, and MacBook at HQ with a single passive point already spent for you (Hiring Bonus).
Every real-world win now grants an Achievement Shard or Point;
Ten shards give you another point to slot anywhere on the tree.
The nodes, their paths, and crucially, the benefits are public.
No fog-of-war org charts, no “career framework” PDFs nobody (reads) cares.
Below is the first-pass balance sheet. Twenty milestones; twenty tangible rewards you can actually take to the bank (or the beach, or a conference).
Pick your build, map your own league, create a your own story.
That’s fun, right?
How the system feels in day-to-day
Morning dashboard (09:00).
Your HR portal greets you with a gentle push notification:
“Good morning: 1 unspent skill point waiting.”
You click Allocate before you even open the CRM. That single red dot scratches the same dopamine itch as an unread DM.Contextual color coding.
Inside the CRM, each prospect row now carries a subtle tag that indicates which node it is connected to, your goals, KPIs, OKRs.Enterprise renewal opportunities carry a Negotiator flag;
High-volume SMB leads glow for Combo Counter.
Close an SMB deal, and a confetti burst splashes across the browser seconds later, you see “+3 Shards” float into your shard balance. A voucher for that Uber Eats credit auto-drops into your Benefits Wallet.
There is no middle manager approval required; the system already saw the win in Hubspot, verified it, and paid you out.
Stats of the Shared auras = shared success.
When Sara, the new SDR, mentors her rookie on their first deal and unlocks Support Aura I, you receive an email titled “Team Buff Activated: Temporar Decrease in total Quota -10 %.”. The quota line under every rep’s name adjusts downward in real time. You ping her a 👏 emoji because her growth suddenly lightens your load.Quarterly “seasons” keep it fresh.
HR publishes a seasonal announcement slide every three months:Season 1: Remote Work Delirium – Lead volume target rises 20 %; CSAT targets tighten.
Season 2: On-Site Expedition – Travel budget reopens, individual ACV multipliers jump. Changes are pre-announced so people can respec for the meta: some double down on Momentum for raw volume, others pivot to Negotiator for fat ACV.
Fail state with a soft landing.
Miss quota for two consecutive quarters? The system auto-suggests a reroll path: Account Manager → Customer Success, SDR → RevOps. Your salary adjusts, but you retain one legacy benefit of your choice (“keep my extra PTO day” or “keep my commission bump”). It hurts, but the transparency beats a Friday-afternoon surprise layoff.Cross-team “maps” for endgame players.
Directors stitch together multi-department challenges on the Initiatives board. When Negotiator (Sales) pairs with Architect (Ops), the system spawns a Customer Conference project: high spend, high reward. If the event lands one multi-year logo, participants earn double shards and a shot at the Banner Planting benefit.
Every mechanic you see above demands and records real work: activity logs, pipeline data, churn dashboards, enablement content.
The HR system simply pulls that telemetry, translates it into shards, and pipes the payouts straight to payroll, benefits, or the travel desk.
Always on, always auditable, no manual badge-awarding ceremony is required.
I created a Claude Artifact for it, so you can assign shards and give it a try here.
Why bother?
Back in Mediocre Success Is Worse Than Outright I wrote that drifting in the grey zone is more dangerous than failing quickly.
Mediocre Success Is Worse Than Failure
If you've been following the business landscape for a while, you're probably aware of how our collective mindset puts a lot of weight on 'success' and 'failure.' But today, I'd like to dig into something that doesn't get talked about often: the peril of mediocre success.
Most “gamification” bolts a badge system onto a CRM and calls it a day. That’s like taping a kill-counter onto Twilight Strand and pretending it’s the Atlas.
A real passive tree does more:
Visibility — every next +$50 or extra PTO day is on screen.
Honesty — miss goals, face consequences, but also get a structured reroll.
Generosity — when you finally land that annual contract, the system books you the vacation before you can brag in Slack.
In Cash vs Time I argued that incentives are the only true corporate currency.
Here the currency is tangible: cash to base, doubled commission windows, L&D stipends, sabbaticals.
It’s the loot filter from Path of Exile—just with PTO instead of Primordial Jewels.
Let’s build this product? Just drop me a message.
If anyone is interested in building such a company, let's fucking do it and, raise money, and take HR to the next level.
I'm super open, and you know where to find me.
Closing portal
Why didn't corporates use it? Like everyone is talking about gamification, but isn't the actual game and its mechanics the key to that?
Maybe because the real game hurts, Path of Exile never apologizes for deleting your character; it knows the respawn screen is what makes the victory screen feel deserved.
Work should feel deserved, too. So, publish the tree.
Let people theory-craft career builds. Balance it like a live service.
And when someone allocates Immortal Ambition after five quarters of flawless execution, double their loot and let them pick the VP track or a six-month sabbatical, whichever keeps the league fun.
GG, exile.
See you on the real leaderboard.
🎬 Post‑Credit Scene
You finish reading, go to close the tab, and Slack lights up:
“+1 Shard — for completing “Path of Sales Executive (Exile) 2” on release day.”
There’s a tiny “Allocate” button right next to it.
You hover, grin, and think: one more node before lunch won’t kill me… probably.
Path of Exile Trailer, if you are still wondering what the hell I’m talking about
The PoE2 Passive Skills Tree check it yourself.
📚Books
Never Split the Difference — Chris Voss (for your Negotiator node)
The Challenger Sale — Dixon & Adamson (pair with Closer’s Instinct)
🎧 Podcasts & Audio
Acquired — deep dives on companies that nailed incentive loops
Lenny’s Podcast (Ep. with Brian Chesky) — designing experiences that feel like games
📺 TV / Streaming
Mythic Quest (Apple TV+) — the chaos of a game studio’s HR in comedic glory
Severance (Apple TV+) — the darkest-timeline take on separating work and life nodes
Slow Horses (Apple TV+) — proof that a misfit team can still farm legendary drops
🎞️ Films
Ready Player One (2018)
Free Guy (2021)
🎮 Weekend Experiment
Create a mini-shard system for yourself: 10 push-ups = 1 shard; journaling, cold showers, and a Duolingo streak—each earns shards. Redeem 10 shards for a Friday flat white or 30 minutes of guilt-free TikTok scrolling.
Observe how quickly visible progress surpasses invisible intent.
Thank you for reading. Catch you next edition.
— Vlad