I’m still pretty deep into Path of Exile 2 in early access. The farther I get into the campaign the more impressed I am. I had to step back and re-assess my vision of the game; I’ve played so much Diablo 3 and 4 over the past several years I get into a grind mentality where I just want to get through the leveling process as quickly as possible to get to end game. That is the wrong tact for this game, at least for your initial playthrough.
I haven’t done much research online, but the game to me feels very single-player oriented at the outset. The campaign is HUGE. I have played for 3 consecutive weekends, put a lot of time in, and I’m only in act IV (out of VI). In Diablo, gear largely doesn’t matter during leveling. You change it so quickly really all you have to pay attention to are the numbers and you’re constantly switching until end game and you start looking for specific pieces. Here, you keep your gear for much longer, and there are a metric ton of currencies to alter gear to your build. Which you absolutely have to do for some of the tougher bosses and levels.
Speaking of, the game is challenging. Like I mentioned, even during leveling you’ll need to tailor your gear in the later acts and for the tougher bosses. I’ve had to go back and grind or to create gear because what I was wearing was 10 levels under the boss and my gear’s damage/defense wasn’t cutting the mustard. Also, this game has some really good, really difficult boss fights. They remind me of Dark Souls bosses; they’re tough, but you can beat them if you learn their movesets. I’ve fought some of them 5 or 6 times before winning.
I think what I’m trying to get across here is the game feels more like a single player CRPG during the campaign. Other games in the genre are good for turning your brain off and clicking for hours. Here you have to pay more attention, and I dig it.
I also want to talk about the presentation a bit, it’s great. Awesome graphics and set pieces that really put this game in its own class IMO. Some of the stages include flooded ruins where the tide is coming in and washing the floor out as you fight, caravans pulled by giant lizards where you jump from one cart to another, really cool stuff like that.
Endgame is its own thing and I haven’t experienced that yet, and the game is still not complete although it’s supposed to officially launch this December I believe (I’m playing via Steam early access). And the skill trees and customization options for your toon are ridiculously large. I’m currently playing a chaos witch who casts curses with the ultimate goal of summoning exploding hex toads when I cast a curse. I’ve probably put 50 hours in this character so far and I’m nowhere near the end yet.
And to top it off, it’ll be F2P when it launches. It’s got a Fortnite-type business model where you buy skins, storage and effects and whatnot, but nothing that affects power in the game, just like the first game. There’s crossplay between PC and the consoles so I’m hoping my buddies will pick it up but there’s the rub: they’re more casual and I don’t know if they want to do much more than turn their brain off and click. So more casual folks may be overwhelmed if they’re used to easier games in the genre.
Anyway, enough gushing. The bad is that it might be a little TOO complex for most folks, and even with all the time and attention I’m giving it I am still getting stuck and having to re-think passives and gear during the campaign, which is unusual in these games and some folks may get frustrated.
Long story short if you like deep, complex ARPGs with maybe some Souls spice in there for flavor, check this game out. But it’s kind of a part time job. LOL
