Grinding Gear Games announced Path of Exile 2 during their November 2019 Exilecon conference. Described as a free-to-play top-down action role-playing game, this highly anticipated sequel started as an expanded storyline for the original title before becoming a separate game with a six-act campaign.
During PAX West, I had some brief hands-on time with the game and walked away both impressed and wanting to play more. After spending an entire day with the game during an Early Access preview event a few weeks ago, I feel confident saying that Path of Exile 2 is another standout RPG this year and an absolute must-play for fans of the genre. Here are my thoughts on what you can expect and why this title might be worth checking out.
An Insanely Dark World
Path of Exile 2 takes place approximately 20 years after the first game and revolves around the relentless return of Corruption to Wraeclast. With the Count of Ogham being the latest victim possessed victim, players are tasked with finding the Seed of Corruption and putting an immediate end to the chaos. Your journey will take you across an unforgiving world of terrifying creatures, unlikely alliances, and uncovered secrets.
One thing I noticed about this game’s overall presentation is the inclusion of cinematic cutscenes. The brilliantly crafted opening cinematic included above paints a picture of absolute carnage and perfectly nails the tone of this game in every way imaginable. You truly feel like there is no hope and this is exactly how a player should feel in high-stakes situations like this one. This is why choosing the right character class is important.
Character Classes, Early Access, And Beyond
When the game launches in Early Access, you’ll have six different character classes to choose from including the following:
- Monk – A fast melee fighter who uses a Quarterstaff and three martial arts styles involving Lightning, Ice, and Wind attacks.
- Sorceress – An elemental spellcaster who uses ranged attacks involving Fire, Lightning, Ice, and more.
- Warrior – A tank-stylized melee fighter who has harder attacks but moves at a slower pace. This class also uses two-handed weapons and can actively block some attacks.
- Ranger – A primary bow caster who can use their agility and mobile attacks to defeat monsters.
- Witch – A magic spellcaster who uses occult skills to summon undead minions to defeat enemies.
- Mercenary – A skilled marksman who can use a crossbow with different ammo types. This class is also ideal for those interested in playing as a shooter.
These six classes will be available starting December 6th and there is a plan to add six more later. Path of Exile 2 is a massive game with an insane amount of content planned for the Early Access launch. Before diving into my hands-on impressions, here is a quick list of everything you can expect.
- Story campaign featuring the first 3 acts which will take roughly 25 hours to complete (3 remaining acts will be in the final release)
- 50 bosses and 400 monster types to defeat (Will increase to 100 bosses and 800 monster types in the final release)
- Added second difficulty level to get your player to level 65
- Various End game bosses and grinds including expeditions, and challenges
- A robust support gem system
- Over 1500 passive skills tree options
Welcome To Hell
When I started playing Path of Exile 2, I was impressed by how engaging and addictive my experience was. The character class selection screen features all characters waiting to be executed by hanging. After you choose your playable character, you manage to escape death by jumping over a ledge that leads to the river below. I picked the mercenary class as the character model resembled Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) for The Walking Dead and I wanted to see how Daryl would fare in a brutal world like this one.
After escaping and washing up on shore, I was introduced to its unforgiving world filled with menacing creatures. The endless gameplay loop is built upon completing mission objectives while exploring your surroundings and defeating enemies. As you continue to defeat enemies and progress in the storyline, you’ll unlock new skills that can be used. There’s also plenty of loot and various items and equipment to find to help you along the way.
Just like in any action RPG, you have to think strategically about how to deal with enemy encounters. Path of Exile 2 throws several enemies at you at once and while you can block, dash, or escape an onslaught of attacks, these tactics don’t always work against every enemy type. When you encounter the boss battles, these are challenging but incredibly fun as they teach you how to evolve as a player and you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment after winning the fight.
Most of my demo time was spent exploring various settings in this complex world. I interacted with several characters who needed me to complete tasks for them. These quests were interesting because they allowed me to visit different areas and get a feel for the enemy types occupying these spaces. This game is very good at keeping you on your toes and with so much story to explore, I can’t wait to spend even more time trying to stop the Corruption.
Final Thoughts
I have only begun to explore all that this world has to offer. I’ll have plenty more to say once the game launches next month. However, I feel confident saying right now that if you are itching for a new, ambitious action role-playing game in a dark fantasy setting then Path of Exile 2 was made specifically for you.
Path of Exile 2 Early Access launches on December 6th for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Are any of you planning on checking out the game? Please feel free to let us know in the comments section below.
