Path of Exile 2 – A Worthy Rival of Diablo 4

PATH OF EXILE 2 IN A NUTSHELL

1. Two story campaigns in one game.
2. Additional story consisting of 7 acts.
3. Graphical revamp – new animations, effects, abilities, shadows, character models.
4. 19 new subclasses.
5. Completely changed system of slots for crystals.
6. More active and dynamic combat.
7. Modified talent tree.
8. It's still free!
9. The release date of the update is not yet known.

This year's main events of the industry are behind us – the E3, gamescom, and BlizzCon, which took place in early November. During this event, Diablo IV was announced, so you can say it was pretty big! Soon after, a much more low-profile event took place, the ExileCon, that is a special party by Studio Grinding Gear Games, dedicated to Path of Exile – the greatest adversary of Diablo. And there was a bombshell.

This was the first such convention, and everyone expected the developers to announce Path of Exile 4.0. However, to everyone's surprise, they announced... Path of exile 2!

Path of Exile 2, that is, an update the size of a separate game

But rest assured, Grinding Gear Games approach this differently than Blizzard did with Overwatch and Overwatch 2. Path of Exile 2 is actually a huge, completely free update that will rebuild the game from ground up, while retaining old content. We'll get seven new story acts that don't have to pay for. In fact, we won't even have to play them because we'll still be able to use the original ten acts. So, we essentially get a game within a game.

The new character screen looks really good.

Grinding Gear Games emphasizes that Path of Exile 2 will not be a separate, standalone title. The name may suggest something different, but the sheer number of changes warrants such a decision. The foundation of this update is the revamped graphical layer. Path of Exile 2 will look significantly better than Path of Exile. For example, a ricochet system has been implemented – projectiles will bounce off some surfaces, while penetrating others. There's a good chance that the criticism of the game's crude animations and general ugliness will become obsolete.

The materials presented show that Path of Exile 2 looks totally decent. We can expect new character models, skill effects and an an updated interface. There have been some concerns that the game lacks the characteristic gloom, and looks more like Diablo III; the recently announced Diablo IV looks much more interesting in terms of graphics. And it's not that the new Path of Exile looks bad – it doesn't, but there's not much more to it. There's no graphical revolution, it's just an update.

PATH OF EXILE IMMORTAL

Quite a surprise was the announcement of Path of Exile for mobile. It was also created by Grinding Gear Games, so no one should worry that the game will emerge from a generic, Chinese F2P factory (but mind you, 80 percent of GG Games belongs to Tencent). On top of that, it's all going to be available for free. To top things off, the developers want to bring their creation to mobile devices almost one-to-one. No compromises are planned, and the devs are set to give the full PC experience to users of smartphones.

A brand new story in seven acts

In terms of story, Path of Exile 2 takes us 20 years ahead of the events from the original. In the new campaign, there will only be new characters. Old acts are still available, so the old content will not disappear. This applies to both our heroes and the purchased cosmetic items. The old heroes will not be included in the new campaign, because it will introduce 19 new subclasses (Ascendancy).

They will be more diverse than before and we will unlock them in different ways. We already know that in Path of Exile 2, there will be such characters as tactician or beast master. The latter will get the ability to turn into an animal – yes, PoE will get its own druid!

Path of Exile with its own druid.

In addition, Grinding Gear Games guarantees that it will not matter what part of the game we complete – both versions give access to the endgame, i.e. the Atlas. Seven new acts will offer a brand new story that references events from the past. The storyline itself will be more accessible than thus far, and there will be more cut-scenes. At the same time, the original will continue to be supported, and all novelties and changes will include both versions. There will be two stories, but only using the graphics and mechanics of Path of Exile 2.

The developers also explained why a single character will not be able to complete both the campaigns. From the story perspective, the hero who completes the original campaign, will be the villain of the new one. So we're not able to continue the story with the original character.

Change, change and change again!

All of those are just small extras to the big changes we'll see in Path of Exile 2. Almost every aspect of the game will be reinvented. The developers do not hide the transition from a static hack'n'slash to an action-RPG, when it comes to genres – in this way, they want to emphasize the increased dynamics of the game. The enormous skill tree, for which Path of Exile has been famous for, will also be reconsidered. We don't know yet what form it will take, but Grinding Gear Games ensures that it will provide even greater freedom in character creation.

We already know that the game will be completely redesigned. Path of Exile 2 will discard combined skill slots in the inventory. Instead, the skills get their own gem slots, which we'll be able to upgrade or modify. In principle, we will place gems inside gems, which seems to me a more interesting option than what we've had so far.

We say goodbye to the old slot system – say hi to gems inside gems.

How does it work exactly? Support games will be inserted into the skill gems. As a result, each skill of our character can be enhanced with five other gems. Maybe it's a little casual, but on the other hand, it looks like a more intuitive system, which also allows more freedom and creates good opportunities for experiments. What about the experience in gems? It will be possible to transfer it from one stone to another.

Monetization, or what's in store

Path of Exile is still going to be available entirely for free. No aspect of gameplay will be blocked by microtransactions or additional DLCs. It is possible, though, that selecting the gender of the character will be a paid option. Grinding Gear Games does not rule this possibility out.

However, this is not certain and prone to change. It's also unknown whether the main content of the store will consist in cosmetic items, or maybe additional tabs for chests.

Looks like the Witch class will get a male version.

How long a wait?

The release date of Path of Exile 2 has not yet been disclosed. However, before it gets to it, still this year (on December 13) we will see a new addition and a new league. Conquerors of the Atlas will focus on various gameplay improvements and minor changes. For example, the bow will be modified – using it will be much more fun and dynamic thanks to news skills.

Conquerors of the Atlas will also be the final stage of Atlas construction and rebuilding. You will get a number of challenges that you will have to face to be able to fight five bosses. Metamorph, in turn, is an additional league that will get into Path of Exile along with the expansion. We will collect DNA samples of defeated creatures, to create a mutated opponent containing their distinctive features. This will produce some very formidable opponents.

The game will likely appear in 2021. Grinding Gear Games reports that the first beta tests of Path of Exile 2 is scheduled for the end of 2020. As a result, the "sequel" can come out much later, and actually coincide with the release of Diablo 4 (the release date of which has also not been disclosed yet). Should Blizzard be afraid?

Yes and no. On the one hand, Path of Exile 2 seems to be a solid production that reinvents old elements while evolving into a new, better game. On the other – it's still "just" Path of Exile. It seems that Diablo IV will be addressed to a different type of player, focused more on online competition than PoE. But then we've got to remember that the number of hack'n'slash games is rather limited, so both these games will try to win as many players as possible.

Path of Exile 2 looks like a game for years.

Time to ultimately compare these titles will come when they're both out, though. It is worth noting, however, that Path of Exile 2 will launch with a huge amount of content that Diablo IV will probably have to build over time. Also, a lot more has been revealed about the former game, so we have a better idea of what to expect. In addition, everything will be available for free, without new content coming in DLCs.

However, one thing I can reasonably assume is that if you didn't like the original Path of Exile, you probably won't fall for the new one. That said, it doesn't change the fact that the new iteration will address much of the criticism of the original, which can lure many undecided players. And it seems that the developers aim Path of Exile 2 to exactly this lot of players, offering more approachable mechanics that remain as extensive as they used to. One thing is for sure – 2021 looks very interesting for fans of the genre.