Path of Exile already displays mastery over a core component of ARPGs, having a staggering amount of build diversity and options. Path of Exile 2 retains this solid foundation, but has simultaneously moved the entire genre forward with gameplay departures that make it stand above the rest of the genre. Even in its incomplete state, Path of Exile 2 deserves a play not just from ARPG fans, but for fans of RPGs as a whole.
Path of Exile 2 Is Impressing on Steam
Massive Player Counts And Stellar Reviews Point Towards Something Special
Path of Exile 2 can already be considered a major success. The cross-platform ARPG has reached an audience that sustained a peak of nearly 600,000 simultaneous players on Steam alone according to Steam Charts. It retains very positive Steam reviews, which is quite an accomplishment considering that there are almost 60,000 of them.
There’s a reason that Path of Exile 2 has surpassed its predecessors’ peak player counts in such a sizable fashion. The gameplay departures that it made has captured an entirely new audience looking for the next best RPG. There is a weight to the combat, a weight that many ARPGs have tried to capture, but never to the extent, and as successfully, as Path of Exile 2.
ARPGs are an interesting genre in this regard. Part of their appeal relies on build and theory crafting, creating the perfect character and loadout to tackle any challenge. What often occurs is an inverse gameplay loop, where the challenge of the game diminishes the further a build progresses. It’s a slippery slope, as the extreme of this curve is that the actual gameplay becomes nothing more than a vanity, a visual indicator of the overpowered nature of a character.
Path of Exile 2 presents, even if not yet fully realized, a solution to this eternal problem. Even as a build comes together, as a character becomes, inevitably, able to clear screens with ease, there is never a moment where autopiloting becomes feasible; difficulty is always present, along with the more rewarding nature of that difficulty – one of the facets that makes Path of Exile 2 play like a soulslike.
Early Critic Reviews Can’t Get Enough
Despite Its Early Access State, Path Of Exile 2 Is Brimming With Quality
It’s a difficult endeavor to find a negative critical review of Path of Exile 2. The biggest, standout flaw with Path of Exile 2 is that it remains incomplete. Only six of the 12 classes are currently playable, with only two of three ascendancies available for those classes. Weapon types, particularly the ones likely to be used by the remaining classes, are left empty. The lack of any bladed weapons, for instance, may certainly be felt by many players.
Only half of the acts are available, with the temporary solution to fill out the campaign being cruel versions of the first three, which are only really different in name and scaling alone. Yet, critics and players alike can’t help but see the full picture in their positive reviews listed on Metacritic. If one extrapolates the quality and amount of content already available to the eventual full release of the game, anticipation quickly replaces dissatisfaction.
For instance, even with only half of the acts available, Path of Exile 2 contains more bosses than almost every single ARPG, and further, more than most RPGs in general. The quality of PoE 2‘s bosses speaks for itself too, quickly squashing any claims that the boss roster is padded out by repeating movesets or designs. Each boss has felt unique, rewarding to defeat, and visually interesting.
The overarching design philosophy of rewarding challenge is tied together with an unusually high level of polish, with weighty animations, inventive environments, and memorable enemy designs. Path of Exile 2 even features couch co-op, a nostalgic remnant that will always be a desirable feature for multiplayer gaming.
Why You Should Play Path Of Exile 2
Expect Path Of Exile 2 To Be Here For The Long Haul
The original Path of Exile has retained a consistent and passionate player base over the 10 years it’s been playable. This is due, in large part, to the commitment that GGG has towards refining, evolving, and updating its game. GGG truly found its stride in Path of Exile, generating excitement and anticipation every time a new season, and the fresh mechanics tied to it, is launched.
GGG could have simply updated Path of Exile with a new engine and modernized features, and leaned into the stability often inherent with a sequel. The fact that Path of Exile will continue to be developed despite the sequel being released paints a different picture; GGG did not take the safe route with its anticipated sequel. Rather than coast by on the success of Path of Exile, it feels as though GGG utilized that success to create an entirely new project that pushes the game forward, not just in the veneer of a fresh coat of paint, but in more meaningful and exciting ways.
GGG has already displayed a commitment to development, so despite the early access tag and current paid entry into it, players can rest assured that this is truly the start of something new. There is currently no explicit roadmap, but the bones of the game to come are there to be seen, and with the eventual free price tag, there’s little worry that the experience is going to deteriorate.
Path of Exile 2 does not need a roadmap. GGG has worked hard to earn a reputation as not just talented devs, but passionate ones. The game is in a state that’s already worth its one-time purchase price tag, and based on the decades worth of updates to its precursor, there is no question about the direction Path of Exile 2 will head in the foreseeable future.
Whether you’ve played Path of Exile, other ARPGs, or are just looking for something new, Path of Exile 2 has you covered. Sure, the learning curve can be quite overwhelming, but Path of Exile 2 is an ARPG that rewards players for that commitment to its underlying systems and build crafting with gameplay that matches it in its level of depth, complexity, and care. It deserves a playthrough now, and will certainly earn another 15 or 100 in the next decade.
