Path of Exile 2 has all the hallmarks of being a classic ARPG (action role-playing game). I went into the Early Access somewhat blind as I haven’t played the first game in the series, but I do love Diablo 2 and played that quite a bit.
These two games are reminiscent of each other and POE2 draws inspiration from the former but also makes a few innovations to the series. The atmosphere is immaculate with the ambience, music and sound effects making me feel very immersed.
The story is all about you as the hero taking on corruption and bringing an end to the darkness that has polluted the land.
As I had not played the first game before, I had some help from a friend when I had questions regarding what type of class to play. He suggested that I play something familiar and that was similar to what I had played before. I usually play as a stealth archer in The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and I like to combine magic with melee weapons, so the Witch seemed like a good alternative.
My Witch build suits me perfectly. I can summon minions and conjure fire on demand. Initially, the game controls are quite straightforward to wrap your head around. Right at the start you can choose if you want to play with a controller, keyboard or a mouse and as I have mostly played Diablo 2 on PC, I went with the mouse latter.
One very useful feature is the dodge-roll. It lets you, as the name implies, roll away from your enemies avoiding their attacks. This makes certain bosses more manageable and can get you out of tricky situations if your health is running low.
The grind is not bad and I lost myself in my old ways once again. If you have played other ARPG’s, Path of Exile 2 will feel like meeting an old friend that you haven’t met in a while. My strategy has always been to explore the map before travelling to the objectives and that served me well as this seems like the way it was meant to be played.
So far, I have found the areas well laid out but maybe a bit small as it didn’t feel like it took long to travel from one end to the other. They do also have voice acting in this game and that is something I am truly grateful for. I feel like it adds a lot to the feeling of a world to actually be able to hear the NPCs you meet. Do not expect a multitude of options when you talk to them though, this is not a Baldur’s Gate 3 or a Disco Elysium. They are designed more to give you information and not to be more interactive.
The elephant in the room is the skill tree that I’ve heard that many people have found daunting and overwhelming. They seem to have scaled it back a bit and made it more accessible for newbies because, for me at least, I got the hang of it fairly quickly. If you need help I would go to a build guide like this one to get the most out of your first experience. I like to experiment and learn the game before doing that though but everyone is different.
Path of Exile 2 has the makings of a great experience that is more accessible. From what I have heard others say, it worked out a few kinks from the first one nicely. It will not be for everyone but I think that is a good thing in the end.
Platform: PC
Developer: Grinding Gear Games
Publisher: Grinding Gear Games
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