Is Path of Exile 2 Living Up to the Hype?

Path of Exile 2 Is it really what it's hyped up to be?

To start things off I will point out that, yes, the game really is what it is being hyped up to be. Or at least, it is showing enough to me that I can see that it will be.

If you have been living under a rock, or just not an ARPG enjoyer you may have let the GGG (Grinding Gears Games) break out hit Path of Exile slip by you. It is a free to play game on both PC and Console and is an ARPG that attract the hyper sweaty and casual alike. Although the aforementioned are the real big fans due to the endgame being seemingly endless and the seasons they have being unique and different enough to have players returning each time to go again. But with that being said we are here to discuss PoE 2, the sequel to the fan favorite and the dubbed "Diablo Killer". Now PoE 2 is not yet released, and you have to buy into the beta by purchasing a dev support back starting at around 30 USD to play, and we just got the notes about the 0.1.1 patch just a few days ago of me writing this article. But with that being said, in it's current state it feels comparable to Diablo 4 how it currently sits. Diablo 4 had a hefty 60$ USD initial buy in and you had to buy the DLC to get all of the current content so if you played at release both times you are sitting at around 100$ USD invested minimum. With PoE 2 being 30$ and having more content and still a whole mess of new things ready to be released before the full release of the game WHICH WILL BRING THE PRICE TO 0$ TO PLAY UPON RELEASE, honestly it is hard to say why anyone who is even a slight fan of dark ARPG's would not give this game at least a bit of a try.

In my typical fashion we will start with the negatives, because I am as pessimistic as I am anxious. So here is a list of my complaints:

• No character creation, you choose a class and you get the character that goes with it.

• Limited class selection (so far)

• Repetitive goals (you repeat the acts to get to end game)

• Majority of character uniqueness comes from microtransactions

• Maps are MASSIVE in the later game, causing "wasted time"

That's all I could honestly come up with, that isn't being addressed in the upcoming patch. Yes I have some issues with map sizes, or the desire for there to be non-stop action in the game. But honestly those are also being addressed, and even with a slight tool-tip or add on to give me a sense of direction that would be solved. Now the repetitive complaint is something that cannot be avoided, it is an ARPG after all, that what they are, repetitive insanity until you get super big cool damage numbers. We are getting new classes, but we have yet to see a concrete position of what they will be so my complaint stands, along with 0 character creation. Yes I know I have been spoiled by Elden Ring and the like, but I wanna be ugly and proud.

Now lets talk positives:

• Graphics look amazing

• WASD movement is a godsend

• Skills are fucking awesome looking and sounding

• Boss fights are unique and engaging

• Gear grind isn't too bad with early game unique drops that help grow easier

• Classes aren't over complex, and passive trees are 'easier' this go around

• The devs are players, and enjoyers of the game, and the patch reflects that

• Map clearing is fun, even when you get lost

• Story is dark and enjoyable

• Simplification of the game compared to PoE1

Now I could go on and on about PoE 2, having spent many hours on it now grinding on several characters since I'm an Alt whore. But what really draws me back in is the games unique and cool spell animations, tied in with the sounds of devastation. A map clearing shock or plague makes the demise of the army of opps amazing, and the character affirmation makes it even better. Although it is an ARPG and loot grinding is the name of the game, the unique bosses with random and cool abilities/buffs/debuffs makes engaging them a fun time each go around.

The passive trees is something I am going to point out, since that is something of a touchy thing for PoE enjoyers and haters alike. PoE 1 has a vastly complex passive tree system, as does PoE2 but the latter has a much more simplified one and really it all boils down the the fact that

all classes share the same tree

You just go in different directions from the beginning to decide what passives you are going to gain in the long run. I mean imagine if WoW had all the classes and specs share a tree, it would be fucking mayhem. As well, with the easier passive tree we have early on advantages that make newer/casual players have a better and easier time. Like the hooded figure appearing early in Act 1, so you can have free and rapid item identification, or the clear explanation of selling vs. disenchanting vs. the workbench. Like PoE1 became a massive success due to the fan base, but due to that many of the early thing were left out due to most people just knowing what to do which left new players in a bit a bind. PoE2 clearly understood that assignment and has made this complex and dark ARPG approachable for any level of players.

So, should you play it NOW or wait until release?

Well, that all depends on how much you want to grind. If you finished Diablo 4 and said FUCK I wanna kill more hordes, then yea, pay your way into the beta and join in the party on PoE 2. But if you see the classes and skills from streams and nothing is really jumping out at you, maybe just wait until its free. It will be releasing later this year for both Steam and console and there will be even more to enjoy then.