Path of Exile 2 has finally entered early access, the developers behind this one and its predecessor, Grinding Gear games had taken the initiative to make a free to play RPG that anyone could play regardless of system requirements. Path Of Exile was truly free to play as profits for the game are entirely funded from microdonations and cosmetics only and which Path of Exile 2 is continuing.
Path Of Exile 2’s Changes
As per their steam page, Path of Exile 2 takes place in the land of Wraeclast, filled with unique cultures, creatures and ancient secrets ready to be explored and pillaged. An ancient is slowly regaining its power and its effects can be seen in the environment with corruption being inflicted on the living and driving them mad.
While it may not seem like much of a revolution from the previous title, Grinding Gear Games have put in a lot of effort in upgrading just about every aspect of the general formula. Starting with the performance of the game, the game runs so smoothly that “early access” feels that it is in name only.
The graphics look much more crisp and detailed, this is most noticeable whenever the player makes a run in a randomly generated world, the ground and the trees look much more sharp, the water bodies look more natural.
So far in early access, players can experience the first 3 acts, the first of which takes place in a ravaged town giving off a resident evil like feeling with all of the remaining NPCs, the second act takes place in a desert area with distinct red sand instead of the usual but the fourth act takes place in a lush and highly detailed jungle.
Changes To The Combat Loop
What feels like a breath of fresh air or maybe it should’ve been the case from the first game is the fact that spells or moves we perform in Path of Exile 2 have windups now, our character has to go through animations.
Thus due to this change players now have to think a lot more about what moves or abilities they are using. Constant movement is essential and along with the new dodge button it is clear that players won’t be able steam roll through hordes by spamming their abilities anymore but have to be more methodical in approach.
Skill gems have been completely decoupled from items and given their own separate menu, this change again is aimed at making it easier for new players to get familiar with the in-depth passive mechanics that is present in the game.There is also a new mechanic that helps complement the improved combat system with something called spirit gems but that can be an entire article on its own.
Enemy AI feels like they have gotten a rework as they feel more coordinated in how they use their attacks instead of just surrounding the player character. The variety in enemies per area feels more cohesive and while they don’t attempt to bump rush our character they still do overwhelm us with coordination and sheer damage.
Path Of Exile 2 Is A Major Improvement
Building crafting remains an essential pillar in Path of Exile 2 and the first of it can be seen with a more streamlined class selection process. Parts of the vast menu are more easily accessible now but still offer long-time players the complexity they have come to enjoy from the original.
The expansive and in-depth skill tree still remains and while it may seem like a behemoth at first to new players there is now more of a guiding hand at helping players navigate and make sure they don’t fall into the trap of upgrading or getting the wrong skill.
Overall, Path of Exile 2 is already looking like a finished product, the graphics are superb, the gameplay has been changed to provide a natural feel to it and the fact that there is now a tutorial for every mechanic just shows the amount of dedication the developers put in to make the game easily accessible. Grinding Gear Games have truly outdone themselves and here’s to hoping that Path of Exile 2 runs even longer than its predecessor
