Exploring 150 Hours of 'Path of Exile 2': Insights from a 'Diablo' Series Veteran
I wasn't anticipating delving this far into Path of Exile 2 prior to its Early Access launch, yet I've already surpassed my total playtime in Path of Exile 1 across a decade in merely a few weeks in this unrefined sequel.
I thought I'd share some insights about my experience with PoE2, coming from a predominantly Diablo background with numerous hours spent on Diablos 2, 3 and 4. The last two games were considered more "relaxed, popular" variants of the more hardcore D2, and the concept of Path of Exile has always been to emulate D2 rather than broadening its appeal. Even in its early stages, this has attracted a diverse crowd, attracting between 350,000-500,000 concurrent players since its debut a few weeks ago.
It's quite astonishing just how much Path of Exile 2 resembles Diablo 2, even in the year 2024. The original game was released in 2013, eleven years after Diablo 2, and we find ourselves twenty-four years later, yet it truly feels like Diablo 2, albeit with noticeable enhancements and changes. The core remains the same. I consider this to be an overwhelmingly positive aspect, although some elements seem to have been included merely because they were how things used to be, such as the ability to carry only a handful of items in your inventory at a time. However, the aesthetics, the feel, even the UI, it's all a nostalgic delight.
I found the campaign quite engaging, even though it featured only half the Acts that will be included when the full game is released. Generally, I found it to be a suitable level of challenge with engaging bosses that, while occasionally frustrating, never felt like an insurmountable hurdle. The story isn't groundbreaking, but the locations, the enemies, and the overall experience were excellent.
Cruel difficulty needs further refinement, and at this stage, I believe it's unnecessary. You are required to complete it to reach the endgame on a character, which involves going through the entire campaign twice. However, it feels significantly easier than normal due to the abundance of gear, gems, and skill points after completing the campaign the first time, allowing you to quickly build and progress through Cruel. While making it overly challenging might not be enjoyable, it's currently in an in-between state. (Update: I've been informed that Cruel only exists due to the absence of the other three Acts at this time, so this issue seems to be resolved)
The infamous skill tree in PoE 2 (and 1, for that matter) can appear overwhelming and intimidating, but I've grown to love it (and it's not as chaotic as it appears). Navigating the nodes and deciding on an optimal path, balancing damage, survivability, and amplifying a specific build, is a more intricate and interesting system than what Diablo has evolved into, or even Diablo 2 in its day. The main issue at the moment is that "creativity" isn't quite a factor due to the proliferation of similar powerful builds, but that's an Early Access issue (with many skills and weapons yet to be included, and the game having received little balance adjustments).
I enjoy the structure of PoE 2's endgame, with its sprawling map filled with nodes you can upgrade with modifiers and bonus rewards through towers or waystones. It's a creative concept that I find more compelling than stacking higher and higher rift levels in Diablo, even though it has evolved from that basis. Exploring the map and traversing various points is intriguing, and searching for notorious "citadels" with pinnacle bosses (which I wish weren't campaign bosses) is enjoyable.
The problem with the endgame is that it is excessively punishing. It's not excessively difficult, but excessively punishing, there's a distinction. A single death on any map results in 1) the loss of progress and ejection, 2) the consumption of your Waystone, 3) the erasure of modifiers from nearby towers, 4) the elimination of special nodes like Delirium or Bosses, 5) and the actual loss of XP. This effectively bricks the map, and consumes both items and XP. These deaths can often occur in seemingly innocuous ways, such as getting stuck on the environment or being caught by an unexpected flying chaos orb hiding behind a tree. The current endgame's punishment for dying is excessive.
Overall, I enjoy Path of Exile 2, despite its unfinished and unbalanced state. I've invested over 40 hours a week into it, and I wouldn't have done so if I didn't enjoy it. I may be nearing the end of the "testing" phase, but every time I think that, they release a new patch that draws me back in. So, see you in the new year, most likely.
Follow me *on Twitter**, *YouTube*,*Bluesky and Instagram**
Grab my sci-fi novels, specifically the*Herokiller series* and*The Earthborn Trilogy*.
In the context of discussing my experiences in Path of Exile 2, I'm eagerly awaiting more updates and improvements for the release of Path of Exile 2's full version.
With its strong resemblance to Diablo 2, I'm curious to see if Path of Exile 2 will include more accessibility features in its upcoming updates, considering its considerable popularity and massive player base.
