Path of Exile is one of the most complex action RPGs around. Look up a screenshot of its gigantic skill tree and you'll understand its maximalist approach to character build customization. It isn't a game about leveling up and collecting loot so much as it is about using programmer logic to design the most effective monster-slaying machine possible.
Over a decade of updates has made it inscrutable for anyone who doesn't have time to study YouTube videos on how any of it works. While I can theoretically understand the appeal of a game that is effectively a box of Lego pieces, I lost interest as soon as I found myself digging through old forum threads for things the in-game tooltips refuse to explain.
And yet, I have spent almost 600 hours playing the early access sequel to PoE, a game that is already nearly as complex but one that grounds all of it in a harsh world that demands you to experiment with its many systems. Path of Exile 2 continues to channel the strengths of classic action RPGs like Diablo 2, but also incorporates elements of modern games like Elden Ring. The result is an action RPG that I feel like I've never played before, one that I'm convinced will raise the bar for t...
English (US)