Path of Exile is, for lack of a better word, a huge game. The massive amount of endlessly repeatable content combined with the piles of loot make this the dream RPG for any fan pining for the old days of Diablo II, but with a fresh look and new mechanics.
Path of Exile has so much content and so many deep mechanics, that’s it’s impossible to cover them all, but we’re going to give you a few reasons why, from the perspective of a long-time ARPG fan, you should play this great game.
Massive Variety of Classes and Builds
There are seven classes to choose from: Witch, Marauder, Ranger, Templar, Shadow, Duelist, and Scion. The biggest difference between classes are their ascendancy class choices. Completing the Labyrinth allows you to choose between one of the three Ascendancy subclasses. Each of the classes has access to powerful and its own unique passives which makes it different from other classes. And while these many classes often look very similar, don’t be fooled by their looks, they are often quite unique. And the uniqueness comes down to the other choices you make with the character.
With both physical and elemental damage types of various kinds, the combat in this game is equally unique. Typically players will pick a certain skill that deals a certain type of damage, and then build all of their gear and other skill choices around that. This system offers limitless customization potential due to the huge amount of skills and loot in the game. And since the developers are always tweaking things, what skills were great in one patch might be outclassed in the next one, so there’s always an incentive to try something new.
Skills in the game work a bit differently than you might expect if you’re coming from another game like Diablo. The actual skills that you use are socketed into the gear itself with Skill Gems, and different effects and Support Gems can be combined to create interesting effects, like giving your attacks a vampiric healing ability.Then there’s the Passive Skill Tree, a complex web of nodes that offer passive bonuses like more Life or increased damage of a certain type. This combination allows for endless combinations of gear and skills that can make for some very interesting builds that just are not possible in other games.
There’s even builds dedicated to farming piles of loot. The choices in Path of Exile are only limited by your imagination.
Vibrant In-Game Economy
Items are sold to and bought from players by trading for a variety of currency items. Each of these items has a unique use, from Wisdom Scrolls that identify Magic and Rare items, to Exalted Orbs and Chaos Orbs that reroll or change the properties of the items that they’re used on. These items form the basis of a totally player-controlled economy, where all of the high-end loot that’s sold, sometimes for hundreds of the incredibly valuable Exalted Orbs, is either created by players or found by them in loot drops.
The deep crafting meta-game that’s been created out of these unique currency Orbs allows Path of Exile players to create some truly insane items, and the RNG layer built into using this currency really gets the blood pumping. If you’re looking for a deeply engaging and rewarding crafting system, look no further than this.
Huge Content Variety
Path of Exile is constantly changing and evolving, throughout the past decade, the game has consistently been updated with new content, usually every few months with the launch of a new expansion and it’s associated Challenge Leagues. Challenge Leagues are the primary means that Grinding Gear Games uses to introduce new story elements and game mechanics into POE. Past leagues have included Breach and Abyss, where otherworldly creatures attacked the player, offering very valuable loot if you managed to take them down. And then there’s more complex leagues, like the current 3.6 offering in Synthesis League, which offer a strategic layer of puzzle-solving and planning to the meta-game.
Did I also mention that the game is entirely free? And not just making an account, every single patch and major expansion is completely free to all players. So all of these amazing Leagues and many more will always be included for no charge when you download the game.
Thriving Community
Path of Exile has been going strong for years. It first launched as an incredibly basic ARPG back in it’s Alpha state in 2009, and since then it’s grown to dizzying heights. As thousands of players flock to the land of Wraeclast everyday, they experience a growing world filled with lore, wonderful gameplay and piles of magical loot.
And since there is so much content, players are always looking to help each other out. From independent websites like ours publishing guides, to the incredibly helpful subreddit that sprung up around the game. And being an online game, there’s lots of memes to go around.
You Can Make a Living
There is a very active community of content creators in POE. From YouTubers and streamers who play the game for an audience, to writers and bloggers who create guides and builds for the community to consume, and to help teach new players. If you’re looking to write about POE, check this out, as we could always use more writers. You can also sell in-game items or currencies in the online marketplace like Eldorado.gg.
