Summary
- Bugs are minimal in PoE 2 early access, but meta builds can quickly become outdated due to heavy nerfs.
- Early access characters in PoE 2 will not be wiped and will remain in a separate “realm” from the main release.
- PoE 2’s gameplay is more skill-based than traditional ARPGs, with less loot focus and more emphasis on refining gear.
Early Access for Grinding Gear Games’ ARPG Path of Exile 2 is now available across PC and console, and the highly anticipated sequel has been getting a lot of attention. Yet, there are a lot of changes from the first game to consider for long-time PoE players who are thinking of jumping into the second game.
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Equally, for players who are coming over from other ARPGs like Diablo, there are a lot of unique quirks to Path of Exile 2 that might not be obvious at first. On top of that, early access releases always have their issues with bugs and balancing. With that said, players might be wondering whether Path of Exile 2 is worth trying while it’s in early access. Here are the main things to consider when making that decision.
1 Early Access Issues
Are 1.0 Bugs Holding Back The Game?
Path of Exile 2 is a highly polished early access release. After the first patch, few issues could be considered game-breaking. The console versions of the game are reportedly less stable than the PC release, with certain UI issues persisting and minor soft locks that require resetting areas in some cases.
The early access release is not totally free of bugs, unintended skill interactions, and balance issues. Nor are characters safe, as GGG has already shown they are willing to heavily nerf certain abilities. Respeccing is currently costly, so this means early meta builds may well become obsolete over early access. With that said, it’s a mostly stable experience, and it would be unfair to say the current minor issues are holding it back significantly.
2 A Separate Realm
Early Access Characters Will Remain There
A lot of players might expect that their early access characters won’t carry over to the final release of the game. GGG is taking an interesting approach to this with POE 2 though. Early access characters won’t be wiped. Instead, they’ll remain in the early access “realm,” which will be separate from the main release and seasonal realms.
3 Skill System Changes
Skill And Support Gems Have Been Reworked
Path of Exile‘s skill system was unique, and while PoE 2‘s skill gems are reminiscent of the first game, the skill slotting and upgrading system works completely differently. Players no longer slot gems into armor and weapon sockets. Instead, they can equip nine active skills, as well as passive buff and trigger skills.
Like before, these can be augmented with support gems, but each skill now has a set number of support sockets until it’s upgraded. Support skills can only be used once across a build, so paying attention to what augmentations are best for each skill is a key part of character building now.
Skill gems still drop from monsters, but they now come as uncut gems. This means players are free to choose what skill a gem becomes. Higher-level gems can be used for higher-tier skills, or to upgrade existing skills. Skill gems no longer level from use. Overall, the system is as satisfying to use as in the first game, but the changes may take some getting used to.
4 Gameplay Changes
This Is Not A Turn Your Brain Off Loot-A-Thon
Traditional ARPG gameplay can be fun but mindless, with endless clicking until monsters explode like fountains of loot and gore. Path of Exile 2 is not that kind of ARPG. The gameplay here is far more action-based, with a lot of skill-based mechanics for both attacking and defending.
Bosses typify this design philosophy, with interesting mechanics and movesets that players will have to learn to survive. Even regular map clearing is more engaging than just obliterating mobs, though, with players having to make full use of their kit to dispatch varied enemy types.
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Loot is also less copious than many ARPGs, with a focus on dropping crafting currencies that can be used to refine and upgrade players’ chosen gear, much more so than dropping a new rare or legendary piece every few minutes. Rather than being negatives, these factors are the game’s main strengths, but they’re certainly something players should consider when deciding if the game is for them.
5 Characters & Classes
Is There Enough Variety?
The early access release of Path of Exile 2 has six character choices, with two ascendancy classes for each. Twelve characters are planned for the final release, with three ascendancy classes for each one, which promises a dazzling amount of choice. What’s currently available still offers a lot of gameplay variety though.
The two melee classes, monk and warrior, feel different enough to play, with monk being more DPS and evasion focused, and the warrior able to tank more hits with armor. The ranged archer feels nimble, whereas the crossbow wielder feels more like a heavy gunner. Magic users are represented by the sorceress and the witch, who focus on elemental DPS and minions, respectively.
That means there are definitely enough choices here to represent vastly different playstyles. Not every activity in the game is currently fully balanced for each class. Warrior players have reported issues with the trial of the sekhema, where players need to avoid taking hits, for example. These issues aren’t insurmountable though. Overall, classes and balancing are in a good state for this early stage.
6 Campaign Length
How Much Story Content Is There?
There are currently six chapters in the campaign of Path of Exile 2, though three are unique areas and three are reruns of those areas in a higher difficulty. The story content that’s contained in those chapters is fairly well fleshed out, with unique NPCs to meet and lengthy quests spanning each chapter.
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The ascendancy trials return in a slightly different format, with players having to complete challenge maps to unlock powerful passive buffs unique to their class. On top of that, several optional bosses will grant permanent buffs like extra passive skill points throughout the chapters. Though GGG has stated they plan to double the length of the campaign for the full release, what’s there in early access is still a decent offering.
7 End Game Content
How Much Is There To Do In Early Access?
Long-time ARPG players will be wondering whether this early access release has enough endgame content to keep them challenged once the campaign is done. Path of Exile 2 does have an endgame map system, via the Atlas of Worlds. Maps come in tiers and can be crafted and placed on the Atlas to unlock various endgame activity maps.
While running these maps, players can also find the key items required to access higher levels of the trials of the sekhema and trials of chaos, which each grant unique endgame rewards. There are also unique endgame mechanics like breaches and delirium to deal with. The issue at the moment is that progression is ill-defined at this point, leaving some players feeling lost once they reach the Atlas.
Fairly obviously, the endgame of Path of Exile 2 feels less well-defined than the first game, which had years of iteration. For an early access release, there’s quite a lot to explore though, even if the specific mechanics of how to progress it are a little obtuse at the moment.
