Path of Exile's success has taken the action RPG genre by the storm, and many games that came after it drew inspiration from Path of Exile's well-executed game mechanics. Most likely, Path of Exile 2 is set to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor when it comes to new expansions, but it is also likely to adapt and evolve from the original Path of Exile. Grinding Gear Games' footage of Path of Exile 2 looks promising, and the game could represent the dawn of a new era for action RPG fans.
Despite how great Path of Exile 2 looks so far, players are worried that it will suffer from the same fate of more recent updates from Grinding Gear Games. Most new content for the original Path of Exile often ends up pleasing conceptually and aesthetically, rather than pleasing its player base with new game mechanics and challenges. Is it a matter of expectations placing the bar too high, now that the game is finally thriving? Or is it an issue raised by the brevity of the development cycle for new Leagues? Fans will argue either side, but whatever the reason, here's hoping that Path of Exile 2 does prove this trend wrong.
Path of Exile 2 - The New Era of ARPGs
Path of Exile 2 was first revealed during ExileCon, a live event held by Grinding Gear Games itself, back in November 2019. Up until recently, the company went radio silent about Path of Exile 2 while focusing communication with players on content for Path of Exile. However, on April 8, a livestreaming session revealed a new trailer and exciting gameplay footage for Path of Exile 2.
Artistically and aesthetically the game is incredible, and its worldbuilding narrative seems rather unique. Improvements from Path of Exile 2's predecessor can easily be spotted in the form of a generally slower pace in combat, brand new weapons, and skills associated with them, with an overall sense of important things happening when abilities are used. For these reasons, it's only natural to believe that Path of Exile 2 will be a huge step up for Grinding Gear Games and its creations.
Regardless, it's hard to shake the feeling that Path of Exile 2 might suffer from similar issues when compared to current Path of Exile expansions. If the point of the game was simply to be stunning from a graphics perspective, then it succeeded with flying colors. However, the game needs to be great at being played, first and foremost.
The sequel shouldn't come with classic Path of Exile issues, like screen clutter, monsters stacking auras and becoming unkillable, specific skills being blatantly better than most others, among other factors. Path of Exile 2 should avoid a collection of anonymous Unique Items that don't really feel unique at all, or implementing a crafting system deprived of deterministic methods, and rocky expansions with numerous technical issues.
Achieving all of this is not an easy feat, and while Path of Exile 2 is a way for Grinding Gear Games to start afresh and making the sequel into what Path of Exile could have been, there is no guarantee that this will happen on launch. On the contrary, Path of Exile 2 might be a slow burner in terms of improvements it brings to the table. Or else, its open beta phase, likely to begin in 2022, will allow players to spot issues in time before full release, so that the finished product is more in line with the quality that gamers have come to expect from Path of Exile.
Path of Exile 2 is in development.