In Path of Exile's Forbidden Sanctum League, players must explore an ancient Templar enclave hidden beneath the ruins of the Fellshrine. The goal is to uncover its secrets and defeat the evil entity that controls it, which from a thematic perspective is interesting enough. However, while the Forbidden Sanctum may seem like a traditional roguelike, it needs to catch up in several areas. Specifically, part of Path of Exile's problem is the mode's reliance on a new kind of health bar for the roguelike activity called Resolve.

Resolve is a health bar that persists from room to room in the Sanctum Vaults, and once it's depleted, the run is over, and players have to try again from the start. Part of what makes the new resource problematic is that melee characters often suffer from losing Resolve more quickly than ranged characters, regardless of what Path of Exile builds players are using. This is because melee characters need to be close to enemies to attack them, making them more vulnerable to taking damage. On the other hand, ranged characters can attack from a distance, reducing the chances of taking damage and losing Resolve, which creates an imbalance between class archetypes and playstyles.

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Path of Exile's Forbidden Sanctum Needed Better Boons and Fewer Afflictions

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To make matters worse, Boons, which are beneficial effects like extra Resolve or damage, are difficult to stack in the Forbidden Sanctum. Players may struggle to build up enough Boons to truly make a difference in their journey through the Sanctum. Additionally, Afflictions, which are adverse effects like more monster health and less player defense, are more prevalent and can quickly stack up, hindering players' progress. This can make it difficult for players to overcome the dangers of the Sanctum and progress far enough in the Vault to see better rewards. Unlike some of the best roguelikes of 2022, Path of Exile's Forbidden Sanctum sadly lacks that exciting buff-stacking power fantasy.

One of the interesting mechanics is that inside the Sanctum are findable gold coins called Aureus, which was Path of Exile's Templars' currency for commerce. These coins can be traded with a merchant and used to purchase Boons when found. Additionally, as players explore, they can also uncover Templar relics, which make them stronger in the Sanctum and persist from run to run. However, the rewards for defeating the Sanctum's guardians, including bosses and mini-bosses, are often not worth the effort—unless players risk their entire run building loot bonuses after beating the Sanctum Vault's final boss.

How Path of Exile's Forbidden Sanctum Could Improve the Roguelike Experience

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Path of Exile's new league mechanic could be improved in how Grinding Gear Games implements classic roguelike design. If the idea is that players can risk their character's death without losing progress outside the Vaults, then that experience should be made more worthwhile with the power-stacking gameplay of roguelikes like The Binding of Isaac: Repentance and Hades. While GGG is at it, scraping the Resolve mechanic may also be a good call so that player defenses and HP are considered, making tank and melee builds much more viable. Combine that with more enemies and better loot, and some players would certainly have a better time in the Sanctum Vaults.

While PoE's Forbidden Sanctum may have some interesting elements, it fails to deliver on the traditional roguelike experience. Boons are simply not enjoyable, Afflictions are too prevalent, and the rewards do not justify the challenge and difficulty involved. As a result, many players may find the Forbidden Sanctum a frustrating and unenjoyable experience compared to many of the free-to-play action RPG's other content.

Path of Exile is available now for PC, Mac, Xbox One, and PS4.

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