Path of Exile 2 Hands-On - Rampaging Fury
At PAX West 2023, I had the chance to check out the latest build of Path of Exile 2, which is hitting its first beta next June. The sequel to the award-winning ARPG Path of Exile, PoE 2 looks to be a natural evolution of that formula, and after spending some time with it, I honestly cannot wait for the full release.
As someone who enjoyed Diablo 4, but it just didn't click with me in the way I was hoping, I went into this hoping that Path of Exile 2 would give that ARPG spark missing from my life. I really enjoy the first iteration, with its complex passive skill tree, incredible world building and frenetic combat. When Path of Exile 2 was first announced at ExileCon in 2019, I was able to go hands on there, but since then the ARPG has evolved in many ways.
During my meeting with Grinding Gear Games at PAX West 2023, I was able to chat with game director Jonathan Rogers about the latest addition: the Druid class.
The Druid is a shapeshifter, capable of slinging spells in his human form while rampaging enemies in his animal shape, which in this demo was the Bear. However, what struck me was the complexity and the interplay between the two forms, all thanks to the new way skill gems are slotted.
Showcased at ExileCon 2023, Path of Exile 2 takes the existing skill gem system but turns it on its head. Instead of slotting skill gems into gear, there is now a skill gem tree where you can slot each skill individually and augment it from there. While the new system feels more streamlined than dealing with gear slots in PoE 1, it doesn't feel any less complex, especially when you throw in all the different ways you can mix and match gems to create crazy synergies and effects.
As a result, we don't really have predefined skill
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