Path of Exile 2: The New Druid Class Sold Me on the Dramatically Improved Combat

ign.com:

For me, ARPGs have always served as a kind of calming junk food that allowed me to sink into my chair and spend countless hours mindlessly grinding away with little threat of ever breaking a sweat. This was definitely true of the original Path of Exile, which I’ve been known to actually fall asleep playing while raiding dusty crypts and forgotten dungeons – it just has a soothing effect on me in its pleasant repetition. Which is why I was shocked when I recently sat down with the folks at Grinding Gear Games to try out the Druid class in Path of Exile 2 and found myself wholly engaged by its new dynamic and action-packed combat system. With a renewed focus on putting players in thrilling battles that require careful consideration and adaptation, I think I may have finally found my next ARPG junk-food indulgence.

I enjoyed the original Path of Exile’s much more straightforward “click to do DPS” combat back in 2017, but this sequel made its predecessor look shoddy and overly simplistic by comparison. Instead of just spamming the same ability over and over again until everything dies, Path of Exile 2 asks you to think about how each of your abilities can work together to apply status effects, synergize with one another, and overcome specific combat obstacles like nigh endless waves of goblins charging at you, or a giant beast that doesn’t seem to flinch at even the strongest of attacks.

This new philosophy became obvious when I played as the recently revealed Druid class, which focuses on Intelligence and Strength to create a hybrid between magic and raw power. In human form, I’d focus on spells and trickery to apply status effects and set myself up for the imminent rampage of my bear form, then as a bear I’d lay waste to