Path of Exile 2 Review (Early Access): A Visceral Ascension to ARPG Godhood

Path of Exile 2 Early Access is currently out and filling some big shoes. Thanks to Grinding Gear Games, I got to play the game a few days ahead of schedule. Having spent quite a bit of time with Path of Exile 2, I thought I would share some thoughts about it, specifically how it holds up to its legacy while simultaneously changing the dynamic of the APRG scene for the foreseeable future.

Path of Exile 2 sees players delve into the darkened world of Wraeclast once again, visiting exotic locales and older haunts, fighting beasts of the forest and desert alike, all while uncovering a trail of destruction. To be completely clear, this review is spoiler-free and will only discuss matters up until Act 2 of the game.

For a sequel, Path of Exile 2 feels wholly new for many reasons

Path of Exile 2 is one of the most anticipated titles of 2024, even as the game is releasing with half of the campaign and a basic endgame structure as an Early Access. This demand doesn't exist in a vacuum and the recent failures of ARPGs to properly capture adequate attention have led to the astronomical aspirations levied upon Path of Exile 2.

Despite this, Path of Exile 2 strives to strike a balance between attracting novice players and catering to the demands of its older playerbase, and for what it's worth, it manages to do so. Player accessibility has been baked into every aspect of the game, from gem selection to item description, down to the affix descriptions on items.

Let's talk about the story (a little bit)

Even loading screens are absolutely stunning (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

As an Early Access title and one that is very much in progress, several aspects of Path of Exile 2 will differ over time, the principal being the campaign. For the sake of development resources and player clarity, Grinding Gear Games has decided to skip over acts four to six for the Early Access and has opted for a New Game+-esque rerun of the first three acts to make up for the missing content.

Path of Exile 2's campaign starts familiarly, with our protagonist on the run after a botched execution. Just like in the prequel, you quickly find yourself facing a brutish enemy at the gates, which you must dispatch to gain entry into your first hub area. And that's about where the similarities with Path of Exile's campaign stop and everyone is thrown to the same wolves in the next area, literally.

The campaign is much more grounded and character-driven this time, as different classes will interact differently with the world. The Witch will very often make a point to refer to other unique or rare-tier enemy witches as sisters. The Warrior, who happens to be my favorite, had special interactions with the NPCs in the first zone, as he was raised there.

Beware the Vaal (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

Towards the end of the first act, the player uncovers more atrocities committed by the final boss and doesn't hesitate to share their feelings about it. The Warrior makes it very clear to refer to Count Geonor as a traitor during their confrontation. Even the mysterious NPC has a particularly long conversation with the Count, providing a greater deal of exposition, one that is rarely found in Path of Exile's campaign.

There are more than enough unique and cool interactions with the world to match the foreboding jungle and the sand-blasted ruins of the Vastiri Desert, making Path of Exile 2's narrative much more interesting than its prequel.

The game looks spectacular

In the age of next-gen and beyond next-gen games, the boundaries of visual detail and revolutionary features are becoming more prominent each day. Path of Exile 2 isn't going to break any of those boundaries but the game looks clean and crisp regardless.

For those interested in the visuals, Path of Exile 2 is a significant upgrade over the prequel. Towards the end of Act One, players are instructed to traverse farmland, where enemies can be detected by the shifting cornstalks. The visuals and the art direction are very much evident in the design of the world.

Face your demons...or djinn (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

The first act is almost entirely relegated to darkened forests and desolate villages, successfully conveying the theme of corruption. Similarly, the ruins of an old forgotten empire deep in the Vastiri Desert have been carefully crafted to evoke a gnawing sense of exploration.

Surprisingly and somewhat astonishingly, the game runs quite well, even on my dated system. Apart from a few desyncs here and there, which could've been caused by a separate issue, the game ran as smoothly as possible.

Turn up the volume

Waiting for the trailer music for the newly announced Path of Exile league is an understated ritual that many PoE aficionados, including me, engage in. Personally speaking, fighting Sirus or Maven without their spectacular themes playing in the background is a crime.

Fortunately, Composer Kamil Orman-Janowski has created over seven hours of music to keep us nerds occupied for the foreseeable future. Kamil's music has accompanied every piece of Path of Exile 2 media released thus far, including Among Ancient Ruins, which plays in a different arrangement in Act 2.

Music in Path of Exile isn't exactly played to fill the background noise during mapping or fighting a boss. It is intrinsic to the boss's moveset or an ongoing league mechanic — for instance, players will hear the Legion theme ending with the death of the final monolith monster.

Likewise, sound design plays an even greater role in Path of Exile 2, as bosses regularly preface their attacks with audio notifications or indicative voice lines. For example, all of the big attacks of Act One's final boss are telegraphed and follow a unique audio cue to indicate which one is about to be unleashed.

Furthermore, bosses in Path of Exile 2 regularly unleash unblockable attacks indicated via audio-visual indicators, making sound an integral part of the gameplay.

It's all about the game and how you play it

Here we come to the meat and potatoes of Path of Exile 2, and boy, there is a lot of meat on the bones. The game is much more friendlier towards newer players than its prequel, truth be told. After the character selection and the following brief introductory cutscene, players are thrown into the thick of it.

Bosses have become one of the tentpole features, if you can call them that, in Path of Exile 2. Well-telegraphed attacks and mechanics aside, the bosses feel like they're a natural part of the world. Bosses have been designed in such a fashion that they never seem too overpowered or too mechanically complex. These enemies are no longer the DPS calculator for your build but actively pressure you to adapt to situations that may not favor your playstyle.

To accommodate the game's expanded class roster, Grinding Gear Games has revamped the Passive Skill tree so there are still six starting points. These locations, however, now play host to two classes. Beyond that, each class begins with separate passive nodes related to their unique playstyle.

Shoot your enemies from a distance. (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

Technicalities aside, the gameplay is much slower than the prequel; however, the early levels still retain the feeling of heightened vulnerability. Early on, your gear is almost non-existent and you're hyper-focusing on dodging every possible attack. Yet the game makes a concerted effort to showcase each of the newer mechanics through quests so that newer players can adequately grasp the concepts.

Skills have been updated in a similar fashion, where players are offered limited but powerful skills to begin their journey. Uncut Skill gems have been plentiful, so leveling up skills hasn't been a hassle. The changes to the support gem system that allow players to pick only one at a time have been interesting so far, as players are now more likely to read skill descriptions and assign support gems accordingly.

When it comes to weapons, the game can feel as though it is nudging you towards a specific playstyle. However, this is only for the starting area; eventually, you are free to pursue any of your crazy build ideas as you wish. Path of Exile 2 goes a step further by bringing the weapon swap feature to the forefront and making it an integral part of the combat system.

...or get up close and personal (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

All in all, the systems that are in place, the bells and whistles, all serve towards one overarching goal. And that is to deliver a fully-functioning, robust, ARPG that can stand the test of time and that of competition in a fiercely contested market. Frankly, Path of Exile 2 does that and more.

We're in the endgame now

I guess we're all here for the real game right? If you were to ask about Path of Exile's gameplay, there will be many in the community who consider the endgame to be the real game. Players will regularly build entire characters that come online after obtaining a specific map drop or incredibly tricky-to-craft rare pieces.

The endgame of Path of Exile 2 Early Access is partly a seventh act of the storyline and promises to strive for a better future for the game. As has already been discussed before, Path of Exile 2 will launch with seven distinct endgame mechanics in place, with more being added throughout the Early Access phase.

Truth be told, it takes a bit of time for the endgame systems to ramp up, but boy oh boy, when it does hit it off, the fun doesn't stop. Mapping is genuinely one of the most enjoyable things in Path of Exile 2, to the point that I don't miss Heist or Harvest.

At launch, the game is supposed to have seven league mechanics that function independently but also in tandem. And these create about as much chaos as possible. Personally, excavating an Expedition dig site inside a Delirious fog is a really bad idea. But it is a lot of fun, and that's the most important part of any game.

Likewise, having only seven league mechanics at the start of a new game, when the prequel has many dozens in rotations, is also a point of contention for many. Grinding Gear Games has maintained its position of testing every older league content thoroughly in the Path of Exile 2 landscape, and the Early Access is the perfect canvas for such experimentation.

Final thoughts on Path of Exile 2 Early Access

I can talk for hours regarding Path of Exile, and as exciting as that would be for me, I don't think anyone wants to hear such rambling. Path of Exile 2 Early Access is perhaps the most transparent title I've played in recent years, where what I experienced in the Early Access build matches what the studio has promised so far in its promotional materials.

This is reminiscent of Kitava (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

Will there be growing pains for players? Absolutely.

Is the studio looking forward to addressing these issues head-on? Also yes.

Grinding Gear Games has been hard at work communicating every little news they think is relevant to the development cycle. Game Director Jonathan Rogers has spared no quarters while appearing on prominent ARPG content creators' streams and podcasts. There are possibly hours and hours of interviews that anyone can peruse through to see the dedication of the team.

Having said all of that, Path of Exile 2 Early Access, in my honest opinion, deserves every bit of the praise and attention it is getting. Even though I cannot speak for the upcoming launch event and its eventual technical performance, I am content with what I have experienced. Path of Exile 2 is the future of ARPGs, and it just set the standard really, really high.