Unlike Diablo 4, Path of Exile 2 makes its Rares count in a post-Unique world

Grinding Gear Games, the developer behind Path of Exile and Path of Exile 2, really wants its games to have distinct itemization strategies regarding Rare and Unique items. Unfortunately, this factor is lacking in Diablo 4, another ARPG that some consider a direct competitor to the Path of Exile entries.

Itemization, or gearing, as it is known colloquially, is one of the pillars of any loot-based game. Equipping the right items with the specific stats can make your build feel like a million bucks, and if trading is involved, it can instantly make you a very rich gamer.

ARPGs and other genres often deploy a specific class of items that are a cut above the rest. These gear pieces, known as Unique items, possess fixed modifiers and oftentimes exclusive unique modifiers, hence the name. Uniques are generally considered with greater attention, as these special modifiers can effectively change entire builds or create new playstyles altogether.

The difference between Path of Exile 2 and Diablo 4's itemization strategy is miles apart

Rare items overshadow most Uniques in Path of Exile (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

Following the content-loaded showcase of the upcoming Dawn of the Hunt update, Jonathan Rogers and Mark Roberts, Game Directors for Path of Exile 2, sat down to conduct a post-showcase interview with the YouTuber ZiggyD. The conversation eventually landed on the topic of unique items and how the developers design such items without the concept of meta builds or the market in mind.

The conversation highlighted that the design philosophy often revolves around the distinction between Rare and Unique items and the apparent power difference. For example, the developers design certain Unique items to be extremely powerful in the early game, but only for a limited time, after which players are likely to swap them out for more powerful Rare items. They acknowledge that Rare items are expected to fuel most of the build, if not all of it.

Jonathan Rogers explained it best, answering a direct question on what they want Uniques to be in Path of Exile 2:

"I mean there's always always a tension, because we want Rares to still matter... we don't want your character be only full of Uniques. (...) When you find [early-game Uniques], they should be powerful... for a little while. But there's also some kind of combo thing you might be able to do with them at Endgame."

What combo this should be is not always readily apparent — neither to GGG nor to Path of Exile players going fresh into a new balance patch.

You might dismiss a meagre, low-level Unique seeing your current Magic items do better things for your build. Yet, a few weeks later, that Unique item might become desirable as the meta gets figured out and obscure interactions come to light.

Jonathan Rogers feels that experimentation is the important spice for an ARPG, saying:

"I feel like a game has to have that stuff in it, in order to feel like there's lots of interesting ways to experiment. The feeling of being the first person to discover some new interaction is an amazing thing."

Rare items in Path of Exile titles and all the possible affixes on them are often stronger than most Unique items and can sufficiently power a build by themselves.

Despite the limited crafting options, Path of Exile 2 still puts effort into empowering Magic-tier items through specific interactions, expanding the build-crafting options for the playerbase. In a way, a god-roll Magic item can be your very own unique centerpiece for the build you're making.

There are still hidden or overt potential in Unique items that are build-defining at all stages of the game. In the ARPG space, these are known as Chase Uniques, such as the Mageblood or Headhunter belt in Path of Exile 2, and even Diablo 4's Mythic Unique items, such as Harlequin Crest and Ring of Starless Skies.

This brings us to Diablo 4, a different breed of loot-goblin simulator where Uniques (and things even bigger than Uniques) completely eclipse what came before.

The Unique item grind in Diablo 4 is much more prevalent, as almost all meta builds chase after these meta-defining Mythic Unique items. Rare and oftentimes Legendary items simply fall behind the curve, as player power in Diablo 4 is often obtained from the Codex Aspects rather than the item affixes themselves.

This means anything under that Unique-rarity threshold loses value fast, especially as Diablo 4 doesn't do "slow seasons" much. Whatever you're using before the first Unique is just a throwaway leveling stick for a few hours.

Even after a loot rebalance and with a focus on a lower leveling pace in the upcoming Season 8, Diablo 4's power-creep conflicts with the idea of making early-game items count. Perhaps Blizzard can look into empowering the overlooked aspects of the gear chase in later seasons. As for Path of Exile 2, Dawn of the Hunt releases on April 4, 2025.

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Edited by Adarsh J Kumar