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Path of Exile 2 - THE Game to Save Gaming

chakadave

Member
If I buy the early access version on PS5, will I be able to crossplay with my PC friends?

I haven't played an ARPG like this since Diablo 3. Looking for casual play though, maybe Path of Exile is too hardcore/endless for me.
It seems more accessible and I think POE was pretty chill friendly. It was just fun to mess around.
 

yansolo

Member
the last time i played an arpg was grim dawn 10 years ago or whenever it came out, but this one looks bonkers

any reason to suss out poe1? or dw about it and just wait 2?
 

Soodanim

Gold Member
Some of the games that appeal to me the most are ones that let me experiment and come up with unique--usually gimmicky--builds.

I never played POE1, but I may just have to give 2 a go when it's F2P and see how it is.
 

Hero_Select

Member
the last time i played an arpg was grim dawn 10 years ago or whenever it came out, but this one looks bonkers

any reason to suss out poe1? or dw about it and just wait 2?
It's free so there's no harm in trying but at this point I'd say just wait.

POE1 has 9347394870934 things going on. But you could just play through the campaign for the hell of it - it's what I'm doing at the moment
 

DavidGzz

Member
curious if an arpg can really function without ending up looking like this:

CnjDtFk.jpeg

I forgot about that crap. Ever since they added the option the only thing I have on screen are enemy life bars. I don't need damage numbers as long as those health bars are being deleted.

So I'm hearing that Sony won't allow cross mtx but MS will? Anyone know if that sounds right? If true, definitely skipping PS. Sticking to XSX, PC, and Steam Deck.
 
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Hot5pur

Member
the last time i played an arpg was grim dawn 10 years ago or whenever it came out, but this one looks bonkers

any reason to suss out poe1? or dw about it and just wait 2?
I got a good 40 hours out of POE1 and didn't have to spend a cent. If you just want story and play around with different classes it can be fun. But I also found it repetitive and without a narrative to really motivate you it kinda falls flat. You're also going to come across a bunch of random seasonal stuff which will seem out of place. If you do play it, watch like 3-4 beginner videos on YouTube. Alternatively I would recommend Last Epoch which is much more beginner friendly, doesn't punish you for experimenting, and has more fun abilities (each ability has its own tree with lots of synergies).
It's free so there's no harm in trying but at this point I'd say just wait.

POE1 has 9347394870934 things going on. But you could just play through the campaign for the hell of it - it's what I'm doing at the moment
How are you liking it? I stopped at act 8 because I got tired of it. I agree it feels a bit bloated and I'd recommend most people wait for POE2 and not burn out on 1.
 

Hero_Select

Member
I got a good 40 hours out of POE1 and didn't have to spend a cent. If you just want story and play around with different classes it can be fun. But I also found it repetitive and without a narrative to really motivate you it kinda falls flat. You're also going to come across a bunch of random seasonal stuff which will seem out of place. If you do play it, watch like 3-4 beginner videos on YouTube. Alternatively I would recommend Last Epoch which is much more beginner friendly, doesn't punish you for experimenting, and has more fun abilities (each ability has its own tree with lots of synergies).

How are you liking it? I stopped at act 8 because I got tired of it. I agree it feels a bit bloated and I'd recommend most people wait for POE2 and not burn out on 1.
Very mixed honestly. There's just TOO much going on. You're given so many different systems you can interact with that pull you left and right and it just ends up feeling very overwhelming.

I dont think I'll finish it
 

RaptorGTA

Member
i have 34 hours and made it to Act 6 in POE. Is it overwhelming? Oooooh yea. But man, when things started to click it was awesome!

On the other hand...I got bored with D4. I never completed D4 cause I got to a point where I felt I was seeing nothing new.

I also enjoyed Grim Dawn but I found myself unsure where to go on the map. I was progressing pretty well and just hit a wall. Eventually just stopped and went back to POE.

I also tried the Last Epoch, but it didn't run well with a controller on my Legion Go...so i refunded it.
 

DavidGzz

Member
Another genre being affected by Miyazaki, for the better too. I'm so happy about it being slower, harder(director expects people to die 3-4 times on each boss), and including the importance of positioning when it comes to blocking, dodging, etc. Combining my favorite two genres, Souls and Diablo. I was going to go Monk first but a Souls-like needs a knight as a starting class so I'm going full sword and board with the Warrior first. 11 more days!
 

drotahorror

Member
Another genre being affected by Miyazaki, for the better too. I'm so happy about it being slower, harder(director expects people to die 3-4 times on each boss), and including the importance of positioning when it comes to blocking, dodging, etc. Combining my favorite two genres, Souls and Diablo. I was going to go Monk first but a Souls-like needs a knight as a starting class so I'm going full sword and board with the Warrior first. 11 more days!

I'll hold the Monk torch.
 

DavidGzz

Member
So, just saw that this game has save states similar to Dark Souls as well, where you start off where you left off. That's awesome! Most games like this make you start back in town.
 

clarky

Gold Member
Like which? I've played some like Overwatch, Destiny 2 and Apex they're fine but the repetition gets me bored of them real fast.
Counterstrike ,Dota, Pubg, league,valorant, zenless, genshin, rocket leauge, POE, warzone etc etc theres loads. All might not be your cup of tea but to discount a whole section because 'ftp' is a no no is doing them a disservice imo.

Some of my most played games recently are free to play. Each to their own of course.

POE2 is my most anticipated title period.
 
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Spyxos

Member
When I create a character and it is no longer in the current season. Would I then also get the new updates, or do I always have to create new characters? For each season?
 

Arsic

Loves his juicy stink trail scent
the last time i played an arpg was grim dawn 10 years ago or whenever it came out, but this one looks bonkers

any reason to suss out poe1? or dw about it and just wait 2?
Free to play so you can fire it up and give it a whirl.

If you’re just going in to experience it surface level and maybe complete the campaign, then don’t follow a guide and enjoy.

However, the campaign is 1/1000th of the actual journey of the game. So if you want to try end game then follow a guide.

To follow a guide is also jumping into the deep end of the pool. You download an extra app you run on a second monitor, and you import guides. Some of which can be very handholding like Pohx Righteous Fire, but most will assume you know and not give you a nearly enough info.

I’d suggest just doing a run through all the acts and have fun.
 

Hot5pur

Member
Another genre being affected by Miyazaki, for the better too. I'm so happy about it being slower, harder(director expects people to die 3-4 times on each boss), and including the importance of positioning when it comes to blocking, dodging, etc. Combining my favorite two genres, Souls and Diablo. I was going to go Monk first but a Souls-like needs a knight as a starting class so I'm going full sword and board with the Warrior first. 11 more days!
Look I love FROM as well but Miyazaki did not invent skill based third person gameplay or hard bosses lol

The souls formula works because you claw your way through a level and learn by dying constantly, with the possibility of death around every corner. POE2 won't be like that, it will just have a harder difficulty so you have to learn the boss patterns, like any other action game, though more of a rarity in this genre - usually ARPGs are more about knowledge or build checks, not so much about skill.

The best characterization of POE2 is they are trying to move it closer to a 3rd person action game rather than a spreadsheet driven clickfest (which is POE1).
 

DavidGzz

Member
Look I love FROM as well but Miyazaki did not invent skill based third person gameplay or hard bosses lol

The souls formula works because you claw your way through a level and learn by dying constantly, with the possibility of death around every corner. POE2 won't be like that, it will just have a harder difficulty so you have to learn the boss patterns, like any other action game, though more of a rarity in this genre - usually ARPGs are more about knowledge or build checks, not so much about skill.

The best characterization of POE2 is they are trying to move it closer to a 3rd person action game rather than a spreadsheet driven clickfest (which is POE1).

I don't remember where I saw them but I remember at least two different interviews where they referenced Dark Souls when talking about the new control scheme. The only things missing are i-frames and a stamina meter, which makes sense given that the screen can be swarming with enemies, but there will probably be a unique for that. It controls like Souls unless you want to hamstring yourself and do traditional click to move.

Bosses have tells when you to block or dodge. You have a meter when you block and when it's gone you are staggered and open to hits. There is a red flash when you'll need to dodge because the strike is going to be unblockable. If you simply put the camera behind the Warrior it would be a Souls like with more enemies and no stamina ala Sekiro because it's meant to be faster pace than Souls but still much slower than D4 or PoE 1. I mean take the isometric camera out and this game is way closer to Dark Souls than PoE 1, especially in end game where you clear a room in a second and jump off to the next one.

The difficulty as well is influenced by Souls. I mean, like is said, they expect people to die 3-4 times per boss. Most Diablo-likes are hardcore viable from the get go without much of a problem as you really shouldn't expect to die in PoE 1 or Diablo 4s campaign. But even hardcore gamers will play this game on softcore for their first playthrough because the threat of dying is too high.

I just remembered about the game called No Rest for the Wicked. It's essentially isometric Dark Souls and PoE 2 will play very similarly to that game. It's the closest game I can think of to compare it to control wise.
 
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yansolo

Member
Free to play so you can fire it up and give it a whirl.

If you’re just going in to experience it surface level and maybe complete the campaign, then don’t follow a guide and enjoy.

However, the campaign is 1/1000th of the actual journey of the game. So if you want to try end game then follow a guide.

To follow a guide is also jumping into the deep end of the pool. You download an extra app you run on a second monitor, and you import guides. Some of which can be very handholding like Pohx Righteous Fire, but most will assume you know and not give you a nearly enough info.

I’d suggest just doing a run through all the acts and have fun.
tbh im not too big on using guides i feel like it ruins the experience for me, it seems like poe1 is guide heavy and i can understand why it turns some people off in their reviews, i might give it a crack though, itll be a while until poe2 comes out of early access no? theres a bit of time to mess around for a laugh
 
POE is my most played game by far, and for anyone that hasn't really played POE before in any real way and wanted a way to help understand the draw beyond just the minute by minute gameplay, I think I can help to boil it down.
So ignore the gameplay for a moment and let's pretend that all ARPGs look and play the same (they are not the same but pretend)

POE is the game with one of the highest quotients of permanent incremental forward progress. The way that items and currency are acquired, and the fact that currency in POE isn't just gold count go up, and the currency drops themselves have direct and tangible gameplay implications means that every time you play, no matter how long, your character and future characters are taking these continual steps forward, and depending on your luck, sometimes great leaps forward, means that even though the game is ridiculously deep and wide even if you just dip your toes in the water it still works.

You don't need to follow anything to be successful, and you don't need to play a certain way to have a good time. All of the 500 systems are just 499 more systems than most other games in the genre have, so worst case scenario you can ignore most of that extra content and have the same or similar experience to any other ARPG game. The very top aspirational content in POE is Everest, and you don't need to have climbed Everest to have climbed a mountain.

There is no game I am more excited for than POE2 for myself personally, but for other new players as well. What I have seen of the streamlining of features is just what was needed for new players, but at no point seeing any of the new content reveals have I thought the game was dumbed down, they really seems to have nailed that mix between the two player groups.
 

NT80

Member
The difficulty as well is influenced by Souls. I mean, like is said, they expect people to die 3-4 times per boss. Most Diablo-likes are hardcore viable from the get go without much of a problem as you really shouldn't expect to die in PoE 1 or Diablo 4s campaign. But even hardcore gamers will play this game on softcore for their first playthrough because the threat of dying is too high.
I hate that trend. When these games are too easy it gets boring fast. It doesn't matter if things ramp up much farther in (which takes many hours to get to) I've gotten bored and stopped long before then.
I played through POE1 when it first came out and was just 3 acts but every time I've tried since I've gotten bored by the 2nd act as apart from the odd difficulty spike it's too easy at this stage. This games are far more interesting when it's challenging and forcing you to think about your build, gear and tactics.

Diablo 1 and 2 were never too easy for a new player at the beginning. Record of Lodoss War on the Dreamcast was one of the most brutal but also one of the most interesting and tactical. That's why I'm glad to hear about the challenge in POE2 from the start.
 

foamdino

Member
When I create a character and it is no longer in the current season. Would I then also get the new updates, or do I always have to create new characters? For each season?
Your character gets bumped to "standard" and if you want to play in the new season you need to roll a new character. New seasons in PoE are an economy reset + character reset + additional mechanics. At the end of a season the devs decide if they want to keep the new mechanics in the core game or not. This allows them the option to do really weird stuff in a season as they know that they may not merge it into the core of the game and they know if it causes problems (economy or otherwise) they can just dump it and the PoE community is onboard with this idea. Gives the devs a lot of creative freedom to experiment with silly things.
 

Gonzito

Gold Member
POE is my most played game by far, and for anyone that hasn't really played POE before in any real way and wanted a way to help understand the draw beyond just the minute by minute gameplay, I think I can help to boil it down.
So ignore the gameplay for a moment and let's pretend that all ARPGs look and play the same (they are not the same but pretend)

POE is the game with one of the highest quotients of permanent incremental forward progress. The way that items and currency are acquired, and the fact that currency in POE isn't just gold count go up, and the currency drops themselves have direct and tangible gameplay implications means that every time you play, no matter how long, your character and future characters are taking these continual steps forward, and depending on your luck, sometimes great leaps forward, means that even though the game is ridiculously deep and wide even if you just dip your toes in the water it still works.

You don't need to follow anything to be successful, and you don't need to play a certain way to have a good time. All of the 500 systems are just 499 more systems than most other games in the genre have, so worst case scenario you can ignore most of that extra content and have the same or similar experience to any other ARPG game. The very top aspirational content in POE is Everest, and you don't need to have climbed Everest to have climbed a mountain.

There is no game I am more excited for than POE2 for myself personally, but for other new players as well. What I have seen of the streamlining of features is just what was needed for new players, but at no point seeing any of the new content reveals have I thought the game was dumbed down, they really seems to have nailed that mix between the two player groups.

Hey thanks for the message. I have not played ever this game so I am wondering, do these games force you to spend money? I am always a bit suspicious of these types of games when they are free 2 play.
 

foamdino

Member
I was just listening to this today:


Contains more info (but some of the things are *extremely* specific to PoE players rather than general arpg players - but that are some nice new info there)
 

Luipadre

Gold Member
Im extremely hyped and never really played PoE. Tried it a few times but bounced off really quick. This looks so much better in every aspect, especially for new players like me. Gonna grab a controller and play the heck out of this.
 
Hey thanks for the message. I have not played ever this game so I am wondering, do these games force you to spend money? I am always a bit suspicious of these types of games when they are free 2 play.
It's nothing like a Gatcha game or the like, you can't buy characters or crystals to use in game to do some crafting or any of that. It's just MTX effects (skill effects and armor looks) and stash tabs mostly. The stash tabs are of course the most important thing you can buy, so you play it and if you like it and spend a normal video game amount on a supporter pack you get MTX and also points to spend on things like stash tabs. There isn't and never will be exp potions, or revive potions or whatever other weird gatcha style things that you can buy with real money.
 
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