Unveiling the Epic Journey of Path of Exile 2: A Complete Standalone Sequel

Highlights

Grinding Gear Games has officially announced that Path of Exile 2 is now a full-fledged sequel, no longer just an expansion of the original game.

Path of Exile 2 will have revamped mechanics, a fresh storyline, additional playable classes, an expanded endgame, and various undisclosed features. It currently includes six distinctive campaign acts, 100 bosses, 600 newly introduced monster variations, 1500 passive skills, 240 active skills, and 700 distinct equipment types, alongside other notable additions.

Grinding Gear Games, the developer of the highly acclaimed ARPG Path of Exile, has officially announced that Path of Exile 2 is no longer just an expansion for the original game, but a fully-fledged sequel. Originally revealed in 2019 at the ExileCon event, Path of Exile 2 promised to bring significant changes and improvements, including revamped mechanics, a new storyline, additional playable classes, and an enhanced endgame experience. After three years of gathering feedback, Grinding Gear Games has decided to shift the direction of Path of Exile 2, potentially for the better.

Path of Exile is widely recognized in the gaming community as an Action RPG that offers immersive combat, intricate mechanics, and an incredibly extensive endgame system that interconnects with various aspects of the game. Players have the freedom to create specialized character builds using a wide range of skills, loot or craft powerful gear, and leverage the unique passive skill tree of Path of Exile to take on diverse challenges. These challenges can include battling formidable endgame bosses or decimating hordes of enemies with a single devastating spell. Initially, Path of Exile 2 aimed to revamp existing mechanics like gem slot linking, streamline features like aura activation, and introduce exciting abilities like Shapeshifting, all while retaining compatibility with the original game client.

During the official ExileCon 2023 presentation, Grinding Gear Games announced that Path of Exile 2 has become a standalone sequel due to its expanding scope. Director Jonathan Rogers revealed impressive updates to the game, including six distinct campaign acts, 100 bosses, 600 new types of monsters, 1500 passive skills, 240 active skills, 700 unique equipment options, and various undisclosed features. Additionally, Path of Exile 2 now offers six new classes, each with three ascendancies, bringing the total number of ascendancies to 36 when combined with the original title's options. The presentation showcased the transformation of the previously mentioned Shapeshifting ability into the Druid class.

The gameplay demonstration took place in the ruins of the familiar Vaal civilization, featured in the third act of the new campaign. The demo primarily highlighted the Monk class, with appearances from the Sorceress in later sections. Director Rogers explained that Path of Exile 2's playable classes now align closely with specific primary attributes, with each attribute having two associated classes. The sequel will introduce a dodge mechanic that generates invulnerability frames. Furthermore, defeating bosses will reward players with permanent stat bonuses, motivating them to thoroughly explore maps and zones.

The developers prioritize delivering a refined product over rushing, despite the excitement generated by the new information. Players will have the opportunity to experience the closed beta of Path of Exile 2 starting from June 7, 2024. Additionally, attendees of Gamescom and PAX West events will have access to extensive demos. Anticipated for release around 2024, Path of Exile 2 is being developed for Mac, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.