Skip to main content

Path of Exile 2 is ready to go head-to-head with Diablo 4

Woman in robe and staff in Path of Exile 2 casting fire spell
Grinding Gear Games
Summer Gaming Marathon Feature Image
This story is part of our Summer Gaming Marathon series.

It didn’t take long for Path of Exile 2 to catch my attention during my 30-minute Summer Game Fest demo. The action RPG opens with five classes standing side by side in handcuffs and with nooses around their necks. They stand on a rickety ship with rain pouring over them. It’s a spectacle. I was soon prompted to select a character. I went with the Witch, as she seemed like a more straightforward, offensive magic user than the Sorceress. Once I locked her in as my choice, all the other captives were put to death, and I somehow escaped thanks to a loose board in the ship.

It’s one hell of a start, and one that sucked me in to the world of Path of Exile 2 before it could even introduced its layered combat and deep abilities.

Recommended Videos

Path of Exile 2 is an ARPG similar to Diablo 4, but set in a very different dark fantasy world with its own priorities. It’s a top-down real-time action RPG where players fight cursed creatures across the continent of Wraeclast, unlock new abilities and gear to grow stronger, and learn more about the world as they go.

Path of Exile 2: Witch Gameplay Walkthrough

As the Witch, I cast fireballs from afar before wolfish hounds could pounce on me, dodging when they got too close. Eventually, I earned enough experience to unlock other skills like an electric spell that cast a wide spray of bullets and a wall of fire that damaged enemies as they walked through the flames. These were skills I unlocked on my own without an advanced build of the game, which hints at a satisfying progression system where it doesn’t take too long to unlock new abilities, find new quests or gear, and discover other tidbits to keep yourself entertained throughout the six-act campaign.

Path of Exile 2‘s world (like its trailers indicate) paints a dark portrait of people struggling to survive a demonic onslaught of creatures from who knows where. The small town I came across didn’t have much going on, but each NPC offered quick bits of dialogue that gave context to the world and offered quests for me to complete after I escaped my captors. While I didn’t get to explore as much as I’d like, the combat and rewards I encountered along the way to the next plot point made it feel like I wasn’t in a rush to unravel all of its mysteries at once.

It lacks the personality I’m used to from my favorite free-to-play RPGs like Honkai: Star Rail, but the aesthetic is so different that I can’t help but suspect there’s more to see past the 30-minute mark. Path of Exile 2 will feature a six-act campaign with a hearty endgame for players who enjoy min-maxing their characters. I only got access to the opening chapter, so I’ll have to wait to play later sections before passing too many judgments. For now, it seems like a robust free-to-play RPG for players who missed the Diablo 4 wave or want a new action-packed, dark fantasy experience.

Path of Exile 2 is coming to PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

Jess Reyes
Jessica Reyes is a freelance writer who specializes in anime-centric and trending topics. Her work can be found in Looper…
We sure hope this Darksiders teaser is for a proper sequel
War, a large man with a red hood and massive armor, with a giant sword about to swing into battle in the first Darksiders.

Darksiders Teaser

THQ Nordic had one last surprise to close out its annual digital showcase Friday: a teaser for a new project in the Darksiders franchise, which might signal a continuation of the story it introduced over 14 years ago.

Read more
Everything announced at THQ Nordic Showcase 2024: Wreckfest 2, Gothic, and more
Two cars crash in Wreckfest 2.

While most major video game showcases tend to happen in June, we just got one more to kick off August. THQ Nordic held its annual digital showcase focusing on a handful of the publisher's upcoming games.

The broadcast takes place ahead of this year's Gamescom, where THQ Nordic will be demoing several of the projects shown during today's showcase. While the show wasn't jam-packed with announcements, it did provide a deep dive into five games, including the newly announced Wreckfest 2 and the upcoming Gothic remake. Ahead of the show, Digital Trends attended a pre-briefing event and learned more details on each title. Here's everything that was revealed at THQ Nordic's 2024 Showcase.
Wreckfest 2 brings more customization

Read more
Every summer 2024 gaming showcase: full schedule and stream recaps
Geoff Keighley shows a slide showing the top 10 selling Steam Games of 2024.

This summer, we're living in a brave new world. E3 is officially dead -- for real this time. That means there's a vacuum to be filled as publishers still look to showcase their games during high-profile events. There's both good news and bad news for anyone who looks forward to E3 season. The good news? Summer Game Fest is filling that gap, alongside several streams that'll orbit around it. The bad news? Keeping track of it all is a huge pain.

Over the past few months, we've seen shows from Sony, Xbox, Nintendo, Ubisoft, and more game companies. To help make your life a little easier, we've rounded them up in one place. We'll keep this article updated throughout the summer, adding in the VODs of all the streams once they air, so check back in from now until September so you don't miss a single show.
State of Play: May 30
State of Play | May 30, 2024 | [English]

Read more