6 Reasons You Should Play the Original Path of Exile

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Summary

  • Path of Exile offers more character variety & builds than its sequel, making it a diverse gameplay experience.
  • The original game’s focus on player stats and movement skills changes combat dynamics, appealing to ARPG players.
  • Path of Exile’s deeper itemization, longer campaign, and retention of best seasonal content give it an edge over the sequel.

Despite the current buzz surrounding the sequel, it doesn’t diminish the fact that the original “Path of Exile” remains an outstanding Action Role-Playing Game (ARPG). While there are certain resemblances between the two titles, their gaming experiences differ significantly due to the sequel emphasizing skill-based gameplay. In contrast, the original “Path of Exile” leans more towards the traditional ARPG approach with its challenge level being akin to a typical numbers game.

Despite some players possibly not finding the unique gameplay style appealing, there are numerous compelling reasons to revisit Grinding Gear Games’ original, Path of Exile. This game, now in its twelfth year of development, has been significantly enhanced by the layers of depth and meticulous balancing introduced through countless seasonal updates. Consequently, it offers a more polished and comprehensive experience compared to its sequel. Here are some compelling reasons why new players should still give Path of Exile a try:

1. Deep and Engaging Gameplay: With over a decade of development, Path of Exile offers a rich and immersive gameplay experience that keeps players hooked for hours on end.

2. Balanced and Tight Mechanics: The game has been carefully refined over multiple updates to ensure that its mechanics are well-balanced, providing a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience.

3. Unique Skill System: Path of Exile features an intricate skill system that allows players to customize their characters in endless combinations, offering a high degree of freedom and creativity.

4. Massive Open World: The game’s massive open world is teeming with diverse environments, challenging enemies, and hidden treasures waiting to be discovered.

5. Regular Updates and Content: Grinding Gear Games consistently adds new content, updates, and events to Path of Exile, ensuring that the game remains fresh and engaging for players.

6. Thriving Community: The game boasts a large and active community of players who are always eager to help newcomers and share their experiences.

7. Free-to-Play Model: Unlike many games in its genre, Path of Exile is free-to-play, allowing players to enjoy the full experience without any upfront costs.

1. New Events & Seasons

Legacy Of Phrecia And Beyond

Before the debut of Path of Exile 2, Grinding Gear Games made a commitment to long-standing fans of the original game that they would consistently roll out seasonal content updates for Path of Exile. Despite finding it more challenging than expected to manage two games simultaneously, the developers are staying true to their word. The Legacy of Phrecia event, which includes a significant new feature, marks the first major update since the sequel’s launch and runs for an entire month.

In this updated season, the league switches out all nineteen dominating character classes in the game with fresh options, offering a multitude of new build possibilities for each character. The mechanics remain consistent with the changes from the Kalguur Settlers update. This is just one of many updates planned for Path of Exile, and newcomers will find a wealth of content to explore, including the newly added town-building activity in Kingsmarch, along with numerous other campaign and endgame activities.

2. A Different Approach To Difficulty

The ARPG Numbers Game

Newcomers to Path of Exile 2 who venture into the original Path of Exile will quickly spot a significant shift. In contrast to the sequel, the original game lacks a dodge button, which significantly alters the fighting experience. Instead of relying on memorizing attack patterns and dodging area-of-effect (AoE) attacks, movement and mobility skills are the primary means to avoid damage. Consequently, the game’s balance is adjusted; staying alive hinges more on a player’s health and defensive attributes rather than their combat reflexes.

As a seasoned ARPG enthusiast, I appreciate how this game’s challenge progression feels like a comfortable fit. Maintaining my health, resistances, and DPS (Damage Per Second) ensures I can navigate through levels with ease. Moreover, the expanded itemization aspect, featuring gear crafting mechanisms, helps keep my character geared up as I level up, making the journey smoother and more engaging.

3. More Characters & Builds To Try

A Full Character Roster

As a dedicated Path of Exile player, I’ve got to say, there are seven unique character classes in this game, which is one more than its upcoming sequel. Each of these classes presents three potential ascendancy choices, except for the Scion who has only two. This means we have a whole lot more build combinations here than what’s currently available in Path of Exile 2.

What sets the classes in Path of Exile apart is the years of fine-tuning and balancing various passive and ascendancy traits. As a result, each class boasts a plethora of viable endgame options, far more than what’s comparatively available in the sequel.

Certainly, the ongoing Legacy of Phrecia event might disrupt the usual balance for a while, but it’s primarily a thrilling twist for veteran players. Novice players can always create a standard Settlers of Kalguur character to explore the original ascendancies if they prefer. Regardless, there’s an abundance of diversity when it comes to choosing and customizing your characters in this game.

4. Better Itemization

A More Satisfying Gear Progression Curve

The diversity and abundance of rewards that one receives from defeating enemies in Path of Exile 2 seems somewhat limited during its early access phase, according to some players. These players have expressed concerns about the game not being as rewarding as they expected compared to the original version. In contrast, when playing the Path of Exile campaign for the first time, you’ll notice a significantly increased rate of rare and unique items drops.

As a gamer, I’ve got to admit, comparing the two games isn’t entirely apples-to-apples due to the fact that the original has had more time to expand its loot pool. It’s not just about the quantity of items, though; the mechanics it’s introduced over the years really set it apart. For instance, the Beastmaster for tailoring specific loot, the Hideout crafting bench, or the Kingsmarch shipping system – these features give players a multitude of ways to acquire loot and mold it according to their preferences.

5. A Longer, More Coherent Campaign

Getting The Full Story

Similar to its subsequent version, the initial Path of Exile was initially launched with only half of its eventual storyline content. The current campaign, as players encounter it today, wasn’t incorporated until 2017, introducing acts five through ten to replace the earlier repetition of the previous acts on a more challenging level. Consequently, the initial game now offers an extensive campaign that concludes with a complete narrative.

In the game, seasonal NPCs now stay permanently, appearing throughout the campaign instead of being saved for endgame. This way, players can participate in these side activities right from the start. The character-rich world of Path of Exile boasts many memorable figures who reappear in the sequel. Therefore, newcomers should consider exploring their initial stories too.

6. More Depth And Variety Of Endgame Activities

Years Of Retaining The Best Seasonal Content

In contrast to many Early Access games, Path of Exile 2 devotes a remarkable amount of attention to its endgame content. However, it’s worth noting that the Atlas map running in the sequel doesn’t seem as rich and diverse as it was in the original game at this stage. The advantage that Path of Exile has gained over the past eleven years of post-release development is its ability to select the most successful seasonal additions and incorporate them permanently into the endgame activities.

As a devoted fan, I find myself immersed in the captivating world of Path of Exile, where terms like Breaches, Delirium, Expeditions, and Rituals all trace their roots back to seasonal events that have since become permanent fixtures in the game’s endgame. This rich tapestry of activities keeps me engrossed for hundreds of hours, offering endless opportunities for exploration and progression, especially for newcomers eager to delve into the depths of the original game beyond the campaign.

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2025-02-25 05:07