Path of Exile

 PC
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2202 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,641 out of 2202
  2. Mixed: 258 out of 2202
  3. Negative: 303 out of 2202

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  1. Bloodworks3
    Aug 6, 2023
    7
    Reasons I quit.
    Console needs all of the PC features. Additionally, CONSOLE ISSUES IGNORED by Devs even at EXILECON! Zero love for console players!
    1. No party finder (lonely) and buy/sell doesn't have enough filters (major issue). They should offer mods other than loot filter. No battle Royale either. 2. Endgame: crafting, maps, builds, delves, and the weird mini games are incredibly    Reasons I quit.
    Console needs all of the PC features. Additionally, CONSOLE ISSUES IGNORED by Devs even at EXILECON! Zero love for console players!

    1. No party finder (lonely) and buy/sell doesn't have enough filters (major issue). They should offer mods other than loot filter. No battle Royale either.
    2. Endgame: crafting, maps, builds, delves, and the weird mini games are incredibly confusing for new players especially if on console.
    3. Too easy to "brick" your character. Propper socketing is a nightmare. Respec too expensive. Console economy too expensive with low active player base & currency/item farmers. Unable to trade for build dependent items at reasonable prices (unlike PC). This makes farming kind of pointless & crafting exponentially more difficult.
    4. Too easy to get one shotted by random mobs and not know why.
    5. Video build guides entirely for PC and not console.
    6. Not new player friendly. Even after 350 hours I kept feeling lost.

    I hope POE 2 addresses these issues. Overall, game is far superior to Diablo 4.

    Try playing POE on console. Lack of players & gold/loot farmers makes many trades cost prohibitive. Which kinda ruins farming & requires way more ctafting. No group finder. No mods (except loot finder), limited build possibilities due to crap economy & controller. No Battle Royale. It sucks ballz.    … Expand
  2. iseeall
    Mar 15, 2023
    5
    A Diablo-like free-to-play MMO.

    Good: - great music - a large selection of abilities, spells and effects - free So-so: - the game is messy in a sense that there are lots of mobs, lots of stuff happening all at once and it's often hard to see what's going on, especially if you play as a witch with tons of summoned minions. I recall playing Diablo 1 (I never played Diablo 3 and    A Diablo-like free-to-play MMO.

    Good:
    - great music
    - a large selection of abilities, spells and effects
    - free

    So-so:
    - the game is messy in a sense that there are lots of mobs, lots of stuff happening all at once and it's often hard to see what's going on, especially if you play as a witch with tons of summoned minions. I recall playing Diablo 1 (I never played Diablo 3 and only very little of Diablo 2), and this game feels like a mess in comparison
    - at the same time it's a rather simple game, at least the first act that I've seen. You defeat mobs like crazy and the game feels like it was made for kids. As a witch, you can just run around and occasionally summon skeletons - and your minions kill everything for you
    - the idea of gems giving abilities is novel but doesn't feel good. I'd much more prefer to just learn spells - this feels like improving a character. But with gems and gear it all feels like consumerism, fixed on the notion of owning things. But I understand it's the same from the game mechanic point of view. It's just the framing

    Bad:
    - poor performance. Even on the lowest graphical settings everything was lagging for me all the time. I have a decent gaming laptop from late 2018 which at that time could run Oculus VR
    - there are lots of items dropping but you never have enough space to loot them. You end up leaving even blue items on the floor. What's the point in this? They should have added some spell to disenchant those items or whatever, not just force the player to skip loot. Also, the idea to not have a universal currency (like gold) in the game was a bad one. You end up getting ingredients for various orbs in exchange for the loot you sell - and much of those aren't even needed for anything useful. It's just clutter and clutter in your stash. Sorting out inventory ends up consuming a lot of your playtime, and it's not fun
    - as it goes with most fantasy games, the story is forgettable trash that I stopped reading after the first few dialogs

    I didn't enjoy it past the few first zones. It's too easy, too quick, too messy. Maybe it just targets teenagers, I dunno. Not for me. It's sad for me to see the Diablo genre degrade into this.    … Expand
  3. BaldursThones
    Nov 26, 2022
    6
    It never really kept my interest at the start and I am not a fan of grindy MMO games.
  4. O3liveon
    Nov 9, 2022
    6
    I had pretty good time with this one. Good graphics, no technical issues for me. Some what interesting world, and creative mechanics that add it's own flair. Not gonna go too in depth but it's free so of course I recommend it. It just didn't hold me in its world for as long as I was hoping. There are better types of games like this, or maybe not necessarily better, but other games in whichI had pretty good time with this one. Good graphics, no technical issues for me. Some what interesting world, and creative mechanics that add it's own flair. Not gonna go too in depth but it's free so of course I recommend it. It just didn't hold me in its world for as long as I was hoping. There are better types of games like this, or maybe not necessarily better, but other games in which their world hooked me more. Like Undecember and Grim Dawn. Give those other two a shot first, but this is free so you minds as well go into it with the expectation that you'll have fun!… Expand
  5. Thyrvi
    Oct 13, 2022
    7
    Clearly the best action RPG.
    And that for free. OMG
    Someone who has sunk a lot of his free time in D2 , a really dream.
    I farm me to death nostalgic, the non plus ultra.
  6. Menaga
    Aug 14, 2022
    7
    Recommended
    2844.7 hrs at review time
    Hardcore mode only
    Gameplay 8/10
    Music and sound 7/10
    Screenplay 5/10
    Technical 4/10
  7. MadWinning
    Aug 9, 2022
    6
    Just maps, mobs and items with different modifiers. Not rewarding. POE isn't as complex as you would think after seeing those passive trees. The game is just inflated.
  8. robomartion
    Aug 3, 2022
    5
    I feel like Path of Exile is heavily skewed for hardcore players and all the content that leads up to that is kind of boring compared to Diablo III or Diablo II.
  9. Tyrant103xx
    Jul 14, 2022
    7
    For me, this was once the pinnacle of ARPG design and one of my most played games of all time with over 2,000 hours primarily between the 2.0 and 3.0 releases. The depth and complexity, the freedom to create and test a seemingly infinite number of skill, gear, and passive combos, the joy of seeing a personally theory crafted build come to life...I have wonderful memories of this game.For me, this was once the pinnacle of ARPG design and one of my most played games of all time with over 2,000 hours primarily between the 2.0 and 3.0 releases. The depth and complexity, the freedom to create and test a seemingly infinite number of skill, gear, and passive combos, the joy of seeing a personally theory crafted build come to life...I have wonderful memories of this game.
    Unfortunately the game has just evolved faster than I can keep up. I'm a gamer who likes to play many games across many genres. Path of Exile is a game for people who like to play only Path of Exile. When I take extended breaks, I find coming back more and more difficult. The new mechanics, passive tree additions, crafting systems, end game progression, and skill balances are just too much for me to keep up with anymore. The game is too complex for me to casually enjoy, and its getting harder to go back all the time.
    The complexity of Path of Exile is one of its greatest strengths, but unfortunately, it has left this casual behind in the dust. I can no longer recommend this game with the caveat that hardcore, dedicated gamers can find a lot to love here if they have the desire to stick with it and really dig deep.    … Expand
  10. Yaav13
    May 9, 2022
    7
    My truthful honorable incorruptible conclusive rating of this considered game: 7.
  11. Izoeros
    Apr 26, 2022
    6
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  12. whatever523
    Feb 5, 2022
    7
    Update:

    I appreciate the effort they put into updates, but the game gets worse with every patch. Instead of enjoying new content, you have to rebuild all your characters and relearn basic mechanics to even be able to play the game. It's very tiresome. There is no continuity and it seems the developers have no idea where they want to go with the game. GOOD + Very complex skill    Update:

    I appreciate the effort they put into updates, but the game gets worse with every patch. Instead of enjoying new content, you have to rebuild all your characters and relearn basic mechanics to even be able to play the game. It's very tiresome. There is no continuity and it seems the developers have no idea where they want to go with the game.

    GOOD

    + Very complex skill system with endless build possibilities.
    + Fluid combat and good controls.
    + Brings back the Diablo 2 atmosphere and gameplay.
    + Ladder system and fun challenges.
    + Good content updates.
    + Some super nice mini games.
    + Free to play, but not pay to win.
    + Great community.

    BAD

    - Game mechanics are not explained very well.
    - The skill tree is often changed and reset. I don't wanna spend so much time thinking of a new build and re-allocating all the skills after every patch, on all my characters. The skill system is too complex for that. Suggestion: Mark the skills the player had before the reset to make it easier.
    - The UI is still bad after all these years. Quests take up half the screen and can only be disabled for all characters etc. The chat has also never been improved.
    - The endgame mapping Atlas system is too complex and too much effort goes into map and watchstone management.
    - Many unfair boss mechanics. Too many invulnerability phases that are not obvious at all, so you never know when you can do damage and when you can't. Too much instant kill crap even when you build your char kinda tanky.
    - Needs endgame content that is entirely unrelated to maps.

    - "Microtransactions" are way too expensive. 15$ for a skin or stash tab is mental and getting just the essentials that you need to enjoy the game will actually cost you more than a full price game.

    VERY BAD

    -- The camera is far too close. Especially when in a party and in boss fights it really hinders the gameplay.
    -- Only the host makes progress from mapping mechanics. I can't even begin to get my head around how deeply stupid this is.
    -- Way too many effects on screen, especially in parties. It's difficult to see what's actually going on under all the loot (even with filter) and explosions.
    -- Bad optimization. FPS drop considerably when there are many effects on screen, even with high end hardware.
    -- Lag issues when playing in a party. Anything above 100 ping is pretty much unplayable due to rubberbanding in this game.
    -- Trading is an important part of the game and it really needs an ingame auction house or something like that. Trading through websites and manually texting people is extremely tedious.

    -- They are clearly creating collectors items with the intention of selling more overpriced stash tabs. The gameplay is suffering from all the collection crap. It's too much.

    = VERDICT =

    Path of Exile is a good ARPG. If you like planning crazy builds, theory crafting, and you want a single player game with a trade function that requires a high time investment to progress beyond a certain point, PoE is for you.

    If you are a social person who likes to play in parties or you want to enjoy a game even when you don't play that often, PoE is not for you.

    Playing in a party is strongly discouraged, both for technical and gameplay reasons - and that's sad, because the community in this game is great and more co-op play would go a long way.

    The endgame needs too much planning to be enjoyable for casual play. ARPGs should be games that you can play daily even when you only have half an hour, but that will get you absolutely nowhere in PoE, because you'll spend most of that time finding the right map to play to be able to progress, moving around watchstones etc.

    Personally, I'm absolutely torn apart. I really enjoy the character building aspects in PoE and most of the gameplay, but I don't like how much the game is focussed on playing alone. 8/10 despite all this criticism should tell you how good the rest of game is though and if it got only some of the other stuff right, it would be out of reach for any other game in the genre.    … Expand
  13. misancho
    Oct 3, 2021
    7
    ARPG estilo Diablo 2, free to play y con muchísimas horas de contenido. El sistema de habilidades es bastante profundo y permite mediante el uso de gemas que cada clase pueda tener cualquier tipo de habilidad y equiparse con cualquier arma y armaduras, si se elije el camino apropiado en el árbol de habilidades (que es gigante). Muchísimas horas de diversión detrás de este juego, si teARPG estilo Diablo 2, free to play y con muchísimas horas de contenido. El sistema de habilidades es bastante profundo y permite mediante el uso de gemas que cada clase pueda tener cualquier tipo de habilidad y equiparse con cualquier arma y armaduras, si se elije el camino apropiado en el árbol de habilidades (que es gigante). Muchísimas horas de diversión detrás de este juego, si te gustan los ARPG isométricos, vale la pena probarlo (aún en 2021 sigue recibiendo actualizaciones)… Expand
  14. F3T1W
    Aug 27, 2021
    5
    I ran for a couple of hours, I won't paint too much, it's stuffy, pass by ...
  15. S3XU4LH34L1NG
    May 29, 2021
    7
    Context: I've put in quite some hours and about 15$ over the course of 5 years or so. I'd say im pretty skilled in terms of mechanics, economics and game knowledge. I've played HC / SSF / trade leagues and cleared more or less the whole game multiple times. I'd say im a PoE veteran.

    + theory craft potential + depth + story and world building + new content every league (every 4 months    Context: I've put in quite some hours and about 15$ over the course of 5 years or so. I'd say im pretty skilled in terms of mechanics, economics and game knowledge. I've played HC / SSF / trade leagues and cleared more or less the whole game multiple times. I'd say im a PoE veteran.

    + theory craft potential
    + depth
    + story and world building
    + new content every league (every 4 months or so)
    + decent endgame
    + currency system is innovative and pretty great in theory
    + there's plenty of distinct ways for people to play the game (trader, aura bot, party, solo, SFF, mapper, farmer, bosser, delver, ...)
    - graphics are kinda meh
    - currency system can get frustrating and annoying and kinda feeds back on the paid elements of the game
    - not really F2P even though it's marketed as such (you will more or less need TAB'S etc.)
    - new content gets abandoned in the next league and therefore lacks polish
    - Trading is horrible go play SSF
    - SSF is the way to play but sadly restrics build diversity and requires way more hours then trade leagues
    - ALWAYS ONLINE / wants to be an MMO pretty badly
    - build diversity is rather low and depends on patch, if you wanna clear the game without no lifeing
    - developer went from great indie pal to big corpo with all the pro's and con's
    - pretty annoying developer defender fanbase

    There's a great game hidden beneath all the always online / F2P market filth. In an alternate universe this could be the best ARPG of all time, but the way it is now i cant rank it higher then classics such as Titan Quest, Diablo 2 etc.    … Expand
  16. imtheSkywalker
    May 22, 2021
    7
    I think Path of Exile is a successful game in many ways but if you are going as a new player you must understand you will going into google for many times. Because game is not teaching and it is a bit complicated. It's currency is different; some type of items which you get it from creatures. There are no skills usual there is a gem system. Map designs are cool for a free to play game. ButI think Path of Exile is a successful game in many ways but if you are going as a new player you must understand you will going into google for many times. Because game is not teaching and it is a bit complicated. It's currency is different; some type of items which you get it from creatures. There are no skills usual there is a gem system. Map designs are cool for a free to play game. But its repetitive while you levelling which if you don't like repetitive you may choose to look another game. And one more thing i played without searching in google and i played 37 hours and i enjoyed it. After 51 level and 37 hours it was not possible to progress with the current character some reason i didin't know.… Expand
  17. Kekkone
    Dec 11, 2020
    7
    As a long-time hardcore Diablo II fan I was very disappointed with Diablo III. My friends told me to try PoE, and it was surely better than Diablo III, but I still didn't get too excited.

    PoE looks nice but is overcrowded with visual effects to my taste. Playing some classes is just like looking at constant fireworks, and it's quite difficult to actually realize what is happening on the    As a long-time hardcore Diablo II fan I was very disappointed with Diablo III. My friends told me to try PoE, and it was surely better than Diablo III, but I still didn't get too excited.

    PoE looks nice but is overcrowded with visual effects to my taste. Playing some classes is just like looking at constant fireworks, and it's quite difficult to actually realize what is happening on the screen. Also I'm not that big fan of the crafting system. Is it really necessary to have hundreds of different ingredients? I think not. The character development is also very complicated. Of course it's a great to have lots of options, but you practically have to google your build to not go horribly wrong (well, same issue exists in most hack&slash shallow RPGs, but still...)

    Anyway, worth a play through especially because it's a free game. However I don't feel the same need to grind thousand hours for gear as I did with Diablo II, so something is still missing to make this game actually addictive. Maybe I'm just too old.    … Expand
  18. b4l4cps
    Oct 3, 2020
    5
    ok first of all.. i really like the game and enjoy it, this game could be 10/10 without some issues... for me the main issue is the currency/items drop rate... lets say a new season begins and u want to play .. a good 6link chest or weapon is avg 1-8 EX also clusters and others stuff u expend 10-20 ex on most of the builds to make it work properly (U CANT DO THE END GAME WITH BUDGET BUILDSok first of all.. i really like the game and enjoy it, this game could be 10/10 without some issues... for me the main issue is the currency/items drop rate... lets say a new season begins and u want to play .. a good 6link chest or weapon is avg 1-8 EX also clusters and others stuff u expend 10-20 ex on most of the builds to make it work properly (U CANT DO THE END GAME WITH BUDGET BUILDS , TRUST ME, 5-10EX).. u will need to sit ur ass at least 10-12 hours per day to enjoy a good build with expensive items... this is nutS!!!

    i think if they work on this and make thinks a litle bit easier to drop.. like increase 10-15% stuff to drop a lot of ppl who doesnt play or have stoped playng it will come back to the game..i know a lot of friends who think the same and some of them work and have wife and children.. so they play other games that u dont need to stay 24/7 on to enjoy it.. if u know what i mean    … Expand
  19. Shimmeywill
    Mar 17, 2020
    7
    A solid free to play game with strong visuals and satisfying gameplay. Starting characters limited in design.
  20. jmpessanha
    Feb 4, 2020
    7
    The game play is excellent and all game content can be enjoyed for free. The big downside of the game is optimization. It is one of the games with the worst optimization in the world. In addition to latency problems.
  21. gracjanski
    May 3, 2018
    7
    In my view it is very helpful to implement something into a game, that is unique and complex, because you will have fun for a lot of time and discover more and more effectivity. And in PoE it is complex to build your character: You need to manage passive skills in a skill tree and active skills with gems. Both are free for all classes, so you need to choose intelligently. In addition thereIn my view it is very helpful to implement something into a game, that is unique and complex, because you will have fun for a lot of time and discover more and more effectivity. And in PoE it is complex to build your character: You need to manage passive skills in a skill tree and active skills with gems. Both are free for all classes, so you need to choose intelligently. In addition there are a lot of items to find and to choose. Forget Diablo 2 or even 3. Here are better game mechanics: you can have several active skills, in diablos 2 you took 2-3 and played with them. There is one gameplay mechanic, that kills my motivation for this game, it is the instance duration of 8-15 minutes. When you enter your own instance, get back to town for selling items after this duration and want to come back to your instance, it will not work, the instance is gone and you have to play the instance again -> grind. Big problem is, that you need many identification rolls and for that you need to sell a lot of items, so you need to return to the town and get back to your instance.
    There are more good things to write about this game. Nowadays it has 10 acts and finally you can play in various languages. The texts are not so easy to understand, so my english wouldn´t be enough. The localization should have been much earlier, but this is why I play all the games much later than after the release of the base game: they re ready then. You can see it here too, many negative reviews are old and from the beginning.
    The quests are bit more variable than in Diablo 2, that is of course fun too.
    Graphics and Sound are great. Especially I like to read the text in my language and to hear the voices in original language.
    The story sounds interesting, but the presentation is boring and this is the biggest weakness of the game: it lacks some videos or cinematics. In addition there is no manual, that helps you to get into the game world. There is a good wiki in internet, but it is only in english, russian and french. In the wiki there are too many information for the beginning and maybe spoilers.    … Expand
  22. mijxero
    Oct 2, 2017
    7
    POE is a game that has three things you must get past before you can git gud. Skill, gear, and build. POE had a very diverse skill tree allowing for interesting builds, interesting items and challenging bosses. It is a good challenging game. If you are new though, the gear can be an issue. It doesn't really progress as you level and without grinding a lot, you won't have the currencyPOE is a game that has three things you must get past before you can git gud. Skill, gear, and build. POE had a very diverse skill tree allowing for interesting builds, interesting items and challenging bosses. It is a good challenging game. If you are new though, the gear can be an issue. It doesn't really progress as you level and without grinding a lot, you won't have the currency to buy or change gear drops. Around 70 average gear is really no longer passable. Random mobs will have enchants like "strong crits" and will simply one-shot you if you don't have the right items/build. It takes research and creativity. It teeters between challenging and unfair. D3 can feel too easy and this can feel too hard, so the choice is yours. I can't give this a low score because I have really enjoyed the difficulty, the art, story, gameplay, but that difficulty can really be a gut-punch if you don't look up guides.… Expand
  23. Samfortal
    Sep 3, 2017
    5
    The game is really enjoyable, but the lack of auction house and the overcrowd chinese players abusing from bots selling unique itens on game, makes you have sure there a lot of things wrong there. There are even rumors about the company having profit from the black chinese market, allowing then to freely operate inside. Please, put auction house in game, stop this flipped non sense economy.
  24. justanhonestguy
    Feb 25, 2017
    7
    love/hate. Very good game that can be quite frustrating if one encounters connection problems that cripple the buzz. High quality and enjoyable game with painful pitfalls . i die only to lag or outright stupidity on my part, but way more due to lag. i have countless hours of fun with this game. painful lately to to nagging connection problems.
  25. pythag0ras
    Mar 31, 2016
    6
    pros:
    -lots of depth
    -interesting currency system cons: absurdly small player inventory....cant even collect all the items that drop from one boss... and no way apparently to make it larger. This is why this game was a 6 for me... woulda been much better if you had a larger inventory. i played for 3 hours one day and counted how many times i had to go to town to sell... 15    pros:
    -lots of depth
    -interesting currency system

    cons: absurdly small player inventory....cant even collect all the items that drop from one boss... and no way apparently to make it larger. This is why this game was a 6 for me... woulda been much better if you had a larger inventory. i played for 3 hours one day and counted how many times i had to go to town to sell... 15 times....15!!!! ridiculous

    The labyrinth (which you must clear to even get access to the xpac classes ) is designed poorly with too much emphasis on dodging clusters of traps that one shot you. Oh and you cant die in the labyrinth or you have to start all over. Terrible design and makes the ascendancy classes unaccessible.

    also no auction house.. closest they have ais a third party website where people connect to trade stuff (lol what year did this come out?? pretty sure auction houses were already a MMO staple by the time this was made)

    depends entirely on horribly calibrated RNG..everything is random , every time you try and modify an item you gotta sit there and gamble ...should be able to just set whatever stats you want... super tired of game devs using the RNG crutch . This game is so bloody RNG that you would be lucky to get anything that you want ...EVER!! this is the other reason i gave this a 6. too much rng...    … Expand
  26. retkimuna
    Jun 12, 2015
    7
    i think this game is good but i found one big problem. early game is too boring i don't know why but i didn't like it and i don't like that wtf skill tree. but it's no't pay to win game and after start game is fun.
  27. neigenoire
    Jan 30, 2015
    7
    Pros:
    + Many ways to build a character
    + Tons of available skills and items to build around + Some very complex and deep game mechanics not seen in other popular RPG titles + The gameplay is fun and gambling with RNG can be very addictive + Regular updates with new content, races and cool prizes + Free to play Cons: - Graphics and effects can feel a bit dated compared to some    Pros:
    + Many ways to build a character
    + Tons of available skills and items to build around
    + Some very complex and deep game mechanics not seen in other popular RPG titles
    + The gameplay is fun and gambling with RNG can be very addictive
    + Regular updates with new content, races and cool prizes
    + Free to play

    Cons:
    - Graphics and effects can feel a bit dated compared to some other RPGs
    - Don't expect a breathtaking storyline with interesting dialogues and character development. This game is about building a character and hacking through piles of brainless monsters as efficiently as possible.
    - Playing the same character gets boring after a while - once you acquire your end-game gear and level all your skills gems, there is not much left to do but farm maps and try to acquire more wealth.
    - The level of micro-management and skill that is required in the combat is comparatively low (exceptions are a few end-game bosses).
    - The RNG of drops or crafting luck can sometimes feel unfair
    - Desync problems can be very punishing for some people

    The pros in my opinion outweigh the cons. Definitely a game you should try if you like old school hack and slash RPGs such as Diablo 2 and its various clones. For me it took 2 years of playing to finally get bored and move on to something else.    … Expand
  28. Strxex
    Nov 28, 2014
    7
    This game is very complex and customizable, which requires good planning and strategy. The more you play the more you find it enjoyable. You can play however you like, there is little to no restrictions your personal style, if you wan't to play an archer Witch, you can. If you want to make personal build, why not? A lots of new content updated every month. The developers of this game isThis game is very complex and customizable, which requires good planning and strategy. The more you play the more you find it enjoyable. You can play however you like, there is little to no restrictions your personal style, if you wan't to play an archer Witch, you can. If you want to make personal build, why not? A lots of new content updated every month. The developers of this game is very friendly and listens to the community closely. Do not let the learning curve/game mechanics hold you down!… Expand
  29. jimbobslimbob
    Nov 24, 2014
    7
    Path of Exile is clearly a labour of love. It's a wonderful game with some fresh ideas and good mechanics that breaths some more life into the traditional ARPG format.

    It is similar to Diablo 3, Torchlight 2 and Titan Quest in general gameplay. All your standard things such as levelling up, loot, random levels and monster slaying are here. Where it differs from the aforementioned games    Path of Exile is clearly a labour of love. It's a wonderful game with some fresh ideas and good mechanics that breaths some more life into the traditional ARPG format.

    It is similar to Diablo 3, Torchlight 2 and Titan Quest in general gameplay. All your standard things such as levelling up, loot, random levels and monster slaying are here. Where it differs from the aforementioned games is the skill and level-up system, which is an interesting change. As you level up, you gain passive skill points to spend on things such as damage, armour, critical chance etc.

    You gain your active skills from a variety of different gems, which can be freely plopped into items you find - and taken out without a fuss. This allows you to quickly swap skills in and out - completely changing your play-style in a matter of seconds. These gems also level-up with you and become more powerful. You can create powerful combos by linking support gems with active skills to augment your favourites.

    This balance between "permanent" passive skills and changeable active skills is actually really good and works well together. You can still build a character to exactly what you want - and the passive skill "tree" is absolutely huge.

    Different classes start the game at different points in the skill tree, meaning they can gain access to abilities that suit them best earlier than other classes, but it also means, with a bit of work, you can turn pretty much any class in the game to do something different. It's unique and very well rounded.

    As a free-to-play game, it's a must try for anyone that likes the format. It's a great game, made even better by being free to play. At no point does it feel like you *have* to pay to get the most out of it, like some other FTP games I have tried in the past.

    Go on, give it a whirl, it's free!

    Jimbo Rating: 7/10    … Expand
  30. PrincessRose
    Oct 16, 2014
    7
    Quite a good, enjoyable game. Fun for a while. But like with usual hack and slash games, I got bored with it after a while, just feels a bit too repetitive and only about loot and not much else.
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Awards & Rankings

20
#20 Best PC Game of 2013
18
#18 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
14
#14 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. RPGamer
    May 9, 2014
    100
    Grinding Gear Games has created something special here, and given it gratis to the world.
    Read full review
  2. Pelit (Finland)
    Mar 11, 2014
    88
    Hack & slash games are addictive because they follow a simple formula: kill, kill and kill some more. Path of Exile is no different in this regard. During your quest in the perilous continent of Wraeclast you need to slay thousands and thousands of monsters but it never gets boring because there are a plenty of fresh ideas like the very vast skill system and barter-based economy that differentiate it from other similar games. But it's not a perfect game. The story is weak and the difficulty level is too low in the beginning. [Dec 2013]
  3. PC Gamer
    Jan 13, 2014
    84
    An exceptionally generous free-to-play action-rPG. What it lacks in punch it makes up for in depth and value for money.
    Read full review
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