Path of Exile 2 guarantees to be a dramatically completely different recreation from its predecessor regardless of the preliminary similarities. The modifications are such that, throughout the Path of Exile 2 reveal at ExileCon 2023, it was revealed the sequel will now be completely standalone from the primary recreation, opposite to earlier plans. The loot-chasing RPG recreation additionally appears to be like set to resolve lots of the problems with the primary as Grinding Gear Video games makes good alterations for Path of Exile 2, and PCGamesN speaks to recreation director Jonathan Rogers about how these decisions got here to be.
Among the many largest modifications is the introduction of the dodge roll – the brand new common area bar capacity that’s core to Path of Exile 2’s fight. Clearly it will change the best way you method each avoiding enemy assaults and positioning to your personal, however I ask Rogers if there are another massive design variations which have resulted from the addition of the dodge.
“Canceling modifications an enormous quantity of stuff,” he tells me in a 1-to-1 interview forward of the ExileCon reveal. Because the crew demonstrates on-stage, you’ll now be capable of cancel out of just about each talent at any time utilizing the roll. “In PoE1 we simply didn’t have lengthy forged time expertise, as a result of they only felt horrible,” Rogers remarks.
“There’s so many refined components to creating that really feel proper.” He notes a few of the different modifications for PoE2, the place the flexibility to maneuver and retarget whereas channeling and casting expertise means you’ll principally by no means lose management of your character. “You’ll be able to have an extended forged time talent so long as you don’t really feel such as you’re dropping management – in PoE1 we simply couldn’t do it, and in PoE2 we are able to, so it does unlock the flexibility to do extra almost about what we are able to design.”
One other massive swap revealed elsewhere at ExileCon is a change to Chaos Orbs. One of the recognizable objects within the first Path of Exile, Chaos Orbs utterly reforge a uncommon merchandise from the bottom up with all-new random modifiers. Nonetheless, because of this all objects of 1 sort are equally prone to be randomly reworked into one thing good, which might make it really feel like nothing on an merchandise issues besides its base sort and merchandise stage.
In Path of Exile 2, Chaos Orbs will now reroll only a single mod. PoE2 merchandise designer Hrishikesh Sidhartha explains, “Because of this the merchandise you begin out with issues a complete lot extra. Now, each merchandise may very well be one or two Chaos Orbs from changing into a very good merchandise, whereas earlier than these objects had been nonetheless not good in the event that they didn’t have already got the nice mods. Now you’ll hopefully use these things to your near-miss rares.”
That’s actually a really welcome change – through the years, the Path of Exile neighborhood has come to some extent the place the widespread consensus is that the most effective objects are all the time made by crafting, and something wanting a Distinctive that drops from enemies is nearly sure to be nugatory trash. I ask Rogers whether or not there’s a push to return to the times the place your subsequent best-in-slot merchandise might present up anyplace.
“I’m undoubtedly wanting it to be the case that folks really feel like there will likely be good objects on the bottom,” he responds, “folks don’t actually really feel that means in PoE1, and I feel that’s a little bit of a travesty. It’s sort of developed over time; folks did used to really choose s**t up off the bottom different than simply foreign money.” He laughs. “After all, they nonetheless do – it’s simply not the identical as the way it was once, and I feel that’s a little bit of a disgrace.”
“The opposite factor that is a little more refined is that folks don’t truly use Chaos Orbs very a lot any extra,” Rogers remarks. The crew has been considering methods to encourage gamers to really “throw one or two crafting objects at one thing” somewhat than hoarding all of them up for an enormous single-item splurge. “I don’t assume it’ll take many modifications to make that work,” he says, “however these are the sort of modifications we couldn’t actually make in PoE1.”
Additionally launched in Path of Exile 2 are Uncut Gems. These new objects are maybe certainly one of PoE2’s most enjoyable additions, dramatically resolving the burden of getting your fingers on the Ability Gem you need on the stage you need. Uncut Gems drop on the stage of the realm you’re in, however permit you to select from any talent within the recreation.
I notice that some talent decisions are hidden within the menu we’re proven, and Rogers confirms that that is simply to cover the as-yet unannounced gems. “You’ll be able to choose any talent that the Uncut Gem is leveled as much as,” he explains, with the variety of expertise accessible rising because the Uncut Gem’s stage rises as much as a most of 20. “You’ll be able to choose any talent in the whole recreation, as long as you meet the extent requirement.”
After all, there are lots extra such modifications, together with ones introduced previous to this reveal such because the transfer to gem hyperlinks being on the Ability Gems themselves, which implies you’ll not be gathering probably hundreds of Chromatic, Jeweller’s, and Fusing Orbs to get your otherwise-perfect chest piece kitted out for the loadout you need.
All of this makes me extraordinarily excited for Path of Exile 2, which arrives in closed beta on June 7, 2024. It feels very very like a recreation that’s being constructed by a crew who rigorously studied their earlier outing, found out what they’d most like to vary if they may begin recent, and are actually delivering on these concepts with good alterations. And in the event you resolve you like the previous means? The unique Path of Exile will nonetheless be persevering with on for you.
Check out that recreation’s newest enlargement with the Path of Exile 3.22 league, Trial of the Ancestors, which additionally sees the introduction of the favored Sanctum format to its core endgame. We’ve additionally picked out extra of the most effective video games like Diablo to maintain you busy till PoE2 lastly rolls round.
