izigame.me

❧ I don't perceive my blog entries as traditional reviews; I encourage you to adopt the same perspective. The decision of whether these games resonate with your preferences rests with you.
❧ I urge you not to rely on my experience to determine whether you should purchase these titles. My blog entries reflect my personal experiences and viewpoints; it is important to regard them as such!

Path of Exile 2

Prior to this Early Access, I played around 70 hours on the original game, give or take a few dramatic rage quits, and let’s just say my experience wasn’t exactly award-winning.
Most of the time, it felt less like I was controlling my character and more like I was a hyperactive cheerleader with no rhythm, waving pom-poms from the sidelines. Naturally, I cycled through a bunch of different classes, took some extended coffee breaks (read: months), and came back as clueless as ever. Long story short, I am, from my perspective, still a certified noob while playing both games. Sure, my wins early on, here, felt somewhat like actual wins, but I can’t shake the feeling that the game is secretly prepping me for failure all over again.
And oh, what wasn’t I wrong about that!
Fast forward to Path of Exile 2. I hit a wall midway through Act 1 with my first character. Naturally, I chose the same class I played in the original game. True to form, I ignored every single warning sign, like a signaler on an airfield, that I was completely botching my build. This led to a character that couldn’t even take down the King in the Mist. Many wasted uncut gems and support gems later, the cost of fixing my mistakes were greater than my entire retirement plan. In the end, I did what any self-respecting gamer would do: I rerolled and Googled Witch Class for Dummies , and got offered the holy grail, the Infernalist minion build , which looked like the magical path for Act 1 to 3, or at least, that is what I thought!
Hoping this time I wouldn’t end up with a character that needs an exorcist, I dove back in and climbed my way up, passing through the areas I had previously flailed around in. I Finally reached Freythorn once again killing the mobs here with ease, and, to my absolute delight, managed to kill the bastard that previously kept crushing my sanity into oblivion fairly fast.
Pushing further into The Ogham areas, I noticed the difficulty spike once again. Near the end, it seemed like I was trapped in a personal torture chamber, and the Executioner definitely felt like he was auditioning to be my lifelong nemesis. What felt like an eternal struggle, I learned that I had to tweak my build a bit better, and he finally dropped dead. To my surprise, he left me my very first spirit gem. I used it to craft my Raging Spirit skill, and suddenly the game stopped bullying me, at least for now. It finally seemed like I had made a good choice with this build.
Maybe, just maybe, I was finally upgrading from clueless newbie to a real Exile.
Or maybe not, not just yet! Stepping into Ogham Manor was like entering a haunted house where the ghosts didn’t just jump-scare me, they burned my resources and kept me busy for a while. The guide I was following? Yeah, turns out it was more of a polite suggestion than the bulletproof strategy I thought it was. At first, everything was peachy; I was smashing mobs left and right, feeling like a legend. But then, this area decided to take things to another level.
The mobs got angrier, swarming me like mosquitoes at a camping trip. They rushed me, shoved me around, interrupted my spells, and just when I thought I could escape, BOOM! I was blown to smithereens. One mob exploded, another yanked the rug out from under me, and before I knew it, I was sprawled on the floor, defeated by regular mobs, hah, what a joke right?
Moving onward, I shuffled in and out of the manor to offload my loot that seemed to multiply like rabbits! Finally, I reached The Mad Wolf. He wasn’t here to play fetch. It was a wake-up call that the gloves were off. Either I stuck it out or admitted defeat with my tail between my legs.
What followed was a parade of deaths so ridiculous it could’ve been its own blooper reel. I tinkered endlessly with my gem skills, fine-tuned my gear with whatever scraps I had, and squinted at the boss mechanics like I was cramming for an exam. Every defeat nudged me a little closer, teaching me something new, like the fact that this wolf really hated me.
And then, finally, sweet victory! The boss fell to my last desperate blow, leaving me in a state of disbelief, as if I’d just stumbled upon a hidden treasure of everlasting glory.
I wouldn’t say the game is impossible, but it definitely has a “mess up and prepare to be roasted” vibe. It’s like the game’s saying, “You think you’ve got this? Watch me teach you humility!” While not everything is spoon-fed to you, there’s a whole community ready to hand you a metaphorical cup of coffee and help you figure out your build. You stumble, you adapt, and eventually, you’ll reach the point where you will be winning your fights.
And honestly? That’s the kind of challenge I expect from every game I play!
📜 SIDE NOTES:
⭐ For me the WASD and the added roll/dodge were a must for me to pull me into this genre.
⭐ Positioning, and reactive reflexes are very important, without them you will surely die!!
⭐ The lack of in depth knowledge en understanding boosts community interaction. ...
⭐ Visuals and voice acting are from the highest quality, they nailed it in this game.
I never expected myself to enjoy this type of game, but the Early Access drew me right in!
⚠️ While I believe this game is more accessible to a larger audience, it may still not be for everyone, particularly due to its steep difficulty, challenging learning curve, and significant time investment required. If you're not prepared to dedicate considerable effort to mastering the mechanics and overcoming tough challenges, it might be best to wait for the free version before committing!
📢 As this is an Early Access release, updates by the developers are inevitable, and my experience is likely to change as I advance beyond the first Act. Accordingly, this blog will be updated over time!







Utility
💚
Expands the genre to a wider player base; bolsters rich content and features; Passive skills and crafting are deeply woven into the root of the gameplay..


Controls
💛
Combat controls are responsive and satisfying; The interface is straightforward; no hand holding, encourages exploration and community interaction!


Performance
💛
Runs smoothly overall; I ran into some minor network jitters. I streamed while playing on the same rig, the optimization kept things stable and enjoyable!


Pricing
💚
Free-to-Play offers great value, cash shop is mostly cosmetic; some pay for convenience transactions are present; micro-transactions are not being pressured!


Interface
💚
Sleek and intuitive, offering easy access to essential info; Boosts accessibility and ensures a smooth experience for players of all levels.


Immersion
💚
With rich lore, immersive audio, and stunning visuals, the game pulls players into a world full of adventure and discovery at every turn.



Enjoy and Happy Gaming!