Path of Exile Review (Zyx)
TL;DR
This is a great game. Try it out, its free anyway.
Review:
Path of Exile is a ftp-Action_RPG game, released 2013 and being under continued development since then, having had multiple free expansions, leagues and content updates. It can be played solo or in a party with up to 5 other people on either soft- or hardcore.
Pros:
-Free to Play, only cosmetical purchases
-dark & gritty style fitting the story and lore
-insanely deep and varied skill system
-smooth leveling experience
-expansive and challenging endgame
-interesting and unique currency and crafting system
-free trading economy
-seasonal leagues with their own twists and challenges to keep the game fresh
-regular free content patches
-big and friendly community
-around 5h of soundtrack
-nice looking cosmetical microtransactions
Cons:
-this will eat your time
-start of play can be unimpressive
-since this is a always online game, connection issues can be a problem
-daunting skill tree
-through the leveling process you have to play the same story 3 times in increasing difficulty (changed in the future*)
*as of now, the new expansion "Fall of Oriath" has been announced for mid 2017, adding 6 new acts to the 4 existing ones, therefore eliminating the need to replay the story 3 times. (i have a boner)
Conclusion:
For anyone interested in the action-rpg genre and disappointed by Diablo 3, look no further than this ftp-gem called Path of Exile. Challenging, rewarding and smooth to play, this appeals to everyone: the casual softcore to the min-maxing hardcore player. There is little as rewarding as building up your own character, theorycrafting, gearing, fighting, struggling and finally concquering everything the game has to offer. And then doing another one, thats complety different. And another one.
For someone new to the action-rpg genre, don't get scared by the seemingly endless possibilites and mechanics the game offers you, punch through the somewhat tedious first 2-3 hours of the game and enter the realm of the game that will suck you in and never let you out again.
9,5/10