Games Diablo III fans of role-playing games were waiting with great impatience. And this is not surprising, because the first two parts have actually become cult. However, the result was far from what everyone was waiting for. The third part of the masterpiece was not a masterpiece at all, it disappointed very many, and it disappointed far from one parameter. Gamers did not like the visual style, too low level of complexity, and the ability to purchase certain elements for real money. Moreover, everyone was simply enraged by the connection of the game to the Internet, that is, without connecting to the network and constant checks of this connection, you simply cannot play. The failure of Diablo III forced fans of the genre to seek solace in other games, like this one, but only performed at a higher level. An undoubted favorite in this case was Torchlight II, which attracted very many and gave them what the game Diablo III could not give. But not only this project was on the market, also the Path of Exile game attracted great attention, an overview of which you will read further. What kind of project is this? Why is it so good that it can replace the incomparable Diablo? You will find out about this now when you get acquainted with the game Path of Exile. The review will tell you all the main points that you need to know, as well as introduce you to the main advantages and disadvantages of this game.
Plot
So, where to start with the Path of Exile review? Naturally, from the plot, which here, in the good old traditions of Diablo, is more than superficial. You find yourself on a distant continent, where there are hordes of all kinds of scary monsters and a lurking incredible evil. You are an outcast who was sent to this continent for his crimes, where a gradually developing plot suggests you to destroy this ancient evil - in fact, that's all. You will not find here any dramatic twists, plot branches, conflicts between heroes and so on. Moreover, the storyline literally breaks off at a glance - and this could be attributed to the serious disadvantages of the game, if it were not for the explicit message of the developers who plan to gradually finish building the game, adding new acts to it and building the passage as the update progresses. So you need to be careful with Path of Exile - the review clearly indicates that lovers of a deep plot and dramatic development of events can better stand aside, since here you are unlikely to find something like that. The essence of this game is not in the plot at all.
Team approach
Those gamers who dislike the third Diablo because it requires a constant Internet connection can suddenly stop and grimace at the sight of Path of Exile. The review of the game has reached the point where it is necessary to indicate that this project also requires constant communication with the server. However, in this case it is quite justified, unlike the case with Diablo III, where an Internet connection was necessary solely for the reason that the developers so wanted. Here, this is due to the fact that Path of Exile is a full-fledged multiplayer game. In the good old traditions of Diablo II, you can team up with your colleagues and go on a journey together - the game world is arranged in such a way that it has locations where users can meet, trade, chat and join in groups, after which they go to unique locations that are not accessible to other players, except you and your group, where the fighting takes place. Thus, you can play with friends without any problems - playing with strangers is also possible, but it is not recommended, since the game was not done in the most suitable way. Not the whole group, but each one moves to a new level, in a dungeon or in a cave, so you run the risk of falling into such a stranger who quickly cleans the path to the cave, destroys everything in its path and collects all the wealth, leaving you nothing. Therefore, you should play Path of Exile either alone or in the company of trusted friends. It is especially pleasing that there is a Path of Exile in Russian - the review, of course, does not change from this, since the translation does not affect the quality of the game itself.
Role system
In the case of Path of Exile, it makes no sense to separately review the classes, and now you will understand why. The fact is that, unlike most role-playing games, where each class has its own tree of development of skills, in this project the developers went a completely different way. They created one common development tree that is suitable for all six classes - there are more than a thousand different skills and abilities in it, and the difference between the classes is quite superficial. It consists in the fact that you have to start the development of your hero from the end of the tree that corresponds to the class you have chosen. However, if you choose a witch, but at the same time want to arm her with a two-handed sword and put on the heavy armor of a warrior, then nothing stops you - you just have to break through the thick of the rest of the skills to those that match your desires. In this case, of course, the problem may arise that you will have to activate the completely unnecessary to open the necessary skills, but this is only a barrier to the way, in general, everything is possible in this game.
Combat system
This diversity of the tree of skills is a little obscured by the fact that the brightness of the fighting here is clearly inferior to both the third and second parts of the Diablo - the opponents simply lose health from your attacks, and then fall to the ground. No rivers of blood, no rebounds, scattering into ashes and so on - a rather dull sight, which is compensated only by the variety of tactical approach. Path of Exile: Ascendancy (the review focuses only on the original game) adds even more skills, both active and passive. By the way, the discussion above was only about passive skills - it's time to talk about active ones.
Active skills
Active skills are really encouraging, as the Path of Exile review will tell you in more detail. On the lack of fish (the third part of “Diablo” made sure that the fans of the RPG had a real lack of goals), the most banal system would be suitable, but this project prepared something special for gamers. So, all active skills, that is, spells, traps, buffs, healing, and so on, are gems that you can put into your things. At the same time, pay attention to the fact that each stone must match the cell in the item in color. Also, do not forget that you have only eight slots on the active skills panel, so be sure to distribute the available stones. Moreover, do not forget about special additions to your skills - the fact is that you can attach two more “runes” to each of the stones, each of which modifies your spell. The combinations can be the most unbelievable - right down to the fireballs, which are divided into three pieces and cause additional cold damage. The possibilities are simply unlimited, which is what the review of Path of Exile focuses on. The features of your character are completely up to you, and you will lose a lot if you do not try them.
The will of randomness
It is expected that in the RPG genre all locations will be randomly generated - this is how it happens, and the system produces very pleasant locations for the eyes that are interesting to study and not boring at all. True, there is a drawback, which is expressed in a certain “interruption” - sometimes the algorithm creates such a location that it is almost impossible to get through. Its key elements are hidden so much that you have to spend a lot of time searching for them. As for those places where bosses live, as well as those locations where NPCs live and heroes meet - they are static and more than attractive.
Game currency
If we are talking about role-playing, then you will most likely immediately think of gold as a local currency - or of gold coins, which are called some kind of sophisticated fantasy word, but represent the same gold. But not in the case of Path of Exile, since in this game events take place on the continent, which is Hell on Earth, a prison for the worst, a camp for the exiled and so on. Nobody thinks about gold here, but you can exchange various stones, patches and spheres, and you can forget about merchants - you won’t buy anything sensible from them. Most often, the local currency is used to trade with other players, but an even better way to use it is to improve existing things.
Item enhancement
Yes, you heard right - stones are used to improve the parameters of weapons, patches - to increase the parameters of armor. It should be noted that they contain a specific description of what will happen during the improvement. This is good, but it does not give a strong increase. The spheres are much more interesting - they can give your subject some incredible qualities, and they can write off all the advantages that existed before. Risking or not is your choice.
pros
So, it's time to take stock of what the review of Path of Exile has revealed for you. The advantages of the project must be considered in the first place, and they are quite impressive. First of all, it is worth noting the unusual gloominess that can rarely be found in RPGs - most often these games are full of colors, and even if it is a universal evil, it will be destroyed in a myriad of sparks. Here everything is gray and dull, which does not make the game itself dull - it becomes more atmospheric and unique. Another point worth paying special attention to is the system of developing skills, both active and passive. An interesting approach with stones for spells and just a giant tree of passive skills is the main highlight of this project. And it is worth mentioning separately that the game is shareware, that is, you can freely download and play it, and only some elements that you can do without are paid. And if in most games due to these elements, many gamers rise significantly above those who do not want to invest real money in the computer world, then in the case of Path of Exile money you can buy only a variety of aesthetic decorations.
Minuses
However, given the flaws alone, a review would be incomplete in the case of Path of Exile. Pros and cons should be considered in balance in order to have a clear idea of the game as such. Therefore, you need to look at the shortcomings, and the most important among them is the combat system. She is boring and looks extremely miserable. This could be forgiven if the game did not belong to the RPG genre, that is, the entire game process would not be built around the combat system. Also, the rather ambiguous plot, which suddenly breaks off, but it is not clear whether it will continue or not, as well as the introduced PvP system, that is, “player versus player”, which looks even worse than the combat system of the game process, is also a disadvantage. The developers are convinced that she will improve, but at the moment from her presence in the game is only worse.