Path of Exile

Setting

Path of Exile takes place in a post-apocalyptic grim fantasy world in which the player plays the role of an outcast who has been exiled from their home continent of Oriath (for reasons that vary based on their class selection) to the corrupted continent of Wraeclast. There the player encounters numerous settlements, monsters, and fellow outcasts in their quest to survive in this hostile land, as well as uncover the fate of the abandoned continent.

Gameplay

Path of Exile takes a healthy dose of inspiration from classic action roleplaying games. The name, Path of Exile, is a reference to a piece of Anglo-Saxon poetry entitled "The Wanderer" which was heavily referenced in the manual for Diablo II: Lord of Destruction.

The story takes place across four acts which differ in style, tone, and difficulty. Once Normal difficulty is completed, the game may be replayed on Cruel, and then Merciless difficulty. Each subsequent difficulty tests the player's resources and ingenuity in character building - many characters who survive Normal and Cruel will not be so lucky in Merciless, a challenging mode designed to expose and capitalize upon the flaws of poorly conceived character builds.

Once the story has been completed, the player gains access to an extensive end-game system referred to as "Mapping". By placing randomly generated map items into a receptacle found within The Eternal Laboratory, players are granted access to a procedurally generated dungeon which is influenced by a number of modifications. Offering difficult monster combinations, unique bosses, and the promise of ever-better loot, high-level players complete maps in order to gain experience and amass untold wealth.

Maps are treated as items, and may therefore roll a number of random modifications which increase their danger and potential for reward. Common, magic, rare, and unique maps are either crafted or found as loot from monsters. Players must consider the implications of a map's properties closely. For example, a character who specializes in dealing elemental damage may wish to re-roll a map which grants all monsters the ability to reflect elemental damage.

Classes

There are seven different classes for the player to choose from. Class selection has no bearing on the equipment or abilities available to the player. Instead, classes dictate the player's starting position within Path of Exile's vast passive skill tree. However, each starting point focuses on specific character attributes, including Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence. By choosing the Marauder, a brawny class, players will have early access to Strength-based passive nodes. The Ranger grants access to the Dexterity portion of the tree, while the Witch's starting location is near Intelligence nodes. The remaining classes are considered hybrids; the Duelist begins near Strength and Dexterity nodes, while the Shadow starts near Intelligence and Dexterity. Finally, the Templar has access to both Strength and Intelligence. The Scion, a class added later, is located centrally within the tree and can therefore travel to any of the classes nodes with ease.

On the surface, the game appears to funnel each class down their respective stereotypical roles. In reality, the player has total freedom regarding the specification of their passive points. Able to travel anywhere on the tree as long as they are committed to spending the points necessary to go there, players may pick and choose which passives they desire - leading to many interesting builds which defy the expectations of each class archetype, and using passive effects to unexpected and, occasionally, unintended results.

• Witch: Elementalist Necromancer Occultist

• Ranger: Deadeye Pathfinder Raider

• Duelist: Champion Gladiator Slayer

• Marauder: Berserker Chieftain Juggernaut

• Shadow: Assassin Saboteur Trickster

• Templar: Guardian Hierophant Inquisitor

• Scion: Ascendant

Skill Gems

Path of Exile's approach to character abilities is similarly flexible. Skills, spells, and abilities are not tied to specific character classes. Instead, all skills are available to any character who meets the prerequisites for equipping that skill.

Skills take the form of gems. An in-game item, these gems may be found as loot or given as quest rewards. Gems are then socketed into pieces of armour, or weapons. Once socketed, a gem's inherent ability may be used by the player.

Gems are coloured according to their primary stat requirements. Strength-based skill gems are red, Dexterity-based skill gems are green, and Intelligence-based skill gems are blue. Gems may only be socketed into an item socket of the corresponding colour.

Independently of a character, gems earn experience and level up. As they level, the abilities granted by gems grow in power while demanding higher stat requirements of the player.

A six-socket, five-link item.

A separate category of gems, known as Support Gems, exist to augment the abilities provided by standard Skill Gems. On their own, Support Gems are powerless, but when combined with an attack or spell, they serve to greatly enhance their power, or significantly alter how an ability functions. Gems are combined by being socketed within the same piece of equipment, as long as the sockets are physically linked to one another. With a potential maximum of six links on an item depending on its type and level, some particularly effective and deadly combinations can be concocted by players. Examples include abilities which are set to trigger by themselves when the player takes damage, or spells which are significantly modified such as a single fireball becoming a nova of fire, or a flurry of multiple projectiles.

Leveling Up

Path of Exile boasts an immense passive skill tree

When the player levels up, they are granted a single point to allocate on the passive skill tree. This tree is universal, meaning all classes may travel to any point. It is wise to choose a class that starts near a zone you are interested in - otherwise, many levels will be spent simply travelling across the expansive tree. A huge variety of builds depend upon the freedom this tree grants, as characters are free to pick and choose the passive effects they require as long as they plan their "journey" judiciously. Though there is no limit to leveling, a typical player will probably reach no greater than level 100. A number of quests also grant free passive skill points.

Re-speccing your character is possible, though the price of indecision is costly. A number of quests grant "Refund Points" which can be used to reverse allocated passive points. In addition, a currency item known as an Orb of Regret will grant a single refund point when consumed. Because one refund point equates to one point reclaimed, it may take some effort to undo any mistakes made. Ultimately, the freedom to respec is available, but is given an element of gravity that makes committing to your character feel important and worthy of thought.

Often, when a League ends, or a significant update effects the passive skill tree, an optional full respec is made available to all players.

POE Leagues

Path of Exile evolves the Ladder concept of Diablo II by regularly hosting limited-duration Leagues in which players begin from scratch with a fresh item economy, separate from those players who stay within the "Standard League". This standard League can be considered the "vanilla" state of the game, populated by characters who have elected to not participate in the current League.

In addition, Path of Exile's Leagues always add additional mechanics which last for the duration of that league. This means there is always a reason to return to the next league, as new content or game systems will change various elements of gameplay. Hardcore and Softcore League Variations are available. A character playing in a Softcore-style League will remain in that league when they die, until the League ends and they are reverted to the Standard League. Hardcore-style League characters are demoted to the Standard League if they perish within their League.

Currency

There is no gold for the player to buy items with or get in return for selling items. Instead, Path of Exile features an item-based economy. Within this bartering system, players trade items with each other or NPCs in order to receive the items or materials they need. As a result, the value of an item is evaluated by both its rarity and player demand.

A number of "Vendor Recipes" exist. For example, offering an item with a set of red, blue, and green linked sockets will yield a Chromatic Orb, used to re-roll the colors of an item's socket. Selling a full set of unidentified rare gear to a vendor will result in 2 Chaos Orbs. Many more recipes, including secret and undiscovered ones, exist.

The bartering between players is typically not item-for-item. Special consumable items referred to as "Currency items" form the basis of the economy. These items have the ability to modify, corrupt, and enhance gear. As a result, they are inherently valuable and many items are priced according to how many of these currency items they are worth. It is not uncommon to see players selling unique items for upwards of 60 Chaos Orbs, or a number of rare Exalted Orbs.

Scrolls

There are two main types of scrolls the player comes across throughout the game; Portal scrolls and Wisdom scrolls. Portal scrolls allow the player to return to town from anywhere on the map, while wisdom scrolls let you identify the properties of unidentified items.

Orbs

Microtransactions

The store which is located on the games website offers mostly cosmetic enhancements, and convenience items in the form of capacity upgrades for your personal and guild stashes. The game can be played and finished without spending a dime, without worry of time restrictions, or other "pay-to-win" trappings. Grinding Gear Games takes a staunch anti-pay-to-win approach to their monetisation strategy; a notable of example of this is their refusal to give players who paid $1000 to help design their own unique item a free copy of said item - those players still had to find the item in question by playing the game.

Gear

Like many action role playing games, Path of Exile revolves around the acquisition and imaginative use of a great many varied items. There are 10 slots into which gear can be equipped. (2 rings, an amulet, a belt, gloves, boots, a chest piece, helmet, and up to 2 weapons). Certain types of armor will have different implicit means of defense ranging from pure armor rating, to hybrid gear consisting of evasion/energy Shield. Chest armor pieces carry a penalty to movement speed, plate-type armor being the slowest. (3-5%). Shields also carry a movement speed penalty while equipped. (3%) Chests and 2-handed weapons share the capacity to roll up to 6 sockets, while smaller armor pieces (helm, gloves, boots) can only roll up to 4 sockets. 1-handed weapons and shields can only roll up to 3 sockets. There are 4 different types of rarity that gear can roll:

• Normal (white) - Easily the most common pieces of gear to find. No stats other than implicit mods will be found these items, but they have the ability to drop with sockets and links, making them still quite valuable to craft into a better item.

• Magic (blue) - At most can only contain two affixes. Desirable early game with two solid rolls to ease the levelling progression (+life, +% resistance is most sought after on armor)

• Rare (yellow) - Can range from 3 to 6 affixes. Because of the large discrepancy between a rare item's stats being randomized, finding something that fits a players' build perfectly can take quite some time.

• Unique (orange) - A special item that will always roll the same affixes, but the range between how well they roll will differ. These are the rarest items. Many unique items have special affixes that unlock build defining traits which can alter that way a character can be played significantly.

Damage Reduction and Mitigation

Health: Primary form of defense. Most builds will want as much life as possible, boosted through both the skill tree and having gear with as much +life as possible. A large health pool will reduce the duration that status effects have on the player.

Energy Shield: Acts as an additional layer to your health pool. Damage will only apply to your life once your Energy Shield has been fully depleted. The exception to this is Chaos damage, which bypasses energy shield. While you have any amount of energy shield, your character has a 50% chance to avoid being stunned. Like health, there is both gear and passives in the skill tree that affect Energy Shields total, and regeneration rate. Energy shield will start recharging after not taking damage over a period of time, while health regeneration is consistent, but much slower.

Armor: Mitigates strictly any physical damage that may affect the player. This damage reduction can cap out at 90%

Evasion: Allows the player to avoid taking any kind of ranged or melee physical damage. Chance to evade can never go lower than 5% or higher than 95%. Evasion is also modified by how much Dexterity the character has. Every 5 points of Dexterity increases the chance to evade by 1%.

Dodge: Follows a similar structure to Evasion, but is harder to obtain. Only special passives in the skill tree and unique gear grant % chance to dodge. This is rolled separately than evasion, allowing an additional chance to evade ranged or melee physical attacks. One passive allows players to dodge spells, completely nullifying the damage and/or status effects that may occur with it. Dodge and spell dodge cap out at 75%.

Block: Blocking an attack mitigates all damage taken, and any status effects that may happen with the hit. If the attack would have caused the player to become stunned, a block animation plays, stunning the character for a certain amount of time which can be reduced by specific mods that can be found on gear. (Reduced stun and block recovery) An implicit amount of block can be found while having a shield equipped (24-32%), wearing a staff (8-18%), or dual wielding (15%). Like dodge, unique gear and passives allow the player to block spells. Block and spell block cap out at 75%.

Resistance: There are 4 types of resistances in the game: Fire, Lightning, Cold, and Chaos. Each element has a unique effect that applies to monsters and players.

1. Fire damage: Landing a critical strike with a fire spell, or attack that deals fire damage will also burn the target for a % of the damage that was dealt over time.

2. Lightning damage: Landing a critical strike with a lightning spell or attack that deals lightning damage will shock the mob. Shock is a debuff that stacks up to 3 times and increases the amount of damage they take by 10% per stack. The more damage that is taken affects the length of the debuff.

3. Cold damage: Landing a critical strike with a cold spell or attack that deals cold damage can freeze. This is a crowd control effect that renders the target frozen, unable to attack or move.

4. Chaos damage: Deals damage through Energy Shield. Many monsters do not have high chaos resistance making spells or attacks that deal chaos damage particularly deadly. Most chaos damage is avoidable, either dealing damage through a degenerating aura, area of effect damage over time, or single target damage over time.

All resistances have a baseline cap at 75%. This can be increased through passives, flasks, gear and auras. Fire, lightning and Cold are considered elemental resistances, which are the most important to reach to 75%. As the difficulty between leagues increase, a penalty is placed reducing the base amount of resistances you have. ( Normal: 0% , Cruel: -20%, Merciless: -40%). For chaos damage, the game is balanced around a player having 0% Chaos resistance, as most damage done by Chaos is avoidable.