Grinding Gear Games released a new 14 minute gameplay preview for Path of Exile 2, covering some of the new content that they have planned for the game, as well as some of the graphical updates, weapon additions, and enemy encounters you can expect from the isometric, hack-and-slash, action-RPG.
This was actually the perfect time for Grinding Gear to unleash some new promotional content for the upcoming game given how scathed people feel from Blizzard’s subservience to the Chinese State, and just how affected Diablo IV and their other properties will be in result of their allegiance to censorship.
In any case, the video doesn’t twaddle or waste time at all. The developers get right into the thick of it, explaining that Path of Exile 2 is built entirely on top of a physically based rendered pipeline, so everything is dynamically rendered to reflect the environment, as well as changes in the lighting and shadows.
You can check out the video below for all the details.
Unlike GameFreak, they actually made all new animations for the new playable character classes.
In the video we see that players can place down stationary turrets to aid in combat when overwhelmed, and we see that the physics-based effects play a huge part in the aesthetics. For one we see that arrows that don’t stick fall to the ground.
Another big change for the gameplay aspect is the ability to slot gems into sockets into a completely separate skill gems screen.
They also made it where every item now has a fixed number of fixed slots, so if you get a new weapon and swap it for your old one, you can still keep all the gem slots arranged as they were in the previous weapon.
This should make the loot-and-swap meta require a lot less micromanagement compared to the original Path of Exile.
Beyond the hacking and the slashing and the man-nerd antics involved with finding and slotting gems (which I can imagine some people will spend hours min-maxing to an absurd degree) they also showcase an impressively animated early boss fight in Path of Exile 2’s campaign mode.
There are a lot of small but high-quality details implemented into the way he moves and attacks, with his beard strands wiggling and waggling as he attacks, and the environment reacting dynamically to his movements.
We also get a brief look at the new shapeshifting ability, where players can instantly shapeshift at will, making use of all new attacks and abilities while taking on a new form.
It all looks doubly impressive, even more-so given that Grinding Gear Games hate a late start to the game but everyone is already talking about how much more impressive Path of Exile 2 seems compared to Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo IV, which not only runs the risk of being censored to accommodate the Chinese government but is also heavily subject to Blizzard’s propaganda convergence, which has infected every one of Blizzard’s other franchises.
But beyond the gameplay demonstration, the announcement trailer for Path of Exile 2 is all kinds of awesome.
We get a look at the new character creation screen, a brief snippet of some of the bosses you’ll encounter and areas you’ll visit, as well as nautical travel.
One of the things that really stands out with the game is that the aesthetic really seems to capture the dark, Gothic appeal that Blizzard had built around Diablo 2. Only Grinding Gear Games has upgraded, updated, and improved on the concept with their own take. It’s almost safe to say that this is the ARPG that Diablo fans deserve.
The beta isn’t scheduled to get underway until late 2020. So it’s going to be a long wait, but the game will feature two full campaigns, including all of the content that was available in the original Path of Exile plus the additional seven-arc campaign, 19 classes, and all the new graphical improvements, weapons, items, locations, and monsters.
You can keep track of Path of Exile 2’s development by visiting the official website.
(Thanks for the news tip Zhizavr)