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Path of Exile
Path of Exile
Path of Exile
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Path of Exile
DeveloperGrinding Gear Games
PublisherGrinding Gear Games
DesignersChris Wilson
Mark Roberts
ProgrammerJonathan Rogers
ArtistErik Olofsson
WritersNick Jones
Edwin McRae
Brian Weissman
ComposersAdgio Hutchings
Kamil Orman-Janowski
Michael James Collier
PlatformsWindows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, macOS
Release
  • Windows
  • 23 October 2013
  • Xbox One
  • 24 August 2017
  • PlayStation 4
  • 26 March 2019
  • macOS
  • 18 September 2020
GenreAction role-playing
ModesSingle-player, multiplayer

Path of Exile is a free-to-play action role-playing video game developed and published by Grinding Gear Games. Following an open beta phase, the game was released for Microsoft Windows in October 23, 2013.[1][2][3][4][5] A version for Xbox One was released in August 2017, and a PlayStation 4 version was released in March 2019.

Path of Exile takes place in a dark fantasy world, where the government of the island nation of Oriath exiles people to the continent of Wraeclast, a ruined continent home to many ancient gods. Taking control of an exile, players can choose to play as one of seven character classes – Marauder, Duelist, Ranger, Shadow, Witch, Templar, and Scion. Players are then tasked with fighting their way back to Oriath, defeating ancient gods and great evils during their journey.

A sequel, Path of Exile 2, was released to early access on December 6, 2024. It was originally announced in 2019 as a large update for the original game. In 2023, the studio announced that it would instead be a separate game.[6]

Gameplay

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The player controls a single character from an isometric perspective and explores large outdoor areas and caves or dungeons, battling monsters and fulfilling quests from non-player characters (NPCs) to gain experience points and equipment. The game borrows heavily from the Diablo series, particularly Diablo II,[7] of which Path of Exile has been described as the spiritual successor.[8] All areas aside from the central encampments are procedurally generated for increased re-playability. While all players on a single server can freely mingle in encampments, gameplay outside of encampments is highly instanced, providing every player or party with an isolated map to freely explore.[9][10]

Players can choose from seven available classes to play as (Duelist, Marauder, Ranger, Scion, Shadow, Templar and Witch).[11][12] Each of these classes are aligned with one or two of the three core attributes: Strength, Dexterity, or Intelligence. The exception is the Scion, formerly a locked prestige class released in 2013, which is aligned with all three attributes. The different classes are not restricted from investing into skills not aligned with their core attributes, but will have easier access to skills that are aligned with their core attributes.[13][14] Items are randomly generated from a wide variety of basic types and endowed with special properties and gem sockets. They come in different rarities with increasingly powerful properties. This makes a large part of gameplay dedicated to finding well-balanced and synergistic equipment. Skill gems can be placed in gem sockets of armor, weapons and some types of rings,[7][15] giving them an active skill. As the character advances and levels up, the equipped skill gems also gain experience, allowing the skills themselves to level up and increase in potency.

Active skills can be modified by items known as Support Gems.[16] Depending upon the number of linked sockets the player possesses, a primary attack or skill can be modified with increased attack speed, faster projectiles, multiple projectiles, chaining hits, life leech, auto-cast spells on critical strike, and more. Given limits on the number of sockets, players must prioritize gem usage.[17] All classes share the same selection of 1,325 passive skills,[18] from which the player can choose one each time their character levels up, and as an occasional quest reward. These passive skills improve the core attributes and grant further enhancements such as increased mana, life, damage, defences, regeneration, speed, and more. Each one of the characters starts at a different position on the passive skill tree. The passive skill tree is arranged in a complex network starting in separate trunks for each class (aligned with the permutations of the three core attributes). The player must therefore not only focus on maximizing all modifiers related to their primary offence and defense, but must also take care to select the most efficient path through the passive skill tree. As of the 3.0 Fall of Oriath Release, the maximum possible number of passive skill points was 123 (99 from levelling and 24 from quest rewards).[18] Each class also has access to an Ascendancy class, which grants much stronger, specialized bonuses. Each class has three Ascendancy classes to choose from, except for the Scion, who only has one Ascendancy class that combines the elements of all other Ascendancy classes. Up to 8 Ascendancy skill points can be assigned out of 12 or 14.[19]

Path of Exile is unusual among action role-playing games in that there is no in-game currency. The game's economy is based on bartering "currency items."[20] Unlike traditional game currencies, these items have their own inherent uses (such as upgrading an item's rarity level, rerolling affixes, or improving an item's quality) and thus provide their own money sinks to prevent inflation. Most of these items are used to modify and upgrade equipment, though some identify items, create portals to town or grant skill refund points.

Leagues

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The game offers several alternate play modes.[21] The following permanent leagues are available:

  • Standard – The default gameplay league. Characters who die here respawn in the last city visited (with experience loss at higher levels).
  • Hardcore (HC) – Characters cannot be resurrected but instead respawn back in the Standard league. This mode is analogous to permadeath in other games.
  • Solo Self Found (SSF) – Characters cannot join a party with other players, and may not trade with other players. This type of gameplay forces characters to find or craft their own items.
  • Ruthless - Various gameplay changes are added to increase the game's difficulty. Gameplay changes include reduced item drops, removed gameplay and crafting mechanics, and weaker passive skills.

There is also a seasonal Challenge league, with special mechanics that are introduced for the duration of the league. Historically, these changes were small, but now the challenge league coincides with an expansion, with the expansion content being only in the challenge league for the duration of the league. Expansion contents typically include new forms of currencies that players can collect and other features, including but not limited to, new ways where players can also acquire or craft items. There are also Hardcore and Solo Self Found variants of the seasonal challenge league.

Other leagues are usually designed for specific events. They have their own set of rules, item accessibility and aftermath. These rules widely vary depending on the league. For example, timed "Descent" league features another map set, new monster sets and rewards, but characters in this league are no longer available for playing after the league ends. "Turbo solo immolation" leagues, as another example, are running on the same maps as standard modes, but with much harder monsters, no partying, replacing physical damage with fire damage and monsters exploding on death—and return the survivors to Hardcore league (while dead characters resurrect in Standard). Racing leagues last between 30 minutes and 1 week. The permanent leagues have counterpart ladder leagues with different rulesets that last three months.

Synopsis

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Setting

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The game is set in a dark fantasy world. The player starts the game waking up on the shores of Wraeclast, a continent that once was the center of a mighty empire but is now a cursed land which serves as a penal colony for criminals and other unwanted individuals from the nearby Island of Oriath. Regardless of the reasons for their exile, players must now face the unforgiving wilderness and its dangerous inhabitants amidst the crumbling ruins and bloody secrets of the Eternal Empire and the Vaal civilization that came before and band together with other exiles to survive.

Plot

[edit]

High Templar Dominus exiles the player character, referred to as "Exile," from Oriath for some crime depending on which class the player chose. Exiles are sent to Wraeclast, a penal colony, where they kill various monsters and people who have been tormenting other exiles in Wraeclast. It is discovered that Dominus has been secretly working with his assistant Piety studying thaumaturgy and is the cause of many of the troubles in Wraeclast. The Exile finds and kills both of them. In the process, the Exile encounters a remnant of the Eternal Empire, a woman called Dialla who explains how a thaumaturgical "Rapture Device" created by a man called Malachai is being used to awaken and release "The Beast", the source of a Cataclysm that ravaged Wraeclast centuries prior. The Exile travels to Highgate where they enter the Beast and kill Malachai.

Now that Wraeclast is apparently saved, the Exile returns to Oriath. The successor to Dominus, High Templar Avarius, has been abusing his ordained power of divinity. The corrupt templars are exercising their power to wrest control of Oriath, enslaving a race of people known as Karui. The Exile takes advantage of the ongoing Karui slave rebellion and overthrows the templar order by killing Avarius and defeating the Templar god "Innocence". After defeating Innocence, his brother Sin returns and informs the Exile that by killing the Beast, the Exile has inadvertently caused the old gods of the world to reawaken. The formerly oppressed Karui, now empowered by their god Kitava, are running rampant in Oriath, destroying whatever they can find. Sin takes the Exile to fight Kitava, but the Exile fails. Sin explains that the essence of the Beast is needed to battle Kitava - and that the Beast was his creation. A plan is formulated to return to Wraeclast to extract the essence from the Beast's dead body and use it to stop Kitava from destroying Oriath.

After travelling through Wraeclast once more and defeating the gods that have reawakened, the Exile returns to Oriath and finds that Innocence has returned. With Innocence reborn and amending for his past mistakes, Sin and Innocence take the Exile to Kitava's lair, and with their combined strength they destroy Kitava.

Development

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Path of Exile began when a small group of action role-playing game enthusiasts became frustrated by the lack of new releases in the genre and decided to develop their own game. It was developed under the radar for three years before being publicly announced on 1 September 2010.[22] In the time since then, Grinding Gear Games has published a number of development posts on their website ranging from screenshots of new classes, monsters, and skills to presentations of gameplay or technical aspects.

The game's lead designer at that time, was Chris Wilson.[23] He said the team drew inspiration from several earlier games, including action role-playing games such as the Diablo series (particularly Diablo II), Titan Quest, and Dungeon Siege, the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Guild Wars, and the role-playing video game franchise Final Fantasy (particularly the Materia system of Final Fantasy VII and the Sphere Grid system of Final Fantasy X).[24]

Alpha started around June 2010, and ended when 0.9.0 was released in August 2011. Following a period under closed beta which players could pay to join, the developers started an open beta (ver. 0.10.0) on 23 January 2013 which was free to play with purchasable microtransactions. The game was patched for release version 1.0.0 on 23 October 2013. On this date, it was also made available on Steam.[25] The game continues to be updated with new content and fixes on roughly a monthly basis.[26]

The developers of Path of Exile stated that one of their core goals is to provide a genuinely free-to-play game financed only by "ethical micro-transactions".[27] Players can create multiple accounts and even have more than one logged in at a time. Path of Exile mainly offers cosmetic item skins for players willing to spend money on the game, but it does also gate specific account features such as semi-automated public trading inventories or additional character slots behind a paywall. It is also possible for players to pay to create private, invite-only leagues, each secluded in its own economy. On 18 January 2017, Grinding Gear Games announced they would be expanding into the console market.[28][29]

During closed beta, by 21 January 2013, Path of Exile received US$2.2m in crowd-sourced contributions.[30]

During Exilecon in November 2019, Grinding Gear Games announced that a version of the game for mobile devices was also in development within their studio. One of the main topics discussed in the reveal video was the current trend in free-to-play mobile business models (such as "pay-to-win microtransactions, time gates, energy bars, random nag screens, notifications, video ads") and that POE Mobile would aim to avoid that approach, and retain the full gameplay of the desktop version.[31][32] However, it was also stated that the mobile version was "experimental" and that continued development will be dependent upon the feedback from fans.[32]

The game started with DirectX graphic rendering which supports a wide array of video cards. During Delirium league, February 2020, Grinding Gear Games (GGG) released a beta support version of Vulkan graphic rendering with the goal of providing more consistent game play and to collect feedback from players to improve the new mode through bug reports.[33] Vulkan support implementation provided a smoother experience, reducing the number of times the games frames-per-second would drop or bottom out during high intensity game play. Vulkan beta support continued into Harvest with updates at the start of the league but negatively affected performance. Another release late into the Harvest league with 300+ changes that affects both DirectX and Vulkan beta support are still waiting for feedback.[34]

In September 2020 through patch 3.11.2, Grinding Gear Games released a substantial code quality refactoring which required a full game download to deploy. The release includes optimized future game patching for stand-alone and Steam game store versions, game file storage which improves HDD game load time, compressed and sharper texture quality, audio quality improvements, graphic engine improvements, a first-ever Apple macOS version release and Epic Game Store version release.[35][non-primary source needed]

Expansions

[edit]
Patch Title Release date Notes
1.0 Path of Exile (full release) 23 October 2013 In October 2013, Path of Exile officially launched leaving what had been Open Beta, the launch was an expansion that changed the shape of the game. Originally Open Beta version 0.10.0 in January 2013 marked the point where Path of Exile was opened to the public as a free-to-play game. Halfway through the Open Beta the first pair of Challenge Leagues were released Anarchy and Onslaught, with the official launch of the game new Challenge Leagues launched alongside the release Domination and Nemesis. The launch of the game introduced the second half of Act 3 (six new world areas) and made Dominus the final boss of the game, it introduced the seventh character class the Scion and more.[36]
1.1 Sacrifice of the Vaal 5 March 2014 Path of Exile's first digital expansion, Sacrifice of the Vaal, was released on 5 March 2014.[37][38] The expansion included new bosses, currency, areas, Ambush and Invasion leagues, and PvP modes.[39][40] Shrines from Domination and Nemesis mods on monsters have been added to the core game.[41]
1.2
and
1.3 		Forsaken Masters 20 August 2014 The second expansion, Forsaken Masters, was announced on 31 July 2014 and released on 20 August 2014.[42][43] It comes with a host of new features, including crafting, recruitable NPCs called Masters (who remain at the player's hideout offering them daily training missions and specialized items), customized personal hideouts, reworked passive skill tree, new gems, Beyond and Rampage were leagues in 1.2, former Ambush and Invasion content added to core game and more.[44]

The next major patch, 1.3, was considered part of the expansion,[45] which adds another NPC, the PVP Master, Leo, new leagues Bloodlines and Torment, new gems and more. Former Rampage and Beyond content added to the core game.[46]

2.0 The Awakening 10 July 2015 The Awakening, entered closed beta on 20 April 2015 and was fully released on 10 July 2015. It includes the addition of a fourth Act containing new map tilesets, quests, and monsters.[47][48] Other additions include new skills and items, passive skill tree sockets and jewels, item filters, two new challenge leagues, and game balance.[49][50] Also an optional "Lockstep" mode was added in an effort to fix the desync network synchronization issues at the cost of latency.[51] The two new challenge leagues were Warbands and Tempest.[52] Bloodlines and Torment content was added to the core game.[53]
2.1 Talisman 11 December 2015 The expansion[36] update added the Standard and Hardcore version of the Talisman challenge leagues, the first league to be shared across Standard and Hardcore instead of there being two leagues in parallel. It was the start of a rough three-month expansion schedule for the game. This update also added twelve new gems.[54][55]
2.2 Ascendancy 4 March 2016 The expansion included more than the usual new items and new skills adding 19 ascendancy classes.[56] This expansion was also timed to be made live at the same time as the Perandus challenge leagues. The ascendancy classes are each tied to one of the base classes, with three ascendancy classes for each base class, except the Scion which only has one ascendancy class. Each of these new classes contains its own unique ascendancy skill tree to advance. These new skill trees are much smaller than the base classes full-blown passive trees, but provide a unique specification to one's class not previously seen in the game.[57][58]
2.3 Prophecy 3 June 2016 The expansion[36] introduced the Prophecy league, it also introduced the Endgame Labyrinth, five new skills and more.[59]
2.4 Atlas of Worlds 2 September 2016 The expansion introduced a new end-game, 30 new maps and 19 new bosses.[60] Also started the three-month Essence challenge league.[61] Previous Prophecy league system added to the core game.[62]
2.5 Breach 2 December 2016 The expansion[36] introduced the Breach league.[63] Essence league content added to the core game.[64]
2.6 Legacy 3 March 2017 The expansion[65] featured the Legacy challenge leagues that paid homage to the leagues and items of the past.[66]
3.0 Fall of Oriath 4 August 2017 The expansion added six new acts and was the largest expansion released to date.[67] The expansion replaced cruel and merciless difficulties with Acts V-X. A new Character Selection Screen was added. A help panel has been created for players to use as well as eight new Vaal side areas with new bosses. There is also a new passive skill tree planning system. There are three new skill gems and numerous support gems added as well. 24 new unique items have been added, five of them being designed by supporters of the game.[68] The areas of the first five acts are revisited with changes to the environment that were the result of the players' actions. The Pantheon system has also been added, where a player can obtain interchangeable buffs from boss gods found in the new content.[69] The associated league of 3.0 patch is Harbinger. Breach added in maps by default.[70][71]
3.1 War for the Atlas 8 December 2017 The expansion was revealed on 16 November 2017,[72] and released on 8 December 2017. It focused on overhauling the "Atlas of Worlds" end-game system, adding 32 new maps, as well as other new items[73] including ten new gems. Alongside the expansion, the Abyss challenge league was introduced.[74]
3.2 Bestiary 3 February 2018 The expansion[65] added the Bestiary league, the uber elder encounter, new gems and more.[75] Abyss was added to the core game.[76]
3.3 Incursion 6 June 2018 A Vaal-themed expansion that features the Incursion league, new gems and reworked twenty existing gems.[77]
3.4 Delve 31 August 2018 The expansion features an infinite dungeon and socketable currency items, new skill gems and more.[78]
3.5 Betrayal 7 December 2018 The Betrayal expansion and league was revealed on 13 November 2018,[79] and was released on 7 December 2018.[80] The Betrayal expansion offered a rework of in-game systems: the Master, crafting system as well as other content.[81] The leagues Bestiary, Incursion and the Delve became permanent mechanics in the Betrayal expansion.[79]
3.6 Synthesis 8 March 2019 The expansion contains the Synthesis challenge league, new gems, a complete rebalance of spells, an integrated version of the Betrayal league and more.[82]
3.7 Legion 7 June 2019 The expansion contains the Legion challenge league, new gems, a game-wide overhaul of melee combat and more.[83]
3.8 Blight 6 September 2019 The expansion contains the Blight challenge league, three revamped balance archetypes with new skills and support gems, integration of Legion and the boss fights from Synthesis into the core game and more.[84]
3.9 Conquerors of the Atlas 13 December 2019 The expansion overhauled the end-game system. It also shipped with bow attack rebalance and new bow skills. At the same time, the temporary league of 3.9 would be Metamorph.[85] Blight mechanics added to the core game.[86]
3.10 Delirium 13 March 2020 The expansion contains the Delirium challenge league, the new Cluster Jewel system, new skills and support gems, new unique items, and further improvements to the Atlas endgame.[87][88] Metamorph mechanics added to the core game.[89]
3.11 Harvest 19 June 2020 The Harvest adds a new NPC named Oshabi who is cultivating the Sacred Grove where you plant seeds, grow them into monsters and kill them for items, crafting, and life force. The expansion adds new crafting options, eight new skills, two new support gems, revamps of Two-handed Weapons, Warcry skills, Brands, Slams and the Passive Skill Tree itself. In addition, twelve new unique items were introduced, as well as a rebalancing of over fifty existing ones.[90] Former Delirium league integrated to the core game.[91]
3.12 Heist 18 September 2020 The expansion introduced Heist league[92] as well as other features such as rework of curse and "Steel" skills that can be use by in-game player character. The studio also started the public beta access of their MacOS port. The Heist mechanic of the league, which was added to the core game in 3.13, introduced the ability to hire combat NPC to perform a special role in a heist, as well as a new unique item subset called "Replica" and new skill gem that have an alternative skill effect.[93]
3.13 Echoes of the Atlas 16 January 2021 The Echoes of the Atlas expansion reworked the end game "Atlas of Worlds" system by introducing regional atlas passive skill trees, 11 new end-game map areas and a new end-game pinnacle boss, the Maven. The patch also reworked some of the Ascendancy character classes as well as a new end-game mechanic, Maven's Invitation, that deals with fighting multiple bosses at the same time. The associated temporary league of the patch is Ritual, which introduced new item basetypes.[94][95][96] Versions of former leagues Harvest and Heist are incorporated into the core game.[95]
3.14 Ultimatum 16 April 2021 The expansion introduced the Ultimatum league as well as overhauling the loot of past leagues' content that was incorporated into the core game in the past.[97] Ritual was also added to the core game.[98]
3.15 Expedition 23 July 2021 The expansion contains the Expedition challenge league, four new NPC traders, nineteen new skill and support gems, a massive balance changes to make the game more challenging, including a full rework of the flask system and more[99]
3.16 Scourge 22 October 2021 The expansion contains the Scourge challenge league, a rework to the passive skill tree including the addition of Passive Skill Masteries, new skill gems, the Expedition league going core, retiring the Perandus league, improvements to the Atlas endgame, new guild features and more.[100]
3.17 Siege of the Atlas 4 February 2022 In the expansion two new Eldritch Horrors threaten to consume the Atlas of Worlds. Join Commander Kirac's militia and defend the Atlas and Wraeclast itself against these celestial foes. This large endgame expansion contains new Atlas systems, pinnacle bosses, one gigantic Atlas passive skill tree, Eldritch implicit endgame crafting, new unique items, the Archnemesis challenge league, the Prophecy mechanic is removed from the game with many rewards moved to other content and much more.[101][102]
3.18 Sentinel 13 May 2022 The expansion contains the Sentinel challenge league, 20 atlas keystone passives, seven uber version boss fights, new pinnacle unique items, revamped monster modifiers taken from the Archnemesis league mechanics and some Bloodlines and Nemesis mechanics which are removed as leagues from the core game, game controller support and more.[103][104]
3.19 Lake of Kalandra 19 August 2022 The expansion contains the Kalandra challenge league, Atlas Memories new endgame content, four new gems, revised Archnemesis mods, revamped Beyond with the monsters and bosses from Scourge, changes to Harvest, a new unique map with the Trialmaster from Ultimatum, a variety of balance changes and more.[105]
3.20 The Forbidden Sanctum 9 December 2022 The expansion contains the Sanctum challenge league, two new Skill Gems, significant balance changes, two new Atlas Memories themed around Domination and Bestiary, replacing the Archnemesis monster mod system and Ruthless an optional challenging new way to play Path of Exile with extreme item scarcity, limited crafting and other changes.[106]
3.21 Crucible 7 April 2023 The expansion contains the Crucible challenge league where weapons can be imbued with powerful Passive Skill Trees of their own, a new skill gem and 3 support gems, as well as improvements and revamps of existing endgame systems.[107][108]
3.22 Trial of the Ancestors 18 August 2023 The expansion contains the Trial of the Ancestors challenge league where players compete in tournaments against ten tribes in the Karui afterlife to earn valuable rewards. Players use silver coins to enter the afterlife and strategically assemble teams to battle other tribes' chieftains. The league includes exclusive new unique rewards like Passive Tree Tattoos and Omens. Also added are 16 new Atlas keystones, revamped Guardian and Chieftain Ascendancy classes, 14 new support gems, and Sanctum integrated to the core game.[109]
3.23 Affliction 8 December 2023 The expansion contains the Affliction challenge league, three new Wildwood Ascendancy classes, over a hundred new Transfigured Gems (a new system of alternative versions of existing skill gems that have different functionality), integrating Ultimatum into the core game, removal of Metamorph, and more.[110]
3.24 Necropolis 29 March 2024 The expansion contains the Necropolis challenge league, new Transfigured Gems, new Support Gems, a new tier of endgame difficulty with 5 new tier 17 maps with new bosses as a way to access the game's 7 hardest uber boss fights, a plethora of changes to the endgame, and more.[111]
3.25 Settlers of Kalguur 26 July 2024 The expansion contains the Settlers of Kalguur challenge league building the town of Kingsmarch, a new trade market system for currency, balance improvements including two ascendancy class changes, endgame improvements, some additions to the campaign and some quality of life features.[112]
3.26 Secrets of the Atlas 13 June 2025 The expansion contains the Mercenaries of Trarthus challenge league, where players can hire Mercenaries by challenging them to a duel. This expansion adds a new Eagon and Zana storyline, new Originator-influenced maps that share the layout of tier 16 maps, and modifiers from tier 17, a reworked Betrayal league mechanic, new currency items, over 20 new unique items, a lot of quality of life features, and Kingsmarch integrated into the core game.[113]
3.27 Keepers of the Flame 31 October 2025 The expansion contains the Keepers of the Flame challenge league, which is a sequel to the original Breach league, 6 new Skill Gems and 2 new Support Gems, secondary Bloodline ascendancy classes(which share ascendancy points with your standard ascendancy class), over 20 new unique items, uber variants of the 3 pinnacle bosses from Secrets of the Atlas, endgame balance changes, a rework of the Assassin ascendancy class, quality of life features and the asynchronous trade system from Path of Exile 2.[114]

Reception

[edit]

Path of Exile received "generally favorable reviews" according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[115] Critics praised the innovations to the action role-playing systems from its predecessors such as the Diablo series.[117][119][120] Destructoid's Patrick Hancock praised the world design, remarking that it "has a grimy, grungy, uncomfortable feel to it that constantly makes the player feel slightly off just for inhabiting it".[117]

Kyle Hillard of Game Informer was critical on how the game "throws a lot at you with little direction", adding that "the experience is not friendly to newcomers".[119] Eurogamer was not impressed by the graphics and presentation, saying that "Path of Exile doesn't have Torchlight 2's sense of style or Diablo 3's polish".

Path of Exile was named 2013 PC Game of the Year by GameSpot,[129] and best PC role-playing game of 2013 by IGN.[130] By February 2014, the game had five million registered players.[131] IGN's Leif Johnson remarked how Path of Exile was "into far darker territory than I'd seen in other contemporary action-RPGs".[122]

In 2020, it won the award for "Best Evolving Game" at the 16th British Academy Games Awards.[132]

Legacy

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Main article: Path of Exile 2

A sequel, Path of Exile 2, was released through early access for Windows, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S on December 6, 2024.[133]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Path of Exile

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Path of Exile is a online action developed and published by , a studio based in , and initially released for Windows on October 23, 2013. Set in the grim, world of Wraeclast—a forsaken continent plagued by corruption, ancient evils, and monstrous horrors—players assume the role of one of seven base character classes, each customizable through a vast array of skills and abilities as they navigate procedurally generated maps and battle for survival. The game's core gameplay revolves around a distinctive skill gem system, where abilities are not fixed to classes but instead provided by socketable gems that can be linked with support gems to modify their effects, enabling near-limitless build variety. Complementing this is an expansive passive skill tree shared across all classes, featuring over 1,300 nodes that allow players to specialize in offense, defense, or utility, with starting positions determined by class choice and opportunities for further customization via keystones, jewels, and crafting. The economy emphasizes item trading over traditional gold currency, using orbs and other modifiers to alter gear properties, while endgame content involves challenging maps—randomly generated areas scaled for difficulty—and boss encounters that demand strategic preparation and gear optimization. Path of Exile maintains a free-to-play model with cosmetic microtransactions only, ensuring no pay-to-win and fostering a player-driven . It supports persistent online multiplayer for up to six players per party, competitive PvP arenas, and temporary —alternate servers with unique modifiers, ladders, and events lasting from hours to months—that refresh the experience every few months alongside major expansions introducing new content, such as story chapters, skills, and . Versions for and followed in August 2017 and March 2019, respectively, expanding accessibility while preserving cross-platform progression. The game has garnered acclaim for its depth, replayability, and commitment to free updates, amassing millions of players and evolving through over 20 expansions by 2025.

Gameplay

Core mechanics

Path of Exile is an featuring an isometric perspective and real-time , where players control their character by clicking to move across the environment and activate abilities using keyboard hotkeys or buttons for fluid engagement with enemies. This setup emphasizes tactical positioning and timing, as attacks from monsters occur in real time, requiring players to balance offense and defense without pause. The system revolves around modular that define a character's capabilities, with a vast array of active gems providing core abilities like spells or attacks, and support gems that enhance or alter those skills when socketed together in gear. Players can equip up to six linked sockets in items such as weapons or armor to combine one active gem with up to five supports, enabling highly customizable builds that transcend class limitations and allow for creative synergies, such as increasing a projectile's count or adding elemental damage. For example, the Kinetic Fusillade attack skill, introduced in version 3.27 (Keepers of the Flame), is a wand-based projectile attack that creates hovering kinetic projectiles (up to a maximum of 12) which follow the player and fire after a short duration (base 0.70 seconds), dealing chaining area damage. Using the skill resets the duration for all hovering projectiles. Builds optimize performance by reducing skill effect duration to enable projectiles to release between attacks, creating a smooth, rapid "gatling gun" style of successive firing. This skill applies increases and reductions to spell damage at 150% effectiveness to its attack damage. Common supports include Greater Volley for additional projectiles and Less Duration early on, transitioning to damage-focused gems later. Optimal setups balance attack speed to be lower relative to the adjusted duration for improved chaining and use Path of Building to identify key breakpoints. As of recent updates, the game includes over 700 distinct active and support , each leveling independently through use and tradable among players. Itemization forms the backbone of progression and economy, with all loot falling into four rarity tiers: normal items (white-bordered, basic without affixes), magic items (blue-bordered, with up to two modifiers), rare items (yellow-bordered, with up to six powerful modifiers), and unique items (orange-bordered, with fixed, often game-changing attributes). Unidentified items must be revealed using scrolls of wisdom to display their properties, adding a layer of and discovery to . Crafting enhances items through a currency system of orbs, such as the Orb of Alteration, which randomly rerolls the color and modifiers on magic items, or the Orb of Augmentation, which adds a modifier to magic items; rarer orbs like the Exalted Orb apply to rares for high-end customization. Exploration unfolds across instanced zones in a linear campaign of 10 acts, transitioning to the endgame's procedurally generated Atlas of Worlds, where maps are randomized layouts filled with monsters, environmental hazards, and rewards scaled by tier and modifiers. Players navigate these areas by clearing packs of enemies and bosses, with interactions like the Act 2 bandit quest allowing choices to aid specific bandits for rewards—such as +15% to all resistances from Alira, +40 to maximum from , 8% increased Movement Speed from Kraityn—or kill all for an extra passive skill point, directly impacting build viability. Combat depth arises from layered defensive and resource systems, where players manage for , mana for skill costs, and energy shield as a regenerating barrier against , often in builds focused on one or a hybrid. Evasion and armor mitigate physical hits, while blocking provides a chance to reduce incoming based on or staff stats; Path of Exile 2 introduces a dedicated dodge roll for evading attacks, enhancing mobility in shared mechanics. Elemental resistances to , , and are crucial, capped at 75% by default to limit reduction to that threshold, though certain passives or items can raise the cap for greater survivability in high- endgame content.

Character progression

Character progression in Path of Exile centers on accumulating experience to level up, allocating points in the passive skill tree, selecting specialized ascendancy classes, and refining builds through defensive layering, damage scaling, and endgame item acquisition. Characters begin at level 1 and can reach a maximum of level 100 by earning experience primarily from defeating monsters. Completing specific quests during the campaign awards additional passive skill points, with a total of up to 123 points available (99 from levels, 24 from quests, including optional bandit quest choices). In the original game before the 3.0 Fall of Oriath expansion, progression featured three escalating difficulty tiers—Normal, Cruel, and Merciless—each requiring a separate campaign completion to access higher-level content and rewards. Post-3.0, the system was streamlined into a single campaign playthrough reaching approximately level 70, followed by endgame activities for further leveling. Path of Exile 2 maintains experience-based leveling to 100 but simplifies the overall progression curve without the multi-tiered difficulties of early Path of Exile 1. The passive skill tree forms the core of customization, comprising over 1,300 interconnected nodes that grant bonuses to attributes, defenses, and damage types in a web-like structure shared by all classes. Players allocate up to 123 passive points (depending on quest choices) to path through the tree, starting from class-specific entry points that emphasize strengths like intelligence for the Witch or strength for the Marauder. Notable keystones, such as Chaos Inoculation—which sets maximum life to 1 while granting immunity to chaos damage and scaling energy shield based on former life totals—enable unique playstyles by fundamentally altering resource mechanics. In Path of Exile 2, the tree is redesigned for greater accessibility, with class-specific sections and over 1,500 nodes to maintain build variety while incorporating weapon specialization mechanics. After completing Act 10, players unlock ascendancy classes through the Trials of Ascendancy and the , a trap-filled that grants two ascendancy points per successful run (up to eight total across difficulties in early ). Each of the seven base classes offers three ascendancy options, providing specialized passive trees; for instance, the Witch's Necromancer ascendancy enhances minion damage, survivability, and offering mechanics for summoner builds. These choices amplify core class themes, such as the Duelist's Champion focusing on and permanent ailments for tanky play. Build diversity arises from combining passive nodes, skill gems, and equipment to scale damage and defenses, often via hybrid approaches like layering evasion for physical dodge with energy shield for spell mitigation. Damage output scales multiplicatively through gem supports, tree multipliers, and item modifiers, allowing vast customization across playstyles. Players can respec passives using Orbs of Regret, a currency item that refunds one point per use, enabling experimentation without permanent commitment. In endgame, progression shifts to gearing via crafting, including master crafting benches unlocked in hideouts for targeted affixes and the system introduced in version 3.11, which allows rerolling item modifiers using lifeforce from sacred groves. This pursuit of "perfect" rare items with optimal rolls defines late-game optimization, integrating with the vast passive tree for powerful synergies.

Leagues and economy

Path of Exile features a that introduces temporary challenge modes, typically lasting three to four months, where players start fresh characters in specialized worlds with unique designed to refresh gameplay and test new content. These challenge leagues run alongside persistent core leagues, such as Standard (softcore) and Hardcore (permadeath), allowing players to choose between experimental environments or stable progression. Successful league mechanics often integrate into core leagues after their conclusion, expanding the base game. Challenge leagues emphasize novel encounters, such as the league (3.10) in March 2020, which overlaid areas with a spreading that spawned endless hordes of monsters for escalating rewards. More recently, the Keepers of the Flame league (3.27), launched October 31, 2025, revamped the Breach mechanic by introducing a monastic order defending against breaches, complete with new crafting options such as the Genesis Tree. Legacy leagues, like the Legacy of Phrecia event from February 20 to April 23, 2025, offer limited-time variants by replacing standard Ascendancy classes with 19 unusual ones inspired by historical uniques, providing experimental build options without permanent changes. The game's economy is entirely player-driven, centered on a vast array of currency items that serve dual purposes for crafting and trading, with Chaos Orbs functioning as a common for valuing gear due to their role in rerolling item affixes. Trading occurs through premium stash tabs, which players purchase via microtransactions to publicly list items, facilitating direct exchanges using the official API and site at pathofexile.com/trade. This system supports bulk exchanges and item searches, while league starts reset economies to prevent item hoarding and encourage new trading dynamics each cycle. Player interactions bolster the through guilds, which enable organized group play for shared loot and strategies, and partying that distribute experience and rewards among members during maps or league content. Recent leagues include the Settlers of Kalguur (3.25), launched July 26, 2024, and extended into early 2025 for ongoing town-building and trade simulation between Wraeclast and Kalguur. This was followed by Secrets of the Atlas (3.26) in June 2025, introducing the league with customizable mercenary companions for combat and exploration. Path of Exile 2 maintains a similar structure but integrates leagues into its four-month update cycle, as seen with patch 0.3.0 in August 2025, which added abyssal-themed content and a new act. Monetization follows a model established since the game's 2013 launch, relying on optional microtransactions for cosmetic items, additional stash tabs, and convenience features without any pay-to-win elements that affect gameplay balance. packs provide to new leagues, exclusive effects, and forum titles, development while keeping core content accessible to all players.

Lore and story

Setting

Path of Exile is set in the world of Wraeclast, a vast and brutal scarred by ancient catastrophes and overrun by nightmarish creatures. Exiles, prisoners banished from the distant of Oriath, wash ashore on its unforgiving shores, where survival demands constant vigilance against both the environment and its inhabitants. The land's cursed nature stems from cycles of destruction tied to powerful, otherworldly forces, rendering it a place of perpetual decay and moral desolation. Wraeclast's geography spans a range of hostile biomes, from coastal ruins and mud flats battered by storms to haunted forests shrouded in mist and volcanic depths teeming with molten fury. The main campaign unfolds across Acts 1-10, progressing from the shoreline's treacherous beginnings through inland strongholds and subterranean horrors to the fiery core of the continent. Endgame content features procedurally generated maps that echo fragments of Wraeclast's fractured history, allowing exiles to venture into ever-shifting echoes of its ruined past. At the heart of the lore are the twin gods and , embodiments of purity and vice whose has profoundly shaped the continent's fate, fostering themes of corruption and . The ancient Vaal civilization, masters of thaumaturgic arts that harnessed forbidden powers, once dominated Wraeclast but fell to their own ambition, leaving behind ruins infused with lingering magic. Elder gods exert a corrupting influence, accelerating the land's decay and amplifying its inherent moral ambiguities. Cultural life among exiles forms fragile societies amid the chaos, with bandit factions like those led by Kraityn, Alira, and offering alliances fraught with and treachery. These groups reflect the broader struggle for power in a world devoid of centralized authority, where survival often hinges on uneasy pacts. Path of Exile 2 extends this setting twenty years after the events of the original game, introducing expanded lore on the —fierce warriors with a deep —and temporal anomalies that warp time and space across Wraeclast's biomes.

Plot

The main storyline of Path of Exile follows the journey of an unnamed , a cast out from the island nation of Oriath and shipwrecked on the cursed continent of Wraeclast. The narrative unfolds across a 10-act campaign, where the Exile navigates treacherous lands, uncovers ancient secrets, and confronts escalating threats to prevent the world's destruction. Key antagonists include High Templar Dominus, the authoritarian ruler who exiles the player; , a thaumaturgist conducting forbidden experiments; and , a corrupted entity tied to Oriath's divine order. In Act 1, survives the shipwreck on The Twilight Strand, battles through coastal ruins infested with monsters, and reaches the safety of Lioneye's Watch, a makeshift camp established by fellow survivors. Act 3 shifts to the ruined city of Sarn, where an invasion by Oriathan forces led by Dominus and forces the Exile to disrupt their operations amid undead hordes and laboratory horrors. Subsequent acts explore deeper into Wraeclast's history, culminating in Act 10 with a return to Oriath to confront the Beast, an ancient entity embodying corruption, and defeat the god Kitava who threatens to consume the land. The campaign concludes with an set in the liberated Oriath, marking the transition to endgame pursuits. Branching choices add replayability and moral depth, such as the "Deal with the Bandits" quest in Act 2, where the Exile can aid, hinder, or eliminate bandit leaders, granting unique passive rewards, or the "The King in the Mists" quest in Act 6, involving decisions around the God of War Tukohama that influence faction alliances and outcomes. These elements contribute to themes of redemption through personal trials, sacrifice in the face of inevitable loss, and cyclical corruption, where civilizations rise and fall due to and dark forces. Choices influence rewards, alliances, and pantheon bonuses without multiple endings or altering core progression. Path of Exile 2 serves as a sequel set approximately 20 years after the original's events, in a Wraeclast recovering from Kitava's defeat but facing resurgent threats from new sources of corruption, including a spreading madness and mutated creatures. The narrative emphasizes survival amid faction conflicts and exploration of uncharted regions, with the Exile forging uneasy alliances to avert calamity. Its early access campaign, as of November 2025, comprises 4 acts (of a planned 6), with Act 5 scheduled for early December 2025, focused on these post-apocalyptic struggles. The series' narrative is delivered primarily through text-based quest dialogues with NPCs, environmental storytelling via item flavor text that reveals backstory and lore, and optional atlas lore books in endgame areas, fostering immersion without . League-specific stories provide side narratives that occasionally intersect with the main plot, expanding on temporary events.

Development

Original game

was founded in November 2006 in , New Zealand, by Chris Wilson, along with co-founders Jonathan Rogers and Erik Olofsson, with the goal of creating a high-quality inspired by classics like . The studio's initial development efforts were self-funded by the founders and supported by private investors from the , allowing the team to work full-time on their debut project without external publisher constraints. By 2012, the company had invested approximately $2 million in development, operating from a small studio in the Titirangi suburb with a team of around 18 members, including contractors. Development of Path of Exile began shortly after the studio's founding, focusing on a world with deep character customization, item synthesis, and a persistent online economy. The game entered closed beta on August 23, 2011, allowing select players to test core mechanics like skill trees and passive abilities, followed by open beta on January 23, 2013, which introduced the full three-act campaign and marked the start of the model with cosmetic microtransactions. The full PC release occurred on October 23, 2013, featuring three difficulty levels—Normal, Cruel, and Merciless—that progressively scaled enemy toughness and loot rarity, a system that encouraged replayability but was later streamlined in subsequent updates. Console versions followed, with launching on August 24, 2017, and on March 26, 2019, both adapted with controller support while maintaining the original's online-only requirement. Technically, Path of Exile was built on a custom in-house engine developed in C++ with scripting for flexibility, emphasizing efficient rendering for large-scale encounters and a proprietary to handle real-time multiplayer interactions without local play options. This setup supported the game's structure from launch, where revenue came solely from optional cosmetic and stash tab purchases, avoiding pay-to-win elements to foster a fair economy. At release, the game included three acts of story content centered on in the continent of , with endgame mapping systems laying the foundation for future expansions. Post-launch support began immediately, with issuing balance patches to address launch issues like skill synergies and economy fluctuations; for instance, version 1.0.1, deployed on November 13, 2013, introduced race league support and refined unique item drops shortly after the debut. These updates exemplified the studio's commitment to iterative improvements, using player feedback from betas to refine the original framework without altering core design principles.

Expansions

Path of Exile follows a free expansion model, delivering major content updates roughly every three to four months without additional purchase costs, each tied to a new challenge league that introduces temporary mechanics, skills, items, and balance adjustments while integrating select features into the core game. These expansions build on the original mechanics by expanding the campaign, endgame, and economy, fostering continuous player engagement through fresh challenges and progression opportunities. By November 2025, the game has seen over 25 such major leagues since its 2013 launch, with maintaining a consistent cadence to support the action RPG's depth. In May 2018, Chinese technology company acquired a majority stake in , providing substantial financial backing while allowing the studio to retain creative independence. later acquired full ownership in 2024. The landmark 3.0 Fall of Oriath expansion, released on August 4, 2017, marked a pivotal overhaul by adding acts 7 through 10 to the storyline, implementing the pantheon system for passive god powers, and revamping with a new atlas of worlds for map-based progression. Subsequent expansions continued this evolution; for instance, 3.5 in December 2018 introduced the syndicate intelligence network, where players infiltrate criminal organizations to unlock rewards, safehouses, and unique items through dynamic NPC interactions. In 2019, the 3.9 Conquerors of the Atlas update reworked atlas with conqueror guardians influencing regions, adding sentinel sentries and new pinnacle bosses to heighten territorial conquest themes. The 2020 expansions further innovated crafting and encounters: 3.10 in March added fog-filled delirium orbs that amplify monster density and rewards, alongside cluster jewel passives for customizable skill trees. Later that year, 3.12 Heist introduced rogue companions for high-stakes blueprint heists, emphasizing stealth, contracts, and grand theft mechanics in dedicated hideouts. The 3.13 league in January 2021 brought tribute-based ritual altars where players offer items for rerollable rewards and vendor recipes, enhancing economy interactions. Balance-focused updates like 3.15 Expedition in July 2021 incorporated remnant choice explosions for explosive terrain manipulation and logbook content, while 3.25 in July 2024 tweaked endgame sustainability with refined atlas passives and currency generation. More recent expansions include 3.25 Settlers of Kalguur in July 2024, which added town-building simulations in Kalguur, allowing players to manage operations, routes, and upgrades for generation. In June 2025, 3.26 Mercenaries of Trarthus introduced recruitable allies from the lawless Trarthus region, whom players challenge, equip with gold and gear, and deploy as combat companions for duels and loot support. The ongoing 3.27 Keepers of the Flame, launched October 31, 2025, overhauls the Breach mechanic with structured encounters forming monastic orders and breachlord splinters, alongside Bloodline Ascendancy classes derived from defeated bosses, three new uber pinnacle bosses, and asynchronous trading improvements. This expansion also introduced the Kinetic Fusillade skill gem, a wand projectile attack skill that manifests hovering kinetic projectiles which follow the player and fire after a short base duration of 0.70 seconds, dealing chaining area damage that scales with increased damage per projectile in sequence (up to a maximum of 12 hovering projectiles). Repeated use resets the durations of active projectiles; reductions to skill effect duration enable smooth, rapid firing in a "gatling gun" style. The skill applies increases and reductions to spell damage at 150% effectiveness to its attack damage. The most popular build utilizing this skill is Kinetic Fusillade Elementalist, which often incorporates uniques such as Timeclasp and Warped Timepiece to achieve reduced duration, Greater Volley support for extra projectiles, and emphasis on spell damage scaling. This build provides excellent clear speed, strong single-target DPS, and solid endgame scaling, though it requires precise balancing of attack speed and duration and is not beginner-friendly. Special events complement these leagues; for example, the Legacy of Phrecia event from February 20 to April 23, 2025, provided 19 unique alternate ascendancy subclasses tied to idols, allowing temporary build enhancements with progression carrying over to standard leagues. The 3.27 expansion was announced in early September 2025 via developer streams, with its full release aligning with the end of the prior league on October 27, 2025, ensuring seamless transitions.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2 was first announced at ExileCon in November 2019 as a major expansion to the original game, featuring a new seven-act campaign set 20 years after the events of Path of Exile. In July 2023, developer (GGG) pivoted the project to a full standalone , separating its balance, economy, and future expansions from the original title to allow independent development paths. The game utilizes a Vulkan-based renderer as its default, enabling enhanced graphical fidelity, better performance across hardware, and support for modern features like ray tracing on compatible systems. To support this ambitious scope, GGG expanded its significantly, growing from around 114 employees in 2022 to over 240 by 2025, with a focus on New Zealand-based talent for art, design, and engineering. Path of Exile 2 entered on December 6, 2024, for PC, , and Series X/S, launching with the first six acts of its campaign and an initial set of six playable classes out of a planned total of 12, including the Monk (a dexterity-focused martial artist) and (a ranged specialist with crossbows and traps). Unlike the original, there is no cross-progression or shared characters between the two titles, emphasizing Path of Exile 2's status as a distinct experience while maintaining connections to the shared lore of Wraeclast. Key innovations include a redesigned passive skill tree with class-specific starting nodes to streamline early progression and encourage specialized builds, an adjustable camera system offering closer, more dynamic views for immersive combat, and a revamped resource system incorporating Spirit—a regenerative energy pool used for powerful skills and abilities alongside traditional mana. The economy operates independently, with its own microtransactions and league systems, though it draws from the original's dark fantasy setting for narrative continuity. GGG follows a four-month content update cycle for Path of Exile 2 during , with patch 0.2.0 (Dawn of the Hunt) releasing in April 2025 to introduce expanded endgame mechanics like new mapping systems and boss challenges. Subsequent update 0.3.0 (The Third Edict) arrived in August 2025, integrating temporary leagues with unique mechanics and rewards while adding new acts and classes. As of November 2025, the game remains in , with game director Jonathan Rogers stating in October 2025 that a full 1.0 release is targeted for 2026, though extended development for polish could push it later. Development faced challenges, including delays to the closed beta originally planned for June 2024 and a last-minute shift of from November 15 to December 6, 2024, to address server stability and balance issues. prioritized iterative polishing based on beta feedback, resulting in over 1 million early access key redemptions by launch day, which strained infrastructure but validated the project's anticipation.

Reception and impact

Critical reception

Path of Exile received generally positive critical reception upon its 2013 release, earning a Metacritic score of 86/100 based on 27 critic reviews for the PC version. Reviewers praised the game's depth of character progression, its free-to-play model without pay-to-win elements, and the variety of loot and build options that encouraged replayability, often comparing it favorably to Diablo III for its hardcore mechanics and dark atmosphere. IGN awarded it 8.8/10, highlighting its "fun, dark, old-school ARPG grind with some well-executed new ideas" that captured the spirit of classic action RPGs. However, critics noted drawbacks such as the steep learning curve, repetitive grinding, and initial complexity that could overwhelm newcomers. Subsequent expansions for the original game continued to earn acclaim for expanding content without additional cost, with the 3.0 Fall of Oriath update receiving an average of 86/100 from 10 critics. lauded the expansion's narrative overhaul and increased endgame variety, calling it a significant that addressed earlier pacing issues while maintaining the game's punishing difficulty. Ongoing balance patches and leagues were frequently commended for sustaining player engagement, though some reviews pointed to persistent challenges in accessibility for casual players. The game's innovative approach to the ARPG genre, including its item economy and skill tree, earned it the BAFTA Games Award for Best Evolving Game in 2020. Path of Exile 2, launched in in December 2024, garnered a provisional score around 85/100 from initial reviews, with an average of 88/100 from 19 critics. Critics highlighted improvements in visuals, more fluid , and refined that built on the original's strengths, with scoring it 8/10 for delivering "an impressive amount of content and quite well thought out" progression despite its early stage. Common praises included the enhanced storytelling and accessibility tweaks, while s focused on bugs, incomplete features, and the enduring complexity of builds. By mid-2025, updates like the 0.3.0 patch in August introduced balance changes and new content, receiving mixed but improving feedback for boosting build diversity, though some noted ongoing technical issues. The October 2025 Keepers of the Flame league for the original further elevated averages to around 9/10 in community-influenced reviews, emphasizing refined and rewarding progression, though it faced for server stability during launch. Overall, both titles are lauded for pushing ARPG innovation against a backdrop of demanding learning curves.

Community and legacy

Path of Exile has cultivated a dedicated global player base, with the original game surpassing 50 million registered accounts by 2025. Its commercial success stems from a model emphasizing cosmetic microtransactions and packs, generating approximately $105 million in revenue for in 2024. In 2018, acquired a majority stake in , providing financial backing while allowing the studio to maintain creative independence. This model has sustained long-term engagement, with Path of Exile 1 achieving an all-time concurrent player peak of over 229,000 in 2024 and maintaining around 100,000 concurrent players during major 2025 league launches, while Path of Exile 2 reached a launch peak of 578,000 concurrent players in December 2024 and averaged around 15,000 concurrent players on in November 2025, with total active players estimated at 30,000-40,000 including the standalone client. The community thrives through active online forums, including the official Path of Exile subreddit, where players discuss strategies and share experiences. Essential tools like the community-maintained Path of Building enable detailed character planning and optimization, fostering collaborative build creation and theorycrafting. Major events such as ExileCon, held in 2019 and again on July 29-30, 2023, in , , bring fans together for announcements, playable demos, and celebrations of the game's milestones. Path of Exile has significantly influenced the action role-playing game (ARPG) genre, popularizing mechanics like periodic league resets that introduce fresh economies and content to maintain player interest, as well as its socketable gem system for skill customization. It has inspired titles such as , which adopts similar depth in loot and progression systems while aiming for a more accessible entry point. As a benchmark, it contrasts with paid models like Diablo IV's 2023 launch, demonstrating how optional cosmetics can support expansive updates without paywalls. As of 2025, Path of Exile 1 remains sustained through regular league updates that refresh gameplay and economy, while Path of Exile 2 continues to grow in with ongoing expansions. Events like the Legacy of Phrecia in February 2025 introduced new ascendancy classes and endgame systems to PoE1, reviving interest in legacy content and bridging the two titles' communities.

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  73. https://steamdb.info/app/2694490/charts/
  74. https://www.reddit.com/r/pathofexile/
  75. https://pathofbuilding.community/
  76. https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3293537
  77. https://www.pcgamer.com/last-epoch-is-everything-i-wished-diablo-4-was-and-the-first-arpg-to-drag-me-away-from-path-of-exile-in-over-a-decade/
  78. https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3790425
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