Imagine yourself exiled to a grimdark fantasy Australia where nothing stays dead and you start with a rusty sword or a driftwood club or the like.

Welcome to Wraeclast, land of darkness, crappy loot and addictive, ARPG gameplay. To some, Path of Exile is merely regarded as the anti-Diablo 3. While it is true that it takes a very different route in the evolutionary path of the ARPG, to call it a better game, or a worse one, or even the "real Diablo 3" all fail to accurately describe it, though that being said the similarities to Diablo 2 are noticable, down to minute details like the scrolling NPC dialogue boxes and the translucent map overlay. In terms of combat difficulty Path of Exile is actually roughly analogous to Diablo 3. Where it greatly defers in its character progression. Where in Diablo 3 you unlock skills and passives in a linear fashion and can swap them around freely, Path of Exile has a unique, wide-open and very daunting system based around active skill gems and web of passive skills.

I was actually scared away from the game at first simply because I didn't think I had the smarts for it. Path of Exile defies several common mechanics of Diablolikes. There is no limited item durability, but most uniquely there is no money: items are instead traded for crafting ingredients, with scraps of identify scrolls representing the lowest denomination of value. Each of the game's seven character classes have no actual abilities- these are instead tied to the skill gems, which in the style of Final Fantasy's materia crystals are slotted into color-matched slots on your gear, all of which has at least one of these slots. None of these gems are dependent on class but they are dependent on one of only three core stats: strength, dexterity or intelligence, each color coded and tied to an elemental damage type, fire, ice or lightning. Equipment drops you find will usually be of the lowest quality (anther contrast with Diablo 3, which in its current state makes a point of giving you good, class-flavored equipment drops), but any piece of equipment can be modified to a usable state using crafting items- that being said, you will eventually be required to do this as the ratio of good quality, level-appropriate drops starts out ♥♥♥♥♥♥ and only gets worse as you progress, and it will frustrate you.

Potions are not stacked the disposable ton but are equipment unto themselves, slotted into your belt with random stats of their own, and charged by defeating enemies- making Path of Exile the only ARPG I know of to have legendary-quality potion bottles! By far the most interesting feature is the skill tree, which is really more of a skill spider web, with all passive abilities earned in the game tied to nodes on the web. Each of the seven classes begins at a certain point on this web near nodes flavored to them, but each can eventually be built in virtually any way you want, to use any weapons, gear and skill gems in the game.

Your character does not gain attribute points automatically on a level up, merely a single skill point, which can be spent on a +10 boost to an attribute or something flashier, like attack speed, life drain. The web is laid out as sort of a highway with exits leading to cul-de-sacs, which often contain powerful capstone passives that add things like 20% faster mana regen, but require an investment of skill points to unlock the nodes leading to them. You will need to strike a balance between raising your stats and obtaining critical passive skills. This is where the hidden challenge of the game comes in, though: while virtually any build works just fine for Normal difficulty, on higher ones the game outright punishes you for any poor build choices, though thankfully respecs are plentiful enough that you have at least some room to experiment. I have played through each of the classes at least once, on Normal difficulty, as the game follows the Diablo 2 style progression where beating the game on one difficulty allows you to progress to then next in a linear fashion. I found myself enjoying each in their own way, but found myself most comfortable using a Duelist (the strength/dexterity hybrid class) built for fast, hard attacks with two-handed swords.

For a free game, the depth of customization, quality of music, sound and voice work, the developer's commitment to non-pay-to-win cash shop items and the overall quality of the game in general is remarkable. The game has received a number of large content updates since launch, all free, including end-game random dungeon generation, a number of NPC crafters with reputation missions, and most notably an entire fourth story act bringing the game to a spectacular, blood-soaked conclusion. If you love ARPGs but perhaps crave more stat-crunching, min-maxing, and build challenge then Diablo 3 can provide, Path of Exile may be just what you're looking for. For me, it offered exactly what I loved most about Diablo 3- non-stop, click-mashing action in a dark fantasy universe with plenty of zombies, skeletons, monsters, misshapen horrors and some truly despicable villains I could really, really hate. Take a journey into nightmare, and walk the Path of Exile with me. You won't regret it.

A true Jewel of the modern gaming era.
With a large diversity of play styles, support for the community, and a unique currency system. This game is a 10/10 for anyone who enjoys the ARPG genre.

This is my gem. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
My gem is my best friend. It is my life. I must level it as I must level my life.
Without me, my gem is useless. Without my gem, I am useless. I must use my gem allways.
My gem and I know that what counts in wreaclast is not the arcs we cast, the noise of our critical strikes, nor the smoketrial from our lightning warp. We know that it is the bodies and loot we pile... and we will loot
My gem is an exile, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its damage type, its support gems, its cast time. I will keep my gem clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will...
Before God "and not dominus", I swear this creed. My gems and I are the inhabitants of thís island. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.
So be it, until victory of this exile and there is no malachai. \ Arcguy

Path of Exile is a lot like Diablo 3 except this game is actually good and not run by a company of money grubbing a-holes.

Seriously though...Grinding Gear Games, you guys are awesome.

10/10 would quit D3 and never go back again.

I think it ruined my life...

So far my experience with Path Of Exile
First of all I am going to say that i love to play games by my self and this games be compleated by your self!
When i started to play this game i was like "What is this" " what is that" "what does it do?!" But the more you play this the more you will understand how everything works!
But if you plan to play with your friend, this would mean that monsters HP grows making it harder and more challenging to do with your friends, but also much more fun!
Lastly the only disadvantage that i have for this game is the map, the map dosent seem that big, but because i completed all "ACT's" then i had to start over in "Corrupt" world. Corrupt is the same map you play on the normal difficulty, but corrupt is much more harder than normal, and the loot is much more better than in normal world.

Better than anything in the Diablo series, and free. What more do you want in life, other than world peace and global happiness?

Fun game, and best of all, when you play this, you get to give the middle finger to Blizzard :)

Don't really need to elaborate on the game since most of the positive stuff has been said already. What I can say is if you like ARPG and want to play more than 2 days before getting all your gears/levels (no need to point at the game I'm referring to), then this your game. Annnnd it's free! However, if you really want to enjoy the game, then I recommend to buy at least 6 more stash slots (keep in mind that you will enjoy the game without, but you will need more space at some point). Enjoy!!

Forgot to mention that you can trade any item with other players.

This game is what Diablo 3 would be if it was Diablo 2. 10/10 R.I.P desync