Who would’ve thought a dodge roll would lastly convert me to the church of Path of Exile?
I’ve all the time fallen on the Diablo 3 aspect of the nice battle between ARPG followers. Path of Exile was enjoyable sufficient after I’d dip a toe in, however I simply wasn’t that all for its Diablo 2 really feel. And so I logged my ARPG hours in Blizzard’s fast-paced Diablo 3 as a substitute.
However after ExileCon 2023, the place Grinding Gear Video games debuted new footage for Path of Exile 2 and revealed that it will likely be a stand-alone recreation somewhat than an enlargement, I bought all for giving the collection one other shot. And so when the studio supplied me an opportunity to play the identical demo that ExileCon attendees performed, I dove in with the hope that the collection would lastly click on for me.
On the outset, the Path of Exile 2 demo felt just like the Path of Exile I used to be already vaguely accustomed to — albeit a lot prettier. I moved by means of the surroundings with the sport’s characteristically slight, purposeful lag on my motion. I inserted ability gems so my character might bash some baddies with new and extra attention-grabbing talents. And I decked out my Monk within the goofy, early-game leveling gear that every one of us have come to count on in RPGs.
It wasn’t till the demo’s second boss — an enormous, underground worm — that Path of Exile 2 lastly gripped me. The creature knocked me on my ass instantly throughout my first few makes an attempt. Then I noticed I’d been utilizing the sport’s new dodge roll solely as a repositioning software somewhat than an precise dodge. On a whim, I attempted rolling by means of one of many worm’s minor assaults — which generally did sufficient injury to almost halve my well being — and to my shock, my character phased proper by means of.
And thus did man uncover iframes.
So I started to investigate the worm’s assault patterns. Every new try on this boss got here with a little bit of added development, and earlier than lengthy it was lifeless and I had the loot to show it.
![A Barbarian takes a swing at a flaming, demonic foe, just as the enemy is taking a swing at the Barbarian in Path of Exile 2](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/u5pnTwnTn83Vl-g17Du1JNzORQ8=/0x0:3840x2160/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3840x2160):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24830594/PoE2_Screenshot_Act3Gameplay_Warrior.png)
Picture: Grinding Gear Video games
One other boss battle featured a goatlike beast on a small platform. As I dodged by means of its prices and slashes, its allies chucked spears at me from close by cliffs. And, every so often, it will summon a comical variety of wolves to swarm me, forcing me to kill them earlier than they killed me. Seems, you get caught when you attempt to dodge by means of a pack of fifty wolves. I needed to undertake a very completely different technique than in my up-close-and-personal battle with the worm, however the boss ended up being simply as satisfying to fell.
These comparatively low-level Path of Exile 2 bosses gave me a stage of success I didn’t count on from an ARPG, since usually a giant a part of the fight expertise in video games like that is gear-based. I solely count on to battle on a boss after I’m underleveled or undergeared. However these battles felt rather more akin to besting bosses in Elden Ring than beating down baddies in Diablo 4 — a recreation that in any other case shares loads of DNA with Path of Exile. Path of Exile 2 confirmed me that, at the very least in relation to fight, PoE and Diablo are doing basically various things.
Killing a giant boss in Diablo 4 — apart from perhaps Uber Lilith, the sport’s final problem — is extra about gear checks, skillfully utilizing your cooldowns, and dashing across the area to protect your life when issues are going unhealthy. However Path of Exile 2 boss fights are dances the place you choose up increasingly more of the choreography by means of failure and observe. And it’s all because of the brand new dodge roll, which elevates the fight from a goofy dude strolling shortly away from a burrowing monster to an energetic expertise the place precision and experience are rewarded.
As for the remainder of Path of Exile 2, I can’t say that I discovered the minute-to-minute gameplay to be as partaking because the boss fights — not by an extended shot, truly. And at this level, I’d actually say I desire mowing down hordes of enemies in Diablo 4 to Path of Exile 2. However a Diablo boss has by no means had me on the sting of my seat the best way Path of Exile 2’s did, and that’s greater than sufficient to make the yearlong await PoE 2’s full-fledged beta really feel very lengthy certainly.