Path of Exile is an action RPG juggernaut. It’s also massive in scope when it comes to skills and combinations. Embracing player agency in defining their playstyle is the game’s golden goose, but it can be intimidating. At PAX East, we spoke with Grinding Gear Gaming’s Chirs, better known as Octavian in the PoE community, about bridging the gap between existing players and new players in Path of Exile 2—Especially since the first game will receive complete support indefinitely.
If you clicked on this interview because you’re new to Path of Exile 2, here is the rundown. The game is a next-generation Action RPG created by Grinding Gear Games made on the developer’s proprietary engine. Set years after the original Path of Exile, you will return to the dark world of Wraeclast and seek to end the corruption that is spreading.
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Path of Exile 2 features a brand new campaign with six acts, 100 distinct environments, 600 monsters, and 100 bosses. It boasts 12 Character Classes, two for every combination of Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence. You can combine skills from many classes together to create your ideal character build. Each of the twelve character classes has its own three Ascendancy specializations, resulting in a total of 36 Ascendancy Classes to pick between. Finally, it features 240 Skill Gems that grant devastating active skills and 200 Support Gems that modify their behavior. To put it simply, that’s a lot for a new player to sink their teeth into.
When asked how Grinding Gear Games looked to balance the wants from the decade-old player community they have from the first game and potential new audiences in Path of Exile 2, Octavian explained a few ways. Like all developers, when they answer this question, it’s more nuanced than you may think.
Octavian explained by highlighting the importance of demoing Path of Exile 2 to new players on show floors. “First off, we are just kind of more experienced at [making PoE],” he said. Adding, “Ideally, that leads to better design and tutorial action in the early game. It’s something that is still very actively being worked on though. Even things like PAX East and West and Gamescom help. All of these conventions we’ve been doing have taught us so much about how someone who’s never touched a Path of Exile game or even an ARPG in general [play our game]. [The demos] tell us the places where people fall through the cracks and stuff that we have to adjust.”
“We don’t want to dumb down the systems; we just want to make them easier to understand.”
In order to balance the game for newcomers, Path of Exile 2 needs to be played by new players before launch. While Octavian’s extensive background testing the game and working across Design and Test teams has racked up, in his own words, over 16,000 hours of playtime, that also means that the game’s mechanics come second nature. “Because I played the game for 1000s of hours, you get to the point where you get kind of blind to the stuff that you just take for granted and assume [a player will know]. So focus testing, putting it in the hands of the public, helps a lot in finding those edge cases.”
But in making sure the barrier to entry is low for new players, Grinding Gear Games also can’t alienate its dedicated existing audience who came into their world with PoE1. “Then as well, the other half is keeping the game interesting and true to the players who have been around for years and years. It’s kind of hard to balance both. But ideally, what we do is we’d have the game retain its depth while making it easier to get into it and learn those systems.”
With a game both lovingly and infamously known for its complex builds, understanding how to meet both existing player bases and new ones is essential. Moreso, Octavian made it clear that it isn’t about changing what PoE is but making it more easily taught in order to welcome in more players. “We don’t want to dumb down the systems; we just want to make them easier to understand,” he said.
To close, though, Octavian had some fantastic advice for newcomers to PoE, whether it be in the next season of the existing game or when Path of Exile 2 launches in early 2025. “Don’t be too concerned about getting everything done the first time, he says, “There’s a lot of complex systems that take some getting used to and some understanding and so your first character. When you get through the story, and you get to the end game, there are probably going to be some mistakes made. And it’s not going to be great. But that’s the first character.”
“It’s like the first time you try and play an instrument or the first time you try and draw something. It’s not going to turn out great, but you’re learning, and [in PoE] you’re learning rapidly. And ultimately, we’re learning a lot of fundamental things. As long as you’re having fun during the process,” Octavian explained.
“If your final product of the character isn’t great, you can go again. We have a lot of server space in PoE,” Octavian jokes. But that joke is an essential pro tip for starting an intimidating game. So what if you get it wrong on the first go? And what even is wrong? But this advice isn’t only for the upcoming Path of Exile 2; it’s also for anyone jumping into the game now. He adds, “Specifically for the first game if anybody is interested in getting into that one: You don’t have to know all the stuff. We’ve been developing that game for more than 10 years. So, there’s a lot of stuff in it. Focus on the basics and learn the fundamentals. If there’s some crafting system that someone recommends, you can make some crazy, wacky item out of it; don’t worry too much. Learn things one at a time.”
As a newcomer to PoE, and the press demo build being the first time I played an ARPG since the launch week of Diablo IV, well, all of this was reassuring. Newcomers are welcome, and old players don’t have to worry about losing the player agency and complex skill customization the game is known for. It’s a win-win for Grinding Gear Games and a growing Path of Exile player base.
Path of Exile 2 is scheduled to release in early 2025 with no firm release date currently set.
We’ve updated this article to reflect Chris’s choice to identify within the PoE community as Octavian.
