PoecurrencyBuy went hands-on with the Xbox One version of Path of Exile at GDC 2017. Here's what Xbox players can expect.
Either way, Path of Exile felt like it came around at the right time. The game is uncompromisingly dark and brutal, set in a macabre world teeming with all manner of demonic entities and twisted beasts. Path of Exile also sports (optional) competitive player-versus-player combat, a persistent online world, and some of the deepest character customization the genre has seen.
When will Path of Exile be available?
Path of Exile is slated for a 2017 launch, more specifically towards the end of the year. Naturally, the control schemes had to be reworked for consoles, including the Xbox Live API for achievements and partying up. Xbox One players will get their own servers, separate from the PC version.
Moving forward, Grinding Gear Games is aiming to synchronize updates and free expansions between PC and Xbox One. The Xbox One version of the game will launch with all previous content and updates, including the various under-the-hood fixes and graphical improvements the game has received since its launch.
Path of Exile's business model allows it to be perpetually updated, and Grinding Gear Games has found a ton of success with its efforts so far. Hopefully, bringing it to Xbox One will bring expose the game to an entirely new audience, to help it grow even further.
The notion that a game could actually be free to play but remain balanced for those who don't want to pony up the cash is pretty rare. With more and more developers putting gameplay-affecting micropayments in their games, it's nice to see others take a stand against the practice.
Gameplay and world
Path of Exile is set on the continent of Wraeclast, which Grinding Gear Games describes as a "dark, brutal" place. Path of Exile hopes to rekindle the magic of gloomy, realistic fantasy RPGs, ditching what is described as the "trend towards bright, cartoony RPGs." Expect corrupt, demonic dungeons, haunted mines, Lovecraftian undersea caves, and abandoned castles, full of nasties hungry for (your) blood.
Superficially, Path of Exile plays similarly to Diablo, with the key difference that you will encounter other players passively while you explore its world, although PvP play is separate. Path of Exile is a permanently connected game, but you will not need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to play it solo. As you might expect, you can also squad up and explore Wraeclast too, building characters to complement each other's skills and abilities.
Replayability is a key aspect of the game, where both items and areas are procedurally generated. End game content offers infinite new ways to play, with competitive leagues, a constant cycle of new expansions and other updates, funded by what Grinding Gear calls "ethical microtransactions," that provide only cosmetic bonuses (take note, devs.)
Loot and economy
As an always-online game, Path of Exile has a powerful in-game economy, which encourages players to scavenge and trade powerful items
Since Path of Exile's skills are also items, rare abilities might be worth more to trade than actually equip, particularly if they don't match your playstyle. The same goes for weapons, armor, and other gear that you will find in abundance throughout Path of Exile's sizeable world
Unlike most RPGs of this type, Path of Exile doesn't have a traditional "gold"-based economy. Instead, players barter consumable items. As a result, Path of Exile has no artificial money sinks and isn't plagued by real money traders (RMT) whose sole goal is to disrupt the economy by harvesting and selling in-game currency online. Path of Exile may allow you to upgrade items, identify mysterious artifacts, or grant access to an end-game area. Grinding Gear Games says some items are so rare that you might only read about them on forums.
Either way, Path of Exile felt like it came around at the right time. The game is uncompromisingly dark and brutal, set in a macabre world teeming with all manner of demonic entities and twisted beasts. Path of Exile also sports (optional) competitive player-versus-player combat, a persistent online world, and some of the deepest character customization the genre has seen.
Path of Exile is slated for a 2017 launch, more specifically towards the end of the year. Naturally, the control schemes had to be reworked for consoles, including the Xbox Live API for achievements and partying up. Xbox One players will get their own servers, separate from the PC version.
Moving forward, Grinding Gear Games is aiming to synchronize updates and free expansions between PC and Xbox One. The Xbox One version of the game will launch with all previous content and updates, including the various under-the-hood fixes and graphical improvements the game has received since its launch.
Path of Exile's business model allows it to be perpetually updated, and Grinding Gear Games has found a ton of success with its efforts so far. Hopefully, bringing it to Xbox One will bring expose the game to an entirely new audience, to help it grow even further.
The notion that a game could actually be free to play but remain balanced for those who don't want to pony up the cash is pretty rare. With more and more developers putting gameplay-affecting micropayments in their games, it's nice to see others take a stand against the practice.
Gameplay and world
Path of Exile is set on the continent of Wraeclast, which Grinding Gear Games describes as a "dark, brutal" place. Path of Exile hopes to rekindle the magic of gloomy, realistic fantasy RPGs, ditching what is described as the "trend towards bright, cartoony RPGs." Expect corrupt, demonic dungeons, haunted mines, Lovecraftian undersea caves, and abandoned castles, full of nasties hungry for (your) blood.
Superficially, Path of Exile plays similarly to Diablo, with the key difference that you will encounter other players passively while you explore its world, although PvP play is separate. Path of Exile is a permanently connected game, but you will not need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to play it solo. As you might expect, you can also squad up and explore Wraeclast too, building characters to complement each other's skills and abilities.
Replayability is a key aspect of the game, where both items and areas are procedurally generated. End game content offers infinite new ways to play, with competitive leagues, a constant cycle of new expansions and other updates, funded by what Grinding Gear calls "ethical microtransactions," that provide only cosmetic bonuses (take note, devs.)
Loot and economy
As an always-online game, Path of Exile has a powerful in-game economy, which encourages players to scavenge and trade powerful items
Since Path of Exile's skills are also items, rare abilities might be worth more to trade than actually equip, particularly if they don't match your playstyle. The same goes for weapons, armor, and other gear that you will find in abundance throughout Path of Exile's sizeable world
Unlike most RPGs of this type, Path of Exile doesn't have a traditional "gold"-based economy. Instead, players barter consumable items. As a result, Path of Exile has no artificial money sinks and isn't plagued by real money traders (RMT) whose sole goal is to disrupt the economy by harvesting and selling in-game currency online. Path of Exile may allow you to upgrade items, identify mysterious artifacts, or grant access to an end-game area. Grinding Gear Games says some items are so rare that you might only read about them on forums.
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