Path of Exile is a free action role-playing game created and published by Grinding Gear Games. After a test phase, the game was released for computers running Microsoft Windows on October 23, 2013. A version for Xbox One came out in August 2017, and a version for PlayStation 4 was released in March 2019.

The game is set in a dark fantasy world. The government of the island nation of Oriath sends people to the broken continent of Wraeclast, which is home to many ancient gods. Players take control of an exile and can choose from seven character classes: Marauder, Duelist, Ranger, Shadow, Witch, Templar, and Scion. The goal is to fight back to Oriath, defeating ancient gods and powerful enemies along the way.

A sequel called Path of Exile 2 was made available for early access on December 6, 2024. It was first announced in 2019 as a major update for the original game. In 2023, the developers decided to make it a separate game instead.

Gameplay

The player controls one character from an isometric view and explores large outdoor areas, caves, and dungeons. They fight monsters and complete quests given by non-player characters (NPCs) to earn experience points and equipment. The game is similar to the Diablo series, especially Diablo II, and is often called its spiritual successor. Most areas, except for central camps, are randomly created each time to increase replayability. Players can freely interact with others in camps, but outside camps, each player or group has a separate map to explore.

Players can choose from seven classes: Duelist, Marauder, Ranger, Scion, Shadow, Templar, and Witch. Each class is connected to one or two of three main attributes: Strength, Dexterity, or Intelligence. The Scion class, which was once a special class released in 2013, is linked to all three attributes. While players can use skills not tied to their main attributes, they gain easier access to skills that match their primary attributes. Items are randomly generated from many basic types and have special properties and gem slots. They vary in rarity, with rarer items having stronger effects. Finding balanced and useful equipment is a major part of the game. Skill gems can be placed in gem slots on armor, weapons, and some rings to add active abilities. As the character levels up, the skill gems they use also gain experience, making the skills stronger.

Active skills can be improved using Support Gems. Depending on how many linked sockets a player has, these gems can add effects like faster attacks, more projectiles, life leech, or auto-cast spells on critical hits. Because there are limits on the number of sockets, players must choose which gems to use. All classes share the same 1,325 passive skills. Players select one skill each time they level up or as a quest reward. These skills improve attributes and add benefits like more mana, life, damage, defenses, and speed. Each character starts at a different point on the passive skill tree, which is organized as a complex network with separate sections for each class. Players must balance improving their main attack and defense abilities while choosing the most efficient path through the tree. As of the 3.0 Fall of Oriath update, players can earn up to 123 passive skill points (99 from leveling and 24 from quests). Each class has three Ascendancy classes that offer strong, specialized bonuses, except the Scion, which has one class combining all others. Players can assign up to 8 Ascendancy skill points out of 12 or 14.

Path of Exile is different from many action role-playing games because it has no in-game currency. Instead, players trade "currency items" that have specific uses, such as upgrading equipment, rerolling item properties, or improving quality. This prevents inflation by creating natural limits on how much money players can earn. Most of these items help modify or upgrade equipment, though some identify items, create portals to town, or grant skill refund points.

The game offers several alternate play modes, including:

• Standard: The default mode. Players who die respawn in the last city visited, losing some experience at higher levels.
• Hardcore (HC): Players cannot resurrect if they die. They return to the Standard league instead. This is similar to permadeath in other games.
• Solo Self Found (SSF): Players cannot join parties or trade with others. They must find or craft their own items.
• Ruthless: Changes make the game harder, such as fewer item drops, removed mechanics, and weaker passive skills.

There is also a seasonal Challenge league with special rules that last for the duration of the league. These rules often include new currencies, items, or ways to craft gear. Hardcore and Solo Self Found versions of this league are also available.

Other leagues are designed for specific events and have unique rules, item availability, and outcomes. For example:
– Descent leagues: Include new maps, monsters, and rewards, but players cannot continue after the league ends.
– Turbo Solo Immolation leagues: Use standard maps but with harder monsters, no parties, fire damage instead of physical damage, and exploding monsters. Survivors return to Hardcore leagues, while dead players respawn in Standard.
– Racing leagues: Last between 30 minutes and one week.
– Ladder leagues: Permanent leagues with different rules that last three months.

Synopsis

The game takes place in a dark fantasy world. The player begins the story waking up on the shores of Wraeclast, a continent that was once the center of a powerful empire but is now a cursed land. It serves as a penal colony, a place where criminals and others unwanted by the nearby Island of Oriath are sent as punishment. No matter the reason for their exile, players must survive in the harsh wilderness, which is filled with dangerous creatures and the ruins of the long-lost Eternal Empire and the Vaal civilization. They must work with other exiles to uncover the secrets of this land.

High Templar Dominus sends the player, called "Exile," to Wraeclast for a crime related to their chosen class. Exiles are sent to Wraeclast to fight monsters and other exiles who have caused harm. It is later discovered that Dominus has been secretly working with his assistant, Piety, to study forbidden magic, which has caused much of the suffering in Wraeclast. The Exile finds and defeats both Dominus and Piety. During this journey, the Exile meets Dialla, a survivor of the Eternal Empire. She explains that a magical device called the "Rapture Device," created by a man named Malachai, is being used to awaken a creature known as "The Beast." This creature caused a great disaster in Wraeclast centuries ago. The Exile travels to Highgate, enters the Beast, and kills Malachai.

After defeating the Beast, the Exile returns to Oriath. High Templar Avarius, who has taken over from Dominus, is misusing his divine power. He and other corrupt templars are enslaving a race of people called the Karui. The Exile joins a rebellion led by the Karui and defeats Avarius, as well as the templar god "Innocence." After this, Sin, Innocence’s brother, tells the Exile that killing the Beast has caused the old gods of the world to return. The Karui, now powerful due to their god Kitava, are causing chaos in Oriath. Sin takes the Exile to fight Kitava, but the Exile fails. Sin explains that the essence of the Beast is needed to defeat Kitava and reveals that the Beast was his creation. A plan is made to return to Wraeclast to retrieve the Beast’s essence and use it to stop Kitava.

After traveling through Wraeclast again and defeating the reawakened gods, the Exile returns to Oriath. Innocence has returned and is trying to make amends for his past actions. With the help of Sin and Innocence, the Exile goes to Kitava’s lair and destroys Kitava, ending the threat to Oriath.

Development

Path of Exile began when a small group of people who loved action role-playing games became upset because there were no new games in that genre. They decided to create their own game. They worked on it secretly for three years before announcing it publicly on September 1, 2010. Since then, Grinding Gear Games has shared updates on their website, including pictures of new characters, monsters, and abilities, as well as information about gameplay and technical details.

At the time, the game’s lead designer was Chris Wilson. He said the team was inspired by earlier games, such as the Diablo series (especially Diablo II), Titan Quest, Dungeon Siege, Magic: The Gathering, Guild Wars, and Final Fantasy (including the Materia system from Final Fantasy VII and the Sphere Grid system from Final Fantasy X).

The game’s first testing phase, called Alpha, started in June 2010 and ended in August 2011 with the release of version 0.9.0. After a closed beta where players could pay to join, an open beta (version 0.10.0) began on January 23, 2013. This version was free to play but included optional purchases. The game was officially released on October 23, 2013, as version 1.0.0. It was also made available on Steam. The game continues to receive updates and improvements about once a month.

The developers said one of their main goals was to create a free-to-play game funded only by "ethical microtransactions." Players can create multiple accounts and log in with more than one at the same time. The game mainly offers cosmetic items for purchase but limits some features, like public trading inventories or extra character slots, to players who pay. It is also possible to pay to create private, invite-only leagues with their own economies. On January 18, 2017, Grinding Gear Games announced plans to release the game on consoles.

During the closed beta, by January 21, 2013, the game had received $2.2 million in funding from players.

At Exilecon in November 2019, Grinding Gear Games announced that a mobile version of the game was being developed. The company discussed concerns about common mobile game practices, such as "pay-to-win" features, and said the mobile version would avoid these. However, they also said the mobile version was "experimental" and would depend on player feedback for further development.

The game originally used DirectX graphics, which works with many video cards. During the Delirium league in February 2020, Grinding Gear Games released a beta version of Vulkan graphics to improve gameplay consistency and collect player feedback. Vulkan support improved performance by reducing frame drops during intense gameplay. However, Vulkan support later caused performance issues during the Harvest league. Updates affecting both DirectX and Vulkan support were released but still needed player feedback.

From September 2020 through patch 3.11.2, Grinding Gear Games made major changes to the game’s code. This required players to download the entire game again. The update included improvements for future patches, faster loading times, better texture and audio quality, graphic engine upgrades, and the first versions of the game for Apple macOS and the Epic Game Store.

Reception

Path of Exile received "generally favorable reviews" from Metacritic, a website that collects game reviews. Critics highlighted the game's improvements to the action role-playing system compared to earlier games like the Diablo series. Destructoid's Patrick Hancock praised the game's world design, noting that it has a damp, dirty, and uncomfortable atmosphere that makes players feel uneasy.

Kyle Hillard of Game Informer criticized the game for giving players too much information without clear guidance, saying it is not easy for new players to understand. Eurogamer did not like the game's graphics and presentation, stating that it lacks the style of Torchlight 2 and the polish of Diablo 3.

Path of Exile was named 2013 PC Game of the Year by GameSpot and best PC role-playing game of 2013 by IGN. By February 2014, the game had five million registered players. IGN's Leif Johnson noted that the game explores darker themes than other action role-playing games from the same time period.

In 2020, the game won the "Best Evolving Game" award at the 16th British Academy Games Awards.

Legacy

A follow-up game, Path of Exile 2, was made available in early access for Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S on December 6, 2024.