Path of Exile is a multiplayer hack and slash computer game developed by the New Zealand studio Grinding Gear Games. The public became interested in this project during the closed beta testing phase, when only a select few could experience Path of Exile. After the start of the open beta testing (January 23, 2013), interest in the product of Grinding Gear Games only grew. Why was this? After all, many games similar to Path of Exile are released, and they often just copy each other. The answer lies in understanding why Path of Exile appeals to gamers. The game from Grinding Gear Games closely resembles Diablo—not the third part, which fervent fans criticized entirely, but the second—the canonical, dark, interesting, and still beloved.
The game's storyline is quite simple and unpretentious. The main character and his companions are outcasts, and together they sail somewhere; then there is a shipwreck, and the protagonist ends up on a mysterious and extremely dangerous continent, where he is immediately attacked by various creatures and zombies. The gameplay is familiar: players traverse the world and explore randomly generated locations, take quests, and collect colorful weapons and gear, destroy monsters, crush bosses, explore dungeons, etc. Everything is filled with a gloomy and dreary atmosphere, reminiscent of the first two parts of Diablo. Yes, if Diablo III had been made in the style of Path of Exile, who knows what ratings this game would have received? Nevertheless, Path of Exile must have some unique feature; it cannot simply copy its famous predecessors. And it does have unique features, or rather, there are two.
The first noteworthy aspect is the RPG character development system. All parameters and characteristics grow automatically, similar to Diablo III, but skills must be developed independently using points earned as players reach new levels. Interestingly, all skills and abilities are passive, which is strange, but there’s more. In Path of Exile, there are over a thousand passive skills, which is truly a gigantic number. The development tree is intertwined like a web, and players choose which direction to move. By selecting the Marauder class (a warrior focused on strength and melee weapons), it is possible to later reach skills emphasized by the Witch (a typical mage) or the Templar (a fighter with an inclination towards spellcasting), or even skills of the Shadow (a dagger-wielding warrior), Ranger (an archer), or Duelist (a soldier with a rapier or light weapon).
Active skills exist, but their mechanics are quite original. The thing is, active and attacking abilities depend on special colored stones that can be bought, looted in battle, or found in secret places. By inserting a stone into a corresponding colored slot in a weapon or armor, the character acquires a certain ability. There can be many slots, and stones can be swapped out, making it easier than pie to create a unique fighter in Path of Exile.