Page 18 - PC Gamer - UK (February 2020)
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PRE VIE W
Path of Exile 2
ghouls slam stone slabs into the ground, a stationary totem that fires off an endless
sending shockwaves in my direction. I still stream of fireballs for you. It’s a great idea
slaughtered hordes of imps, skeletons, hindered by an unintuitive interface that
and slimy bugs with reckless abandon, but makes managing and understanding skills
I also felt far more aware of how they troublesome. It’s possible to socket skills
could, in turn, slaughter me. together that don’t actually synergise –
and it’s not made clear when they don’t.
IMPROVED GRAPHICS But the new system coming in Path of
Path of Exile 2’s combat benefits greatly Exile 2 fixes most of these problems while
from an improved graphics engine as well. adding even more ways to tinker and build Environments are as dark and
Environments in the original were great, ridiculously powerful monster slayers. grim as ever.
but better lighting and particle effects With the new system, armour no
enhance the creepiness and danger of longer has randomised sockets, so
some areas. A zone called Grimtangle is a players don’t have to swap skill gems Blood, lightning, and
gothic furnishings.
dark and colourless knot of gnarled every single time they equip a new piece
branches that would be boring to look at if of gear. Now, each armour type has a set
it weren’t for the searing glow of yellow capacity for skill gems, with the skill gems
fungi found on the floor. These aren’t just themselves having the actual sockets for
pretty to look at, though – venture too support gems. This is all managed in a
close and they’ll explode, coating you in new inventory menu that makes it much
acid. What’s worse is the zone is full of easier to understand how the two interact.
infected zombies with a special attack With the new system, you can’t socket
that coats the ground in more fungi, gems that don’t work together.
forcing me to always be on the move. The other exciting feature of this new
One of the cooler features of the new system is that it’s now possible to have
graphics is that arrows are now physical more six-linked skill gems. It’s hard to
objects that will stick into or bounce off explain why this is awesome without
surfaces depending on their material. diving into a 40-minute lecture on Path of
Though I’ve never cared for Path of Exile’s Exile theorycrafting, but the current
bows, I now want to use one just so I can maximum amount of linked sockets is six,
coat every level in arrows. It’s subtle, but it which is extremely rare but creates an
gives the combat an extra jolt. astronomically powerful skill. The current
More demanding combat means system is limited, though, because only a
players will also have to make smarter use player’s chest armour and two-handed
of skill gems. Fortunately, this is another weapons are capable of having six
area where the game is significantly sockets. With the new system, any skill
improved. The skill system in Path of Exile gem can have six sockets, so players will
is enormously complicated, but the gist of now have the possibility of having several
it is that abilities aren’t automatically six-linked skills rather than just two.
a
This is in addition to an entire overhaul
learned depending on your class. Instead, , Th
d
te
every ability is a skill gem that can be of equ
uipment. One of the more
looted or received as a quest reward and conte ntious parts of Path of Exile is that n
o
must be socketed into your gear before most o
of the regular equipment looks
you can actually use it. If you allocate your terribl le, with all the coolest cosmetic sets
e
stats right, there’s nothing to stop a locke d behind microtransactions. But
ding Gear Games is designing
Ranger from throwing fireballs or wielding Grind
e
ens of new weapons and armours for
a two-handed mace and ground- doze
slamming the life out of everything. play
yers to find that also make use of
e new physics and graphics engine.
e
Things get more complicated when the
you start getting gear with linked Fr rom my time playing through its first
sockets, letting you equip support geems act, it’ s clear that Path of Exile 2 is a major
ovement over an already great
that augment how your main skill impro
functions. You could cast fireball gam e. The new graphics and more
yourself, or you can socket it with a dem anding combat is a lot of fun, but the
m
r
Spell Totem support gem and summon rewo rked skill system goes a long way in
sandin
ng down those few remaining jagged
s
edg
edges. And because this isn’t a separate
e
BETTER LIGHTING AND sequel, the original campaign will get
PARTICLE EFFECTS ENHANCE access to the same core improvements
– everything except the better designed
THE CREEPINESS AND DANGER bosses and enemies, that is.
Steven Messner
18 FEBRUARY 2020
