Director's Quest to Craft the Ultimate Action RPG

A New Era for Path of Exile

Jonathan Rogers, one of the co-founders of Grinding Gear Games, has been open about his belief that the original Path of Exile (PoE 1) is no longer the perfect action RPG it once was. While the first game still holds a special place in the hearts of its most dedicated fans, it's clear that it's not going to be the next big thing. However, with Path of Exile 2, Rogers sees an opportunity to create something truly special—a game that could be the culmination of his "quest to make the perfect ARPG."

Despite the differences between PoE 1 and PoE 2, some of which have evolved over the past year during early access, Rogers emphasizes that the goal wasn't always to make the sequel feel entirely distinct. Instead, the focus has been on refining and improving upon what worked in the original while addressing its shortcomings.

A Shift in Combat and Design

Over the last year, Grinding Gear Games has faced the challenge of creating a sequel that diverges significantly from the vibe of the first game. Where PoE 1 was all about rampaging through thousands of monsters, PoE 2 takes a different approach—offering fewer, but more threatening enemies. This shift has changed the feel of the game, and not everyone has been pleased with the direction. Some players who preferred the fast-paced, high-speed combat of PoE 1 have found themselves frustrated when their favorite classes were altered or "gutted" in patches.

Rogers acknowledges these challenges, noting that balancing the game for players who want to move at blazing speeds and those who prefer a more methodical experience has been incredibly difficult. He admits there have been moments where he questioned whether it was even possible to satisfy both groups. However, he remains optimistic.

"It's been incredibly tricky to split the difference," he says. "But I definitely believe that you can make an experience that has both good combat and delivers on the kind of feeling of like I feel powerful and good and can do these things as well."

Finding the Right Balance

While the team is getting closer to finding the right balance between speed and methodical gameplay, the journey hasn't been easy. The frustrations surrounding the nerf-heavy Dawn of the Hunt update earlier this year highlighted just how challenging this process has been.

In the current version of PoE 2, some of the rougher edges have been smoothed out, with features from PoE 1 being reintroduced in ways that work better for the new game. For example, endgame maps now allow players to have more than one life, a feature that many fans appreciated from the original.

Rogers explains that borrowing ideas from PoE 1 isn't off the table as long as they contribute to making the game better. His vision for PoE 2 has always been to fix the issues that couldn't be resolved in the first game and to create something that feels less dated.

"The days of that game growing are much less likely than PoE 2," he says. "I mean just literally only for just graphics reasons. There's a lot of people who won't play a game that looks that old."

Introducing the Druid Class

One of the most anticipated additions to PoE 2 is the introduction of the druid class, a character type that never made it into PoE 1. Players will get their first look at GGG's take on this classic RPG archetype when the next update, The Last of the Druids, launches on December 12.

Upcoming Releases and More

As we look ahead to 2025, there are plenty of exciting games on the horizon. Whether you're interested in the best PC games, free PC games, or the finest FPS and RPG experiences, there's something for every type of gamer. Co-op titles also continue to thrive, offering a great way to enjoy games with friends.

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