Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

[Jan 10, 2013, 10:05 am ET] - Share - Viewing Comments

Grinding Gear Games announces that open beta testing of Path of Exile begins on January 23rd, offering the chance to sample this upcoming action/RPG. "We're excited to have reached the point where we can finally throw open the doors and invite everyone in," said Chris Wilson, producer for Grinding Gear Games. "We have one of the best and most supportive communities on the Internet, and their input has been invaluable in making Path of Exile what it is. We hope they'll be delighted with all the new content." The open beta will introduce content from Act 3, and there will be no character wipes after it begins. Here's more on the game:

Path of Exile is a PC online action role-playing game set in a dark fantasy world. Featuring ethical microtransactions, the game is free-to-play, but not pay-to-win. Playing as one of six character classes, players find themselves banished for their past misdeeds to the dark fantasy world of Wraeclast. There, they will encounter hundreds of species of opponents laden with loot and mysterious artifacts as they explore the abandoned continent.

Key features of Path of Exile:

A dark and deep action RPG

Build unlimited unique characters on a gigantic skill tree

Combine over 110 skill gems to create unique combat strategies

Explore a dark and gritty world rendered from a fixed 3D perspective

Download and play for free, but never 'pay-to-win'

Explore randomly generated levels for extreme replayability

Craft weapons, magic items and even end-game maps to become more powerful

Cooperate or compete with thousands of other exiles in a persistent online world

Ascend online ladders in every game mode

Battle in PVP tournaments for worldwide recognition

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39 Replies. 2 pages. Viewing page 1.
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39.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 11, 2013, 03:33

InBlack

Well Im definitely going to check it out, Ive seen some closed beta gameplay at a friend's, and wasnt really that impressed. Something about the game felt kind of forced, or off. Im guessing it was the attrocious UI that put me off most, but fingers crossed they improved on that a bit in the meantime...




I have a nifty blue line!

38.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 11, 2013, 01:51

saluk

There may be a diamond in the rough but it is still very rough. I got far enough on my character that I didn't really want to beta test any more and am waiting for the real thing. I think it will be a fun distraction for me, but I tend to prefer more accessible arpgs that have better production value. T2 for instance, or maybe Grim Dawn.

37.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 10, 2013, 22:42

Axis

PHJF wrote on Jan 10, 2013, 22:24:
I did play PoE like 6-12 months ago and it was pretty lousy. UI was atrocious, the combat/enemies/skills were old-bread stale, the much-hyped skill tree was completely underwhelming (+10 dexterity is not a skill), and every aspect of the presentation screamed "welcome to the year 2000." Oh, and the loot was all boring. It would have taken a miracle to bring the PoE I played up to snuff.

Guess you won't be playing it!




Yours truly, Axis

36.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 10, 2013, 22:24

PHJF

I did play PoE like 6-12 months ago and it was pretty lousy. UI was atrocious, the combat/enemies/skills were old-bread stale, the much-hyped skill tree was completely underwhelming (+10 dexterity is not a skill), and every aspect of the presentation screamed "welcome to the year 2000." Oh, and the loot was all boring. It would have taken a miracle to bring the PoE I played up to snuff.




Steam + PSN: PHJF

35.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 10, 2013, 22:03

Dades

PHJF wrote on Jan 10, 2013, 20:31: After all of the back and forth on the forums about which arpg is the best, its funny to me that they were all disappointing in some way. Funny to you, depressing to me. This is like my favorite genre, dammit! I've been following Grim Dawn pretty closely and I think it's going to exceed expectations. Just wish it was here sooner. I hear you about arpgs, I wish Blizzard hadn't gone nuts. - *DADES* - This is a signature of my name, enjoy!

34.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 10, 2013, 22:00

Axis

PHJF wrote on Jan 10, 2013, 20:31:
After all of the back and forth on the forums about which arpg is the best, its funny to me that they were all disappointing in some way.

Funny to you, depressing to me. This is like my favorite genre, dammit!

If you liked D2, you'll like PoE. Nothing disappointing about PoE, and nothing on the horizon like it - nothing.

Grim Dawn will be like TL2, a fun distraction single and multi player arpg NOT online hosted where there's server chars, leagues, economy, real risk/rewards, etc. Not worth spending much time in these glorified single player lan games.

Play PoE and discover why people fell in love with D2. Or don't, you'll just be missing out.




Yours truly, Axis

33.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 10, 2013, 20:36

Stormsinger

killer_roach wrote on Jan 10, 2013, 17:30: Jivaro wrote on Jan 10, 2013, 16:55: So what you are saying is that Curt Schilling should have gotten his loan in New Zealand? I kid..I kid... Only mostly (Schilling thought that government would be a stable and predictable partner... he thought wrong.) Not quite. Schilling thought that the "gaming business" was so simple you didn't need to actually know anything about making a game, or running a company. He was proved wrong on both counts.

32.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 10, 2013, 20:31

PHJF

After all of the back and forth on the forums about which arpg is the best, its funny to me that they were all disappointing in some way.

Funny to you, depressing to me. This is like my favorite genre, dammit!




Steam + PSN: PHJF

31.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 10, 2013, 20:01

Dades

Played in the closed beta the past few months on and off. There was a bunch of things I liked but the game failed to grab me after a pretty lengthy eval of it. There are a lot of pieces of the game with depth and new ideas but they don't really mesh together well from what I saw in beta. The UI for the game is atrocious, they need to hire a better UI designer. The developers seem like cool guys but that doesn't make me want to play this much more than I already did. Not sure how their business model is going to work without the casuals though since people keep saying this is meant to be niche. After all of the back and forth on the forums about which arpg is the best, its funny to me that they were all disappointing in some way. Now the wait for Grim Dawn. - *DADES* - This is a signature of my name, enjoy!

30.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 10, 2013, 19:23

Yakubs

Julio wrote on Jan 10, 2013, 18:39: After the disappointments of Diablo 3 and Torchlight 2...I'm not sure I'll bite on this one. Of the three, this is the only one you should have tried.

29.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 10, 2013, 18:39

Julio

After the disappointments of Diablo 3 and Torchlight 2...I'm not sure I'll bite on this one.

28.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 10, 2013, 18:23

Axis

jdreyer wrote on Jan 10, 2013, 17:49:
I have about 30 hours in the closed beta, but haven't had time to play for a few months. I really enjoyed it: the combat, the pace, the loot, esp the skill tree, the atmosphere. There's really a lot to like. It feels much more like a successor to Diablo II than Diablo III does, but with it's own unique ideas as well.

My biggest issue would be when I was in the middle of a dungeon, I'd warp back to town to sell my stuff and pick up supplies. If I dallied too long, the level would reset, the map would regen, and the mobs would repopulate. Then I'd have to do the whole thing from the start. Given that some dungeons are several levels deep, this kind of grind became very tiring. Does anyone know if this is still the case, or do the instances last longer than before?

No there is not that problem anymore. Ya that could get annoying, fortunately only persisted through a few patches while they tested it, all better now.




Yours truly, Axis

27.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 10, 2013, 17:50

slaka

Getting into POE takes a bit, I know I played it on and off for a few months before the hook really got me. But once you are hooked in, the depth of this game is amazing. It's designed to build upon complexity the more you play. Where Diablo 3 is shallow, this game grows more and more over time. The developers are not trying to create a mass market game that appeals to everyone and that is OK! It's a niche and they want that. I sunk a lot of time into the D3 and followed the community for a good while. The difference in the POE community and team is refreshing, it's a small 25ish sized company and front PR person is the lead developer! This is more comparable to Blizzard North circa 2000 than anything like Blizzard now. I'll leave with a link to a video of a level 35 character showing a taste of the possibilities: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-sczXBrB8c

26.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 10, 2013, 17:49

jdreyer

I have about 30 hours in the closed beta, but haven't had time to play for a few months. I really enjoyed it: the combat, the pace, the loot, esp the skill tree, the atmosphere. There's really a lot to like. It feels much more like a successor to Diablo II than Diablo III does, but with it's own unique ideas as well.

My biggest issue would be when I was in the middle of a dungeon, I'd warp back to town to sell my stuff and pick up supplies. If I dallied too long, the level would reset, the map would regen, and the mobs would repopulate. Then I'd have to do the whole thing from the start. Given that some dungeons are several levels deep, this kind of grind became very tiring. Does anyone know if this is still the case, or do the instances last longer than before?




Man is equally incapable of seeing the nothingness from which he emerges and the infinity in which he is engulfed.

25.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 10, 2013, 17:30

killer_roach

Jivaro wrote on Jan 10, 2013, 16:55: So what you are saying is that Curt Schilling should have gotten his loan in New Zealand? I kid..I kid... Only mostly (Schilling thought that government would be a stable and predictable partner... he thought wrong.)

24.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 10, 2013, 16:55

Jivaro

Yakubs wrote on Jan 10, 2013, 16:45: For anyone skeptical of the F2P aspect of this -- these guys are from New Zealand and they received some kind of government sponsorship / grant to kick off the development and, along the way, they've taken dontations from people in exchange for beta access and other things. So, basically, this is a shining example of a company that both APPEARS to be the good guys and ACTUALLY IS. So what you are saying is that Curt Schilling should have gotten his loan in New Zealand? I kid..I kid...

23.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 10, 2013, 16:46

BobBob

Every time I finish playing a Diablo type game I feel like I wasted time and money.

22.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 10, 2013, 16:45

Yakubs

For anyone skeptical of the F2P aspect of this -- these guys are from New Zealand and they received some kind of government sponsorship / grant to kick off the development and, along the way, they've taken dontations from people in exchange for beta access and other things. So, basically, this is a shining example of a company that both APPEARS to be the good guys and ACTUALLY IS.

21.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 10, 2013, 15:38

Krizzen

The way I usually describe Path of Exile is a stark contrast to Diablo 3 in almost every way. - Story is there if you want it, and it's not spoon fed or forced upon you - Passive skill tree vs. Diablo 3's - Gems are skills instead of simple stat boosts, and they can be linked with other skill gems to boost or modify the regular skill - Dark atmosphere -- no ponies here! - Dark dialog and style. Surely important characters won't die to butterfly magic in PoE - Goldless economy. Even ID scrolls have value - End game has variety via random maps that open portals to random dungeons. The maps can have modifiers like +20% item quality, or take constant chaos damage. Contrast this with Diablo 3's end game where you grind the exact same exact areas over and over without much randomization at all - Crafting is meaningful though costly, and in my opinion, rightly so - PVP is in - Competitive and rewarding ladders with interesting game modes like cutthroat where you can PK anyone and take their items - Ridiculously passionate developers who are ALWAYS in touch with the community. It's not uncommon for the lead developer to drop in and chat with players from time to time - Lots and LOTS of viable builds. While there are always a few cookie cutter builds, there are just way too many viable options it's mindblowing. Definitely not spin2win like in Diablo 3 - Developers are very much against pay-to-win, but extra stash tabs are really cool =) - Free vs. $60

20.

Re: Path of Exile Open Beta This Month

Jan 10, 2013, 14:31

Axis

In default and hardcore leagues, the PVP is open and also level 28. Level 28 is where it's at. Aside from races that is.

The PoE main site is chalk filled with information as well as tons of stickies that matter in forums.




Yours truly, Axis

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