Ex-Marathon lead says Path of Exile is “the most freeform” ARPG when it comes to buildcrafting
By (Image credit: Grinding Gear Games)
Blizzard’s Diablo franchise is what most individuals associate with the term ARPG, yet Path of Exile is undoubtedly the nearest contender. Directly and explicitly motivated by Diablo 2, Grinding Gear Games’ free-to-play ARPG enjoys an exceptionally devoted and substantial player community of its own, and it’s not difficult to discover genre aficionados who regard it as their preferred choice for various reasons. The instance we’re here to discuss involves Joe Ziegler, the game director most recognized for directing Riot’s competitive shooter Valorant and subsequently Bungie‘s extraction shooter Marathon, who claims to have an astounding 3,437 hours logged in Path of Exile due to the unmatched complexity of buildcrafting it presents.
“ARPGs to me revolve around [the] buildcrafting and the ingenuity of assembling components,” Ziegler shares with PC Gamer. “And I believe Path of Exile is the most unrestricted manifestation of that. The extent of experimentation one can experience in that game is extremely vast regarding contemplating how to create builds.
I engage with various builds. I particularly enjoy Totem builds, and secondly, when I’m feeling quite lazy, I prefer one-button builds, such as Whirlwind builds … that’s truly the exhilarating aspect of Path of Exile; to be honest, it’s just such a Rube Goldberg apparatus of effects and elements that you can create, and you’re simply attempting to determine how to inflict the most damage and eliminate enemies the quickest.”
You don’t need to delve too deeply into my work to realize I’m a lifelong Diablo enthusiast, and although I’ve attempted countless times to immerse myself in Path of Exile, I continuously find myself trudging back to Sanctuary. I’m unsure whether it’s solely the nostalgia ingrained in me from 30 years of familiarity—it’s likely that—but frankly, it’s rather absurd of me to even contemplate having the time for yet another ARPG fixation. Meanwhile, Ziegler is unable to move beyond the original Path of Exile despite the glowing feedback for Path of Exile 2 Early Access.
