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Path of Exile 2 - THE Game to Save Gaming

Hot5pur

Member
As someone who has never played a game like this what really stands out to me is-

Game feel/look. The combat looks so satisfying and chunky.

Combat Depth/Complexity. The way you seem to be able to fluidly combine powers is incredible. Reminds me almost of an old school hack and slash like DMC and ninja gaiden.

This made me check out Diablo 4 and frankly it looks night and day.

Time to insult Dark souls!

For all the talk about Dark souls influencing this well Dark souls wishes it had this level of complexity.

Firstly Darks souls essentially boils down to sticking with one weapon and spamming r1 and dodge rolling.

Secondly there's really only 2 classes in Souls melee and mage. Melee I just described and Mage is an absolute ball ache to change spells mid battle that in the end you just spam the most powerful one. All the classes in this look really diverse and this is only half of them?!

Honestly FromSoftware better watch out and start taking notes!

I'm gonna make a predication now that this game will do too Diablo 4 what Fortnite did to PUBG!

My only worry is that I might get overwhelmed with mechanics and systems early.
The comparison to dark souls is quite shallow. People see "difficult game" and "dark fantasy" and immediately it's souls-like. That's not the core what a souls like is.

To be a souls-like a game actually needs a souls system (ha!) where you accumulate currency from killing enemies that you can then spend on leveling, crafting, etc. There also needs to be a constant threat of losing said currency and needing to go back to collect it. Souls also needs very committed attacks, where if you press R1 or R2 you're basically locked into that animation. The combat is extremely meticulous and timing is critical. Souls also needs a bonfire system, where you claw your way from checkpoint to checkpoint and enemies respawn every time you choose to rest and replenish. The game gives you limited resources to get between checkpoints which creates a sense of tension. Lastly, the stamina bar is a critical gameplay element and applies to almost all your actions in combat.

POE2 is not a souls like, but it does have some elements that remind people of it, namely dark fantasy, high difficulty, and in the case of classes that can use a shield you can also active block and have a stamina meter. From the fextralife review it seems the maps are very big with no checkpoints, so having things respawn will be a bit of a pain without "bonfires". Bosses needing to be taken down in one go is just videogames 101 (quite frankly I hated that you can cheese bosses in POE).

Personally I'd love if they made POE2 more soulsy but I think it would get in the way of all the skill systems. POE2 is still an ARPG at its core that tries to be more like a 3rd person action game. If people want an actual isometric souls-like there is Achilles Untold and No lies for the Wicked.
 

kikkis

Member
As someone who has never played a game like this what really stands out to me is-

Game feel/look. The combat looks so satisfying and chunky.

Combat Depth/Complexity. The way you seem to be able to fluidly combine powers is incredible. Reminds me almost of an old school hack and slash like DMC and ninja gaiden.

This made me check out Diablo 4 and frankly it looks night and day.

Time to insult Dark souls!

For all the talk about Dark souls influencing this well Dark souls wishes it had this level of complexity.

Firstly Darks souls essentially boils down to sticking with one weapon and spamming r1 and dodge rolling.

Secondly there's really only 2 classes in Souls melee and mage. Melee I just described and Mage is an absolute ball ache to change spells mid battle that in the end you just spam the most powerful one. All the classes in this look really diverse and this is only half of them?!

Honestly FromSoftware better watch out and start taking notes!

I'm gonna make a predication now that this game will do too Diablo 4 what Fortnite did to PUBG!

My only worry is that I might get overwhelmed with mechanics and systems early.
Imo, well designed enemies, animations/timing of controls, can make for a great gameplay, despite simple "reduction" of gameplay to dodge and swing. Whereas complicated systems of text driven stats "Deal 5% more damage when you have semi-hard" along with numerous cooldowns for different abilities, can become both busywork and take away from immersion and viscerality of combat.
 

DavidGzz

Member
It's not that people are saying it's a full on souls-like, it's that it is a hybrid and was definitely inspired. Rogers has brought up Souls or Elden Ring many times in interviews. The cool thing about GGG is that they are not shy about talking about other games and taking elements from other games. When they began they said they wanted to make a sequel to Diablo 2 for example.

PoE 2 has Diablo like loot, Souls like combat but with more action and roll cancels, and ARPG like skills. And it looks like each of those elements have been done to perfection which is what is really exciting.

As for FS needing to look out, I agree. The next Souls like from them needs some new ideas or at least borrowing from other devs. I'd love if they brought skills into the mix similar to Dragons Dogma and PoE 2.
 
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amigastar

Member
It's not that people are saying it's a full on souls-like, it's that it is a hybrid and was definitely inspired. Rogers has brought up Souls or Elden Ring many times in interviews. The cool thing about GGG is that they are not shy about talking about other games and taking elements from other games. When they began they said they wanted to make a sequel to Diablo 2 for example.

PoE 2 has Diablo like loot, Souls like combat but with more action and roll cancels, and ARPG like skills. And it looks like each of those elements have been done to perfection which is what is really exciting.

As for FS needing to look out, I agree. The next Souls like from them needs some new ideas or at least borrowing from other devs. I'd love if they brought skills into the mix similar to Dragons Dogma and PoE 2.
good artists copy great artists steal
 
Imo, well designed enemies, animations/timing of controls, can make for a great gameplay, despite simple "reduction" of gameplay to dodge and swing. Whereas complicated systems of text driven stats "Deal 5% more damage when you have semi-hard" along with numerous cooldowns for different abilities, can become both busywork and take away from immersion and viscerality of combat.
That not what I'm seeing from Path of Exile 2.

What I'm seeing is having these cools abilities at your fingertips that you can use at use for the appropriate situation and combine to be even more dangerous.

After thinking more it's not like an action game but more like an old school FPS where you have 8 guns on hand all for different situations.

To be clear I love souls but after 6 very long games I feel its somewhat basic combat has become tired and I'm craving something with a bit more depth and complexity.
 

clarky

Gold Member
It's not that people are saying it's a full on souls-like, it's that it is a hybrid and was definitely inspired. Rogers has brought up Souls or Elden Ring many times in interviews. The cool thing about GGG is that they are not shy about talking about other games and taking elements from other games. When they began they said they wanted to make a sequel to Diablo 2 for example.

PoE 2 has Diablo like loot, Souls like combat but with more action and roll cancels, and ARPG like skills. And it looks like each of those elements have been done to perfection which is what is really exciting.

As for FS needing to look out, I agree. The next Souls like from them needs some new ideas or at least borrowing from other devs. I'd love if they brought skills into the mix similar to Dragons Dogma and PoE 2.
I've played PoE, and watched a hell of a lot of video's for 2 and I'm not seeing how this has souls like combat, like at all (in a good way).
 
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DavidGzz

Member
I've played PoE, and watched a hell of a lot of video's for 2 and I'm not seeing how this has souls like combat, like at all (in a good way).

Odd, even Fextralife who played for 40 hours talks about it in the quotes on the previous page. Zizaran, a long time PoE 1 players says it feels like Souls during his hands-on impressions. I wouldn't say all classes play like it either. It's the Warrior using shield skills that looks like it the most. Which is why, that is what I am starting with. Plus I've been wanting some sword and board action. D4 left me wanting.
 
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clarky

Gold Member
Odd, even Fextralife who played for 40 hours talks about it in the quotes on the previous page. Zizaran, a long time PoE 1 players says it feels like Souls during his hands-on impressions. I wouldn't say all classes play like it either. It's the Warrior using shield skills that looks like it the most.
I saw the Fextralife video and i think he said something along the lines of that the whole game reminded him of Souls in the way it was set up, the vibe of the game, heavy cost of death, high difficultly etc. I don't recall the combat part although I only saw it once.

Either way i don't mind as im torn between Monk or Ranger for next week which deffo don't play souls like :)
 

Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
It's not that people are saying it's a full on souls-like, it's that it is a hybrid and was definitely inspired. Rogers has brought up Souls or Elden Ring many times in interviews. The cool thing about GGG is that they are not shy about talking about other games and taking elements from other games. When they began they said they wanted to make a sequel to Diablo 2 for example.

PoE 2 has Diablo like loot, Souls like combat but with more action and roll cancels, and ARPG like skills. And it looks like each of those elements have been done to perfection which is what is really exciting.

As for FS needing to look out, I agree. The next Souls like from them needs some new ideas or at least borrowing from other devs. I'd love if they brought skills into the mix similar to Dragons Dogma and PoE 2.

True. The most Elden Ring-like feature of this game is the health bar on the boss lol.

All the other "souls-like" features of PoE2 are features that ARPGs have always had to some extent or another. The success of Dark Souls and Elden Ring have definitely influenced the prevalence and feel of those features in PoE2 for sure, but the game itself has much more of its own identity than just "Hey it's PoE1 with a dodge roll now". The most "Souls-like" evolution of the ARPG genre at this point is No Rest for the Wicked, not PoE2.
 

Rentahamster

Rodent Whores


Damn, did that actually happen? Very disappointing. I had this same gripe with Diablo 4. It's not fun if everything about the game is laid out at launch and endgame guides are already written. The community needs to be able to discover this on their own. Even the game director has already made comments about this in the past.

As someone who has already played part of the game, it's important to keep these things private to preserve the experience and integrity of the game. (to the chagrin of some of my friends lol). There's only ever one launch day.
 

clarky

Gold Member
Damn, did that actually happen? Very disappointing. I had this same gripe with Diablo 4. It's not fun if everything about the game is laid out at launch and endgame guides are already written. The community needs to be able to discover this on their own. Even the game director has already made comments about this in the past.

As someone who has already played part of the game, it's important to keep these things private to preserve the experience and integrity of the game. (to the chagrin of some of my friends lol). There's only ever one launch day.
He didn't reveal much that hasn't been seen or whats known already, just some general thoughts on the beta upto the end of act 3.
 
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DavidGzz

Member
The most "Souls-like" evolution of the ARPG genre at this point is No Rest for the Wicked, not PoE2.


Again, it's like the game has to be a carbon copy to be considered to have influences. I never said it is the most Souls-Like isometric game, No Rest takes that title for now. But it has some of the same elements. Things that a Diablo-Like has never had. A lock-on enabling strafing around enemies, dodge roll with i-frames, a stamina meter when you use a shield that when depleted leaves you staggered and open to attacks, enemies that you cannot walk or roll through, WASD(gameplay advantage over click to move) movement AND movement while casting skills, and enemies that can 1-2 shot you pretty easily. I've also seen players die to random "white" enemies between bosses.

That's it. It isn't a full on Souls-like, it's a hybrid taking elements from both genres. But lets not pretend it isn't A LOT different when it comes to gameplay than Titan Quest, Diablo 2, PoE 1, etc.
 
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clarky

Gold Member
That's it. It isn't a full on Souls-like, it's a hybrid taking elements from both genres. But lets not pretend it isn't A LOT different when it comes to gameplay than Titan Quest, Diablo 2, PoE 1, etc.
This is what excites me the most. Looks like we have a true evolution in the genre incoming.

D4 bored me to tears. Thought it would grab me with the latest expansion but nope.
 

DavidGzz

Member
This is what excites me the most. Looks like we have a true evolution in the genre incoming.

D4 bored me to tears. Thought it would grab me with the latest expansion but nope.

Funny thing is that D4 is sneaking in move while casting in a new unique(for the Sorc's ball lightning)coming to season 7. You can now move while casting hurricane as a Druid too. I hope they do that for more skills. A rogue being able to move while using the bow for example would surely improve the game for me. I want Blizzard to try their best to compete with GGG. We all win if they fight.
 

Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
He didn't reveal much that hasn't been seen or whats known already, just some general thoughts on the beta upto the end of act 3.

I think my main gripe is that doesn't Fextra life make wikis and guides as part of their main business model? They'll have an advantage over other guide-oriented content creators.
 

Polygonal_Sprite

Gold Member
Any Souls comparisons will go away once your character gets decent especially damage gear. There are plenty of videos where it looks exactly the same as PoE when it comes to clear speed and difficulty. I’m sure some bosses will be Souls like.
 

Moneal

Member
I'm talking about purchased stash tabs like currency, map, essence, etc. Pretty sure my PC paid for tabs aren't available on PS5 and vice versa, unless I've misread what they said but that's how it sounds to me.
If you bought the same tab on both, it is usable. Tabs you bought on only PS5 or PC are set to remove only on the other platform.
 

Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
I want Blizzard to try their best to compete with GGG. We all win if they fight.

I do too, but even years of feedback haven't moved the needle much. I feel like Blizzard's institutional bureaucracy hampers their game design too much and prioritizes the MTX store over everything else. Just like WoW, they don't meaningfully make the game "better" until it hurts them in their pocketbook.
 

clarky

Gold Member
I think my main gripe is that doesn't Fextra life make wikis and guides as part of their main business model? They'll have an advantage over other guide-oriented content creators.
I think so but its not a channel I normally watch. I only saw the video last night before it got took down as a poster stuck it in this thread.
 

DavidGzz

Member
Wait a minute, are there swords in PoE 2? I've only seen the Warrior use a mace and hammers. Blunt only class confirmed? Do we have to wait until the Duelist and Shadow come out for bladed weapons?
 

Arsic

Loves his juicy stink trail scent
Wait a minute, are there swords in PoE 2? I've only seen the Warrior use a mace and hammers. Blunt only class confirmed? Do we have to wait until the Duelist and Shadow come out for bladed weapons?
Nah. They were talking about dual great swords on the warrior.
 

DavidGzz

Member
Does anyone know if there will be cross progression and cross play at launch?

Can I start on consoles and resume my character on PC?

That's the plan. But if you go from PC to Playstation and vice versa, your in game money purchases won't follow unless GGG and Sony work out a deal.
 

clarky

Gold Member
I think my main gripe is that doesn't Fextra life make wikis and guides as part of their main business model? They'll have an advantage over other guide-oriented content creators.
Looks like you are correct, and yeah agreed pretty shitty and not very fair. I'll be avoiding them.

 
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Arsic

Loves his juicy stink trail scent
Looks like you are correct, and yeah agreed pretty shitty and not very fair. I'll be avoiding them.


There’s been overwhelming amounts of proof and cases where this guy does scumbag shit and other creators call him out for it.

Developers think they are getting actual views and exposure for their games through his channel — they are not. He’s a known imbedder who boosts artificial views. You can buy YT subs too.

The guide quality? Gone down a hill and generally copied from others hard work. Incomplete, bum links, ads galore, etc.

This is just another case where devs need to stop falling for this scam. They are not getting their return on investment and he’s laughing all the way to the bank.
 

clarky

Gold Member
There’s been overwhelming amounts of proof and cases where this guy does scumbag shit and other creators call him out for it.

Developers think they are getting actual views and exposure for their games through his channel — they are not. He’s a known imbedder who boosts artificial views. You can buy YT subs too.

The guide quality? Gone down a hill and generally copied from others hard work. Incomplete, bum links, ads galore, etc.

This is just another case where devs need to stop falling for this scam. They are not getting their return on investment and he’s laughing all the way to the bank.
Looks like reddit hates him also. Sounds like a real shitbag on the face of things.

I've been lapping up the stuff the dev's have put out on YT recently and from a few creators who seem as excited as me but the last thing I want is build guides and walkthroughs for this game. I'm working away from home until January and this is the game that im planning on getting me through Christmas (and the rest). Can't wait to dig in and find stuff out for myself with the community.

Feels like this was announced decades ago, can't believe its so close and looking so good.
 
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I used fextralife for elden ring and used it extensively. Their site had very indepth info of every dungeon, item, you name it. It's a shame that the community is hating him for a miscommunication that GGG themselves admitted was their fault and not fextralife.
 

clarky

Gold Member
I used fextralife for elden ring and used it extensively. Their site had very indepth info of every dungeon, item, you name it. It's a shame that the community is hating him for a miscommunication that GGG themselves admitted was their fault and not fextralife.
Its not just that. He's got form by the looks of things.

Plus after breaking the embargo, GGG seemingly having his back and pulling him out of the shit with the community, he then goes and starts publishing walk through guides which also goes against the dev's wishes.
 
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Tomeru

Member
I used fextralife for elden ring and used it extensively. Their site had very indepth info of every dungeon, item, you name it. It's a shame that the community is hating him for a miscommunication that GGG themselves admitted was their fault and not fextralife.
Don't confuse the community with fextralife. They do the heavy lifting with those guides.
 

DavidGzz

Member
Looks like reddit hates him also. Sounds like a real shitbag on the face of things.

I've been lapping up the stuff the dev's have put out on YT recently and from a few creators who seem as excited as me but the last thing I want is build guides and walkthroughs for this game. I'm working away from home until January and this is the game that im planning on getting me through Christmas (and the rest). Can't wait to dig in and find stuff out for myself with the community.

Feels like this was announced decades ago, can't believe its so close and looking so good.

Yeah, dude. After all of this time it's so weird and awesome to be able to say, it comes out Friday. As in this week. Crazy. Gonna take it slow and absorb everything on release.
 
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