Path of Exile

Path of Exile is a critically acclaimed free-to-play online Action Role-Playing Game (ARPG) developed and published by Grinding Gear Games. Set in the dark, gritty, and mysterious world of Wraeclast, the game immerses players in a richly detailed and lore-heavy environment filled with danger, darkness, and opportunity. Launched in 2013, Path of Exile has grown into one of the most popular ARPGs on the market, boasting millions of players and regular updates that continue to evolve its gameplay and content.

Unlike many games in its genre, Path of Exile offers unparalleled depth and complexity, giving players endless ways to build characters, customize gear, and explore a challenging world either alone or with others.

Dark Fantasy Setting

The world of Wraeclast is a cruel and desolate continent, teeming with ancient evils, corrupted creatures, and forgotten civilizations. Once a land of great empires, it is now a forsaken realm where only the strongest survive. As an Exile, you are cast away from your homeland for crimes—whether real or fabricated—and left to survive among the ruins, monsters, and magic of Wraeclast.

The game’s storytelling is layered with rich lore, uncovered through environmental storytelling, NPC interactions, and mysterious artifacts. Players unravel the history of this fallen land while seeking revenge, power, or redemption.

Choose Your Path: Seven Classes and Ascendancies

At the beginning of your journey, you choose from seven unique character classes, each with distinct starting points on the game’s massive passive skill tree:

Marauder – A brutal melee fighter with high strength.
Ranger – A nimble and dexterous ranged attacker.
Witch – A powerful spellcaster who manipulates the arcane.
Duelist – A hybrid of strength and dexterity, mastering both melee and agility.
Templar – A blend of strength and intelligence, perfect for battlemages.
Shadow – A cunning assassin who thrives on critical strikes and traps.
Scion – A special class unlocked later, capable of blending all attributes.

As your character grows, you can further specialize by selecting from 18 Ascendancy subclasses, which offer unique perks and abilities to refine your playstyle. This system allows for unparalleled freedom in how you build and evolve your character.

The Massive Passive Skill Tree

One of Path of Exile’s signature features is its enormous passive skill tree—a vast web of interconnected nodes that offer bonuses to stats, skills, and abilities. Every character, regardless of class, shares the same skill tree, but each class starts at a different point.

This tree enables deep character customization, letting players tailor builds for damage types, survivability, speed, or any other niche strategy. With hundreds of passive skills, no two characters need to be the same, and experimentation is highly encouraged.

Skill Gems and Socket System

Instead of traditional skill trees tied to class abilities, Path of Exile uses a unique skill gem system. Skills are granted by socketable gems that you insert into gear. These skill gems can be leveled up, modified, and linked to support gems, which add additional effects like increased damage, multishot, or elemental changes.

This system provides flexibility and allows players to mix and match their abilities freely. Whether you prefer summoning undead minions, unleashing fiery meteors, or raining arrows from afar, there’s a skill combination that suits your style.

Itemization and Crafting

Gear plays a vital role in Path of Exile, with thousands of items including weapons, armor, rings, amulets, and more. Each piece of equipment comes with random properties and can be further enhanced or changed using a robust crafting system based on in-game currency items, not gold.

Players can modify items by rerolling stats, adding sockets, or upgrading rarity. The crafting economy is deep and forms the backbone of the game’s trade system, encouraging players to learn item values and engage in complex trading with others.

Solo and Co-Op Gameplay

Path of Exile offers both solo and cooperative multiplayer modes. You can journey through Wraeclast alone or team up with up to five friends to tackle content together. Party play introduces synergies between different builds and opens up new strategies for dealing with the game’s toughest encounters.