Path of Exile 2 has been in early access for about a month, and fans of the top-down RPG genre are in love with it. Many flocked from Diablo IV to PoE 2 within days and haven’t looked back. The player count for Diablo IV has plummeted, while Path of Exile 2’s has skyrocketed far beyond what anyone expected. Fans have rallied behind the ARPG, with some referring to it as a staple in the genre, especially on PC.

The Path of Exile series was only a small blip on my radar that I didn’t focus on. After giving it a chance, I quickly fell in love with the second title in the series - realizing that it was much better than the Diablo franchise I used to find so appealing. This changed, however, thanks to the acquisition of Blizzard. Now, I recognize that Blizzard has long since abandoned its fanbase, and it becomes more apparent after trying out Path of Exile 2.

Diablo and Path of Exile have different takes on combat

A cluttered mess VS. refined work

Both titles should offer a similar combat experience, but where Diablo IV’s is a bit of a chaotic mess, Path of Exile 2’s is streamlined and gives you satisfaction. Diablo IV is constantly throwing dots on the screen to give you that rush of dopamine and make you feel as though you are firing off fantastic spells or tearing through enemies with blind rage, but in reality, you are just creating a color mess on the screen that does little to actually harm the enemies. If your attacks were a dog, they would have a tremendous bark but offer no bite.

Path of Exile 2, on the other hand, allows you to feel the weight of your attacks. Each move is more than just a splash of color on the screen or a rumble in the game’s digital ground. You get to see what your skills do, and they have a serious effect on the surrounding enemies. At no point does the screen feel overly chaotic and cluttered. Instead of a mess of damage numbers and flashy effects overtaking the screen, you get simplified moves that have a direct purpose and can accurately gauge how hefty your attack is based on the health bar that appears at the top of the screen, indicating what enemy you are attacking. Diablo has become a game of frantic button-mashing with little skill.

The progression system matters

Straightforward progress VS. a wide array of options and choice

Diablo IV offers fairly direct skill trees that each follow a main path with a few branches. Along with this, your character is enhanced by equipping various pieces of gear. The issue with this is that your character has an extreme dependency on gear with few other ways to progress. The skill tree offers very little when you break it down, making gear your primary focus.

This also doesn’t allow for much build diversity because you have to stick to the limited number of bonuses you can use for each skill. The dependency on gear often makes the game feel more tedious, as you need to grind out boss fights to enhance yourself and don’t get an opportunity to do much experimentation. Overall, there’s very little room for customization.

Path of Exile 2’s progression allows you to experiment in ways I have never seen in an ARPG before. Skills can be enhanced with support gems, which give you small bonuses and allow you to alter your skills accordingly. Along with this, you have access to a massive passive skill menu with hundreds of bonuses. While this may feel overwhelming initially, each route is easy to follow and has many branching paths that allow you to customize your character as you see fit. Better yet, almost any build that you create will feel powerful and give you a sense of accomplishment.

Blizzard has become too focused on profit rather than on its fans

Money doesn't matter when it comes to fans

Grinding Gear Games has shown that it knows what it is doing with Path of Exile 2. The developers remain in contact with fans and let players know what is being worked on. Players can reach out, talk to the developers, and get help if something is wrong. This is the benefit of a smaller development studio that cares about the fans. It also shows how out of touch Blizzard is when developing a game like Diablo IV.

Regarding Diablo IV, it has become obvious that Blizzard thought more about making a game that pleases shareholders and sells thanks to its name, rather than crafting a memorable experience like it did when making the original Diablo game and Diablo 2. The game feels like a chore, with many bosses being predictable and messy. Exploring the world often feels repetitive, with little to see, and progressing is a slugfest. As many have said, the game feels more like a thrown-together mobile game rather than a triple-A experience, especially with how many microtransactions appear in the menu.

With how out of touch Blizzard has become with its fanbase, Diablo IV has seen a massive drop in payer count. Once, the Steam numbers showed that it had over 50,000 concurrent players. This number has dropped to around 5,000 and doesn’t show signs of improving except during new seasons. It has become clear that Blizzard doesn’t understand how to make Diablo anymore and should leave it to other studios to pick up the slack.

The community says it all

And they aren't happy

As mentioned briefly, the Path of Exile community is aware of what is happening in the game. Currently, the team is working on implementing changes fans talked about shortly after the game was released in early access. The team posts regularly on its forum page to keep players informed. Grinding Gear Games has shown that it cares about what the community has to say and makes changes to the game accordingly. Fans have praised the developers for keeping them in the loop and listening to their concerns.

Blizzard, on the other hand, is notoriously known for ignoring the wants and needs of its community. Diablo VI players have asked about changing the meta and making it possible to play using more diverse builds. Instead of implementing these changes, Blizzard released a massive update that nerfed many of the game’s classes, severely impacting the damage players did across the board. The team doesn’t appear to listen to the players unless it means the difference between selling the game or not.

A change is needed

Now we just need to hope Blizzard listens

The Diablo series has gone downhill since the second installment in the series. As Blizzard grew, so did its desire for profit, and it shows by the way the developer ignores its fans, creating a game that many find appalling compared to its predecessors. Meanwhile, Grinding Gear Games has proven it has what it takes to surpass Blizzard’s popular title. Path of Exile 2 has a greater fan base, and the game is consistently monitored and cared for by a developer who listens to its fans.