Multiplayer takes a big leap and now there are a million branches on multiplayer gaming, one of them being MMORPGs. For those who don’t know what that huge term means, it is short for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. The words are self-explanatory, so I don’t have to explain more. Nowadays, games are starting to become MMORPGs. Even games that are purely made for single player are now getting affected by the multiplayer syndrome. The God of War series, which was a purely single player game series, was later on added with the multiplayer feature which actually saved God of War Ascension from being a total flop in the eyes of many people. There are also games that were created for the sake of multiplayer gaming. Dota/Dota 2 from the Dota franchise are popular MMORPGs that hit the billion dollar marks even before they realized it. Such kind of games do not easily die out. In an MMORPG, anything is possible at any point of time. If you are all alone at one instance, then the next time you play, you might just have a full team with you. Such kind of games have become a really huge hit among gamers. One such game is called Path of Exile. From the outside it looks like the game which, if downloaded, will plant a virus in your PC and scam all your info. But, since it was in Steam, I figured, why the heck not?
Map of the Wraeclast Empire. Couldn’t find a proper poster.
The trailer is a really ecstatic one. Come to think, which one is not? But this one caught my eye, and it was really cool on how they managed to create a game with such a wide point of view. Not only did they concentrate on the multiplayer feature itself, it also gives you the feel of single player too. You can either choose to tag along with them in adventures, or you can run solo and try killing baddies for XP points. You can also have a healthy interaction with them and trade stuff for fun. I met a few people along the way, and they gave me these potions which happen to give 3000 armor for a duration of 4 – 5 seconds. I figured I try it out then, but the level I need to use it was pretty high, compared to where I was. That gave me full incentive to finish the game. Around mid way through I met some under-ranked people and helped them out by giving away some weapons and armor. It is a really good way to make friends in Path of Exile.
The story is based out in a simple manner, but gets complicated with every step you take. Essentially, you are a warrior betrayed by the kingdom of Wraeclast and its king, Dominus. You are an Exile, outcast of the kingdom. Instead of using the chance of exiles to be free of the shackles, you chose to reclaim yourself and try to get revenge on Dominus. Dominus, famed himself as a King of Kings. But after he stumbled upon a mysterious power, he controlled it and started to play God with it. Now it your mission to take yourself through the kingdom of Wraeclast, lay waste to the enemies you confront, and kill Dominus. By the way, not as easy as it seems. It is brilliantly tough. Expected the most unexpected to happen to you.
Path of Exile is also a pretty neat game. For a free game, it is one of the best you could find. I couldn’t believe it myself when I saw that this was free. I had to check it out, and by the time I finished downloading, I was asking to myself “Is there anything else, Steam? No payment? Nothing? Dayum.” It was awesome when I started playing it because it took me a really less time to get engrossed into it. Next thing I realized, it was 3 in the morning and I was playing for around 4 – 5 hours on a stretch. I know, I know, health alert. But what can I say, it was just too good.
A really well equipped Marauder, that looks like it lives off kicking butt.
There are, although, certain bugs that can be spotted rather easily. But, the fun part is that these bugs can be used to YOUR advantage, if you know them rather well. It is a piece of work that has faults and needs a bit more polishing, but these bugs and glitches can be used against your foes. There is a time bug that I kept facing every time I fought enemies. I would hit someone, and after a second later, I would deal damage to him. It is kind of bugging (hehehe) at the start, but once you play the game for a good amount of time, you will learn to use the bug to your advantage. I just had to hit someone and after running a good distance from them I would see them explode in to pieces while they are trying to run after me. Sorry souls they were. There are a couple of more bugs that would be annoying because they would normally end up getting you killed in the weirdest fashion, but after practice I worked a plan around it and ended up killing enemies or escaping from them. I like to call that bug “Time Lapse”.
One of the game’s greatest feature is the growth pool. The growth pool is what defines the character you play, and it helps you make your character smarter, stronger, agile or all three of them in battle. With every increase in a level, you get a XP point, which can be used in upgrading the ability from the choices you get. Remember, the abilities you get are highly dependent on the character you choose. I am the more suicidal and destructive type person, so I chose this melee warrior called the Marauder, and it was pretty clear that I had to keep upgrading his melee attacks. Same point applies to other characters in a similar manner. Rangers are ranged and agile and will require agility or ranged upgrades. Witches require Intelligence and have to upgrade either their Intelligence or Wand Magic Damage (I would go for Wand Damage, that upgrades your spells and stuff too). In this manner there are six characters at the start, and a secret hero that you would unlock once you finish the game. Choose your character wisely.
Boss heroes are also pretty interesting, as they get insanely tougher after every boss. Nothing much I can talk about bosses because, as much as they are interesting, they are placed in the same format. Although, there is one thing I can talk about. The creators of Path Of Exile manage movement and time in the game by creating something called phases. After every phase of eight minutes in the game, the game gets reset which removes all portals (quick teleportation) that you have activated. This feature can kind of mess your play up horribly, because if you lose a portal then you will have to go through a billion maps again, which is a really strenuous procedure. Ooh, by the way, here is a trailer of Path of Exile which should show you how good the game can be.
All in all, this is a really good game to help you kill time, because there a literally a variety of things you can do. While you whack people’s heads with a hammer, you can also cast a spell of electricity and deal added damage. Awesome.
Well that is Path of Exile for you guys, but this is only a niblet of what you can experience while playing this game. I suggest you play this game because it is good. Follow the blog for us, because that is what keeps us writing for you guys. Thanks you all, and follow the Tire, spread the word!
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