Ever since the announcement of Diablo Immortal’s mobile release during BlizzCon, Diablo’s hardcore PC fanbase has been largely unimpressed. When you add the “Don’t you guys have any phones?” remark into the equation, the result was just added fuel a fire that already had the makings of a blazing inferno. While Diablo 3 is indeed an excellent RPG with plenty of enemies to fell with plenty of adventures to take on and reasons to keep coming back, Path of Exile is another great option for Diablo fans that’s filled to the brim with similarities.
Make no mistake about it though, while Path of Exile borrows a little from Diablo, it also has enough unique mechanics to help it stand on its own two feet.
Storyline
Diablo 3 has a polished and entertaining storyline that ties with the first two games, Diablo and Diablo 2. The plot is diverse, with characters you’ll remember from the other games. You’ll be exploring swamps, deserts, catacombs, and a variety of lands throughout the world in Diablo 3. The maps are immersive and practically all places feel as though they were part of a terrifyingly dark war.
In Path of Exile, the story features a dark and decidedly more disturbing storyline. Overall, the game focuses more on gameplay rather than the plot. There’s still a narrative here to traverse through, but it just isn’t as expansive as Diablo 3, which has three games’ worth of lore that’s been built up over the years. There are various regions to discover throughout Path of Exile, with the occasional expansions and new areas sprinkled in after release.
Developers
The entire Diablo series has been made by Blizzard. This is the same studio that brought us World of Warcraft, Starcraft, Overwatch, and Hearthstone. The developers of Blizzard have huge backing in terms of budget when it comes to making games, which is something that’s readily apparent when you play Diablo 3. The game feels and looks really polished and optimized as can be. It even has cut scenes and voice acting incorporated within the game. However, do note that the Diablo games are buy-to-play games where your only “upgrade” options are the further purchase of the deluxe or collector’s editions.
PoE was made by Grinding Gear Games (or GGG for short). The only game they have is PoE, so they won’t be making money from other projects, unlike Blizzard. While they’re a relatively small company, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. With PoE being their only game, they have the luxury to focus all their resources completely on PoE. The developers over at Grinding Gear Games routinely gift gamers with new content and updates and they’re not stopping anytime soon. Compared to Diablo, Path of Exile is a free-to-play game with options to use micro transactions to get cosmetic items and things like stash tabs to store more items. PoE is not a pay-to-win game by any means, but you can get PoE currency and PoE orbs through third-party websites like PlayerAuctions.
Combat Styles of Diablo and PoE
The combat of Diablo is click-oriented, with floating damage that pop up over enemies’ heads and plenty of visual effects that push you to keep playing. Each class feels different when you swap between them, and the enemies can deal various types of damage. The combat in Diablo can be casual enough for newcomers while being hardcore enough to whet the appetite of veteran players.
Path of Exile, on the other hand, is more on the hardcore side of things as it is marked by intense combat tactics. Mechanics such as stuns, teleporting, puncturing, and other skills come to play. Compared to Diablo 3, there are no damage values that are displayed on top of the enemy when attacks are executed.
The Overall Verdict
While the graphics and movement are a bit more polished in the Diablo series, Path of Exile gives Diablo fans more complexity—if that’s what they’re looking for. It would be hard to say which game is better though, since there are a lot of factors involved and both games are different in a sense. If you’re a Diablo fan who’s looking for more hardcore combat and an intricate combat system and economy, Path of Exile is the way to go.
This is a sponsored post on behalf of PlayerAuctions.
