Path of Exile Launches New Badass Leagues

I’ll just come out and say it: Diablo 3 was poorly received because it didn’t meet player expectations and not because it was a bad game. Most of Diablo 3 was tremendously fun but ground to a halt in the end-game. Thankfully, Grinding Gears Games has a clever and exciting plan to meet player end-game expectations in their free-to-play action RPG Path of Exile. They’re introducing two new limited engagement modes of play that offer unique (and real world!) rewards for the most dedicated of players.

Quarterly Leagues

Two new leagues were unveiled with the latest 0.11.0 patch: Anarchy and Onslaught. In case you’re not familiar with leagues, you pick a league for your characters at their creation. Most will belong to the Standard League, which is the “normal” game. The Hardcore League twists the normal game by introducing permadeath. (Characters in the Hardcore League are moved to the Standard League postmortem for continued play.)

The Anarchy League is a four-month long “softcore” league where the exiles of Wraeclast have gone absolutely bonkers. The game will populate the world with thirteen extremely dangerous computer controlled exiles that will use player skills and items. If the players, to use the developer’s words, “manage to kill one” of these bosses they’ll receive a magic (or better!) piece of loot for every equipment slot! The combination of such a lucrative reward and the looming threat of an enemy exile popping out of the woodwork? Sounds compelling.

The Onslaught League is also a four-month long hardcore league where everything on Awful Island is even more awfuller. The movement, attack, and casting speed of all monsters is increased and any character that dies is immediately shunted to the Standard League. I have to give credit to Grinding Gears Games for taking hardcore to a new level. Listen up developers: sometimes you have to listen to your crazy fans and give them what they want.

Challenges and Swag

Players have been screaming for an official achievement system in Path of Exile for some time. GGG has introduced a new Challenges system in this patch that’s linked to the Anarchy and Onslaught Leagues as their pilot program for broader achievements. While the list isn’t enormous, many of the challenges will be extremely tough and require a lot of time to complete. Many of the challenges are specifically linked to the time-sensitive four month leagues, so you’ll have to complete challenges like “Reach level 60 with each of the six character classes in Onslaught” within the time limit.

What is your reward for completing these challenges in the same four-month period of time, besides getting a zillion hours of fun out of this game? An exclusive-ass t-shirt in real-ass life. Amazing.

The two new leagues also introduce new categories of items (new rings and amulets) and has a few key uniques missing from the normal game. GGG said that this was to both test a new metagame without certain items. And the chance to snag powerful League-specific loot to use in Standard after the four month timer expires is certainly a draw.

Setting Expectations, Not Chasing Them

I haven’t spent too much time with Path of Exile since I last wrote my positive review. Not only do these new two leagues have me excited to play again but they’re proof that Grind Gears Games is taking Path of Exile into uncharted territory. Action RPG buffs often demand the golden days of Mephisto and Bloody Foothill runs. GGG knows what Blizzard didn’t: refined player tastes and higher expectations make “going home” to Diablo 2 impossible. Instead, they’re taking a different path: new sanctioned game modes that keep the game fresh for those that can’t get enough. And if they get to mail out a few shirts to swag-hungry hardcores, then more power to them.

So do what I did: load up the Path of Exile launcher, patch your game, and jump back in. It’s worth it.