Any Steemian here playing Path of Exile? (POE for short)

If you loved Diablo or any other mmorpg /dungeon crawler game, you will definitely fall head over heels with this one. As described in their website: "Path of Exile is an online Action RPG set in the dark fantasy world of Wraeclast. It is designed around a strong online item economy, deep character customisation, competitive PvP and ladder races. The game is completely free and will never be "pay to win".

I am a beta player of POE so i am quite knowledgeable about the game . POE was officially released on October 23, 2013. The hype was real, as Path of Exile was named 2013 PC Game of the Year by GameSpot and best PC role-playing game of 2013 by IGN. Imagine it was just officially released 2 months before the start of 2014.

The greatest thing about this game is that you are not bound by your character class. No default skills per class, YOU CAN USE ANY SKILL THAT YOU WANT!!! (to be discussed later) But they are inclined on 1 or a mix of 2 (except Scion class which all 3) of the 3 base stats in the game: Strength, Dexterity & Intelligence. With the dawn of The Ascendancy expansion pack last March 4, 2016, you have now access to three ascendancy classes for each base class, except the Scion which has only one ascendancy class.

MARAUDER - Strength

RANGER - Dexterity

WITCH - Intelligence

DUELIST - Strength/Dexterity

TEMPLAR - Strength/Intelligence

SHADOW - Dexterity/Intelligence

SCION - Strength/Dexterity/Intelligence

(image source of classes: http://www.pathofexile.com/ascendancy/classes)

LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS SHALL WE?

The 2 core points of this game for me are:

1. The Skill Gems

2. The Extensive Passive Skill Tree

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THE SKILL GEMS

In Path Of Exile, we make use of these wonderful shiny trinket called SKILL GEMS. These gems will ultimately define your character as you progress deeper in the world of Wraeclast. These gems are needed to be placed on their appropriate color socket (red - strength, green - dexterity, & blue - intelligence) in order for the skill to be active. I will give you a short & simple overview of the gems available in the game. If you wish for a more detailed explanation of the Skill Gem system check this out: https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Skill_gem.

First is the ACTIVE skill gem which means a skill that you use on command. They have different & complex modifiers which you really need to delve into so you maximize your destructive potential. Check the SUNDER skill gem. The modifiers "Attack" means it does physical damage, "Aoe" = area of effect, "Melee" = needs a melee weapon equipped.

Next up is the SUPPORT skill gem which augments your active skill gems. They modify the linked skill gem to give them a much need boost in terms of damage, increased status effects/duration. Take note that multiple support gems can be linked to a skill gem (and vice versa), but it also will increase the mana cost of the the skill. Look at the FASTER ATTACKS SUPPORT skill gem which increases the supported attack skills attack speed.

Our next skill gem is the ever present area of effect called AURA skill gem. They could either be a buff or debuff that affects a certain area within a radius of person or an enemy. They range from increasing or adding elemental damage of your active skills, to slowing enemies or lowering their armor/elemental resistance. The HATRED aura increases your damage by adding extra cold damage to your attacks.

Similar to aura yet it exclusively affects you is the HERALD skill gem. Nothing much too say, it basically gives the user a damage buff & also has special effect upon killing an enemy in a certain condition. The HERALD OF ASH provides you extra fire damage that burns enemies near a killed enemy, the burn is based on the overkill damage.

Here we have another skill gem for debuffing enemies in an area known as the CURSE skill gem. They apply temporary debuff but can be refreshed by applying it again. Curses have a limit of one at a time, but can be modified by certain skills and items. The VULNERABILITY curse increases the physical damage & damage over time taken by a unit.

They are just a basic rundown of the skill gems in the game. They are far from complete & detailed. Do check out the link mentioned above for a more comprehensive explanation. :)
(all other photos are my own screenshot. Thank you. xD)

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PASSIVE SKILL TREE

(image source: https://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1552704)

Oh no no no, you are not looking at some alien symbols or ancient artwork. Yes that is the passive skill tree.

No other game has this huge & vast skill tree. Nothing can be compared to this. It's an extensive network of passive skill nodes that will hugely affect your character. You gain skill points through leveling up & completing certain quests.

YOU BUILD YOUR CHARACTER WHATEVER YOU WANT IT TO BE.

The possibilities are endless. You can focus on your aligned attributes or build an exotic character. Make a witch that swings her axe hard, or a marauder dishing out lightning bolts everywhere.

Your choice, your rules.

Hope you enjoyed my not-so-quick game review for this fantastic game.
If you are interested to give Path of Exile a try, go to
https://www.pathofexile.com/game, download it & have a wonderful time theorycrafting & bringing your badass character into life. PM me, Grievr in game & i will help you with all that i have got. (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

Keep on Steemin'!
(๑>◡<๑)

YOU CAN USE ANY SKILL THAT YOU WANT!!! PATH OF EXILE! (NOT-SO-QUICK GAME REVIEWS # 1)