What's up, gamers? How's everyone doing? I hope everything's going well on your end. So, after all that traveling since I started my new adventure with the Templar class, I've finally made it to the Prisoner's Gate in Path of Exile. In yesterday's post, I mentioned I had to take down some guy named Brutus in the Prison, and well, I finally found him, defeated him, reached the Prisoner's Gate, and now I have to continue down the Path of the Emperor. Let me tell you all about this wild journey.

The Hunt for Brutus: A Prison Odyssey

Getting to Brutus wasn't exactly a walk in the park, but it wasn't an absolute nightmare either, which I'm honestly grateful for. If the game becomes unplayable due to difficulty spikes, it just gets boring, you know? Staying in the prison world, I began exploring, and let me tell you, I definitely didn't explore this prison level completely. It's massive. There are so many crossroads, hallways, and even hidden puzzles scattered throughout. So I decided to focus on the main quest for now, but the good thing is that I can always return to these worlds and complete everything else later without any issues.
The Lower Prison and Upper Prison aren't that different from each other, honestly. Both are completely infested with monsters, and one enemy type that really stands out are these Necromancer Diabolas that resurrect all the dead. The corpses of the enemies you've killed are in a constant state of respawn, which gets incredibly annoying. Something I couldn't do on either floor was purge The Hive. On the first floor, when I found it, I went straight to the next exit, and in the Upper Prison, I just couldn't find it at all.

Face to Face with the Lord Incarcerator

Then I entered this part called the Guardian's Cage or Cave, and here's the thing: there are no monsters in this area. You just walk through the map until you reach the biggest, baddest boss of them all: Brutus himself. So basically, you enter a hallway and boom, he appears out of nowhere. He doesn't give you time for anything. However, the battle itself isn't that difficult, or at least that's how it seemed with my Templar character. If I had been playing with the Assassin, it probably would've cost me a lot more. This Templar is pretty damn strong.

Let me tell you a bit about Brutus for those who don't know his story. This guy was the Warden of Axiom Prison and one of the most feared men in the Eternal Empire. But the dude crossed the line between man and monster a long time ago. In a desperate attempt at immortality, Brutus commissioned dark practitioners to transform him. The halls of the Prison echoed with his awful shrieking for days during the transformation. When it was over, he had become a hideous, hulking mutant. In his rage, he murdered all the Necromancers who transformed him and went on a rampage through the prison. The guards had no choice but to seal him in the upper level, where he's been trapped ever since, pounding his fists bloody against the walls trying to escape.

Fighting Brutus requires some strategy, even though he's not impossibly hard. His hits are slow but incredibly powerful. You need to pay close attention to his movements, especially when he starts his ground slam attack. Your best bet is to dodge that thing at all costs. He can also pull you in with his chain, and while this ability can hit his allies, it won't damage them, only you. As the fight progresses, Brutus starts using spike traps and calls for reinforcements from caged skeletons hanging from the ceiling. The key is hit-and-run tactics, just like taking down any big enemy. Keep moving, strike when you can, and don't get greedy with your attacks.

Welcome to the Prisoner's Gate

After defeating Brutus, I finally made it out to the Prisoner's Gate. Finally, the destination I'd been working toward. As soon as you arrive, you encounter the waypoint teleporter, which immediately sends you back to town. All that traveling just to go right back as soon as you arrive, haha! When you return to town, you talk to Nessa and the other vendor to get your reward, which is a skill gem. Once that's done, they tell you to return to the Prisoner's Gate to continue along the Path of the Emperor.

The Prisoner's Gate itself is quite an interesting area. It's characterized by these cliffs that seem to watch you with goatish eyes, as the game description says. The area has a waypoint and connects to The Upper Prison (though you can't access it from the Prisoner's Gate direction), The Ship Graveyard, and The Western Forest. It's essentially your gateway to Act 2, though there's a catch. When you approach the exit heading north to the Western Forest, this character named Piety appears and blocks your path by activating some kind of magical barrier. To deactivate this barrier, you need to approach it from the other side during the quest "The Way Forward," which you can't complete until you're in Act 2. It's one of those classic game design moments where you can see where you need to go but can't get there yet.

New Enemies and Fresh Challenges

The layout of Prisoner's Gate is pretty unique. Either the left or right side of the starting area will have a small cliff indicating that's where the path continues. The rest of the area consists of a series of three more open spaces separated by cliffs and connected by narrow passages. It can be a bit confusing at first, especially if you're trying to figure out which way leads to progression versus which paths lead to dead ends. The area itself is around level 10, so the enemies match that difficulty.

The native monsters in this area are no joke. They can resist lightning or fire damage and deal both physical and lightning damage. Some of them can even deal fire damage over time, so you need to watch your resistances and health carefully. So far, with my Templar character, I haven't encountered any world that demands more from my level than what I currently have, which is nice. The game has been maintaining a good difficulty curve that challenges me without being frustratingly impossible.

What Lies Ahead on the Path of the Emperor

So here we are, gamers, standing at the beginning of the Prisoner's Gate, facing new enemies and fresh challenges. The Path of the Emperor awaits, and I'm curious to see what this new chapter will throw at me. Will the difficulty ramp up significantly? Will I need to grind more levels before progressing? Will I finally get some better gear drops? Only time will tell.

One thing I've learned playing Path of Exile is that the game does an excellent job of gradually introducing new mechanics and enemy types. Each new area feels distinct and presents its own unique challenges. The Prison levels taught me about dealing with necromancers and constant enemy respawns. Brutus showed me the importance of patience and timing in boss fights. Now, the Prisoner's Gate and whatever lies beyond will surely have their own lessons to teach.

The beauty of Path of Exile is that it rewards both careful planning and aggressive play. With the Templar class, I've been able to tank quite a bit of damage while still dealing respectable offense. The skill tree is absolutely massive, and I'm still figuring out the optimal path for my build. Do I focus more on defense and life? Do I invest in specific damage types? Do I grab utility nodes for better resource management? These are the questions that keep the game engaging beyond just the hack-and-slash combat.

Reflections on the Journey So Far

Looking back at where I started and where I am now, it's been quite the journey. From washing up on the shores of Wraeclast to fighting through hordes of undead and monstrous creatures, from navigating the twisted passages of the prison to finally standing at the Prisoner's Gate, every step has been an adventure. The game's atmosphere is incredibly immersive, with its dark, gritty aesthetic and the constant sense of danger lurking around every corner.

The lore is also fascinating. Little details like Brutus's backstory, the history of Axiom Prison, and the various characters you meet in town all contribute to a rich world that feels lived-in and authentic. Path of Exile doesn't just throw you into a generic action RPG; it gives you a world with history, consequences, and real stakes.

I'm also appreciating the game's design philosophy of letting players return to previous areas. Knowing that I can go back to the prison levels to complete side objectives and explore areas I missed takes some of the pressure off. It allows me to focus on progression when I want to push forward and take my time exploring when I'm in the mood for thoroughness.

High expectations for what's to come

As I prepare to embark on the Path of the Emperor, I'm excited about what's coming. New areas mean new monsters, new challenges, and hopefully some better loot. My Templar is feeling strong, but I know the game will test me in new ways. That's part of what makes Path of Exile so compelling—it constantly evolves and presents fresh obstacles to overcome.

I'm also curious about the story developments ahead. What role does Piety play in all this? Why is she blocking the path with magical barriers? What exactly is the Path of the Emperor, and where will it lead? These questions drive me forward, making me want to explore every corner and uncover every secret.

For now, I'm taking a moment to appreciate this milestone. Reaching the Prisoner's Gate feels like completing the first real chapter of my adventure. The tutorial phase is over, the training wheels are off, and now the real journey begins. Whatever challenges await me in the Western Forest and beyond, I'm ready to face them head-on with my Templar's hammer in hand.

So, hey gamers, that's where we're at. The Prisoner's Gate is behind me, the Path of the Emperor stretches ahead, and I couldn't be more pumped to see what comes next. If you've played Path of Exile before, you know the journey only gets more intense from here. If you haven't played it yet, I highly recommend giving it a shot. It's a deep, rewarding experience that respects your time while challenging your skills.

See you tomorrow in the next post, where we'll dive deeper into what the Path of the Emperor has in store. Until then, keep grinding, keep exploring, and most importantly, keep having fun out there in Wraeclast!