Delving back into Wraeclast

Path of Exile came out on PS4 a few days ago and I've been playing it quite a bit since. I last played the game a couple of years back on PC and spent a not inconsiderable amount of time on it. Developer Grinding Gear Games has continued to add more and more content to the game, to the point that the amount of things you can do in it is starting to become pretty ridiculous.

For some background, Path of Exile is an action RPG in the tradition of Diablo II. The narrative surrounding the game is that it's a truer successor to that game than Blizzard's own Diablo 3 actually ended up being. I enjoy both games, but the amount of depth in Path of Exile is truly staggering by comparison and for that reason I prefer it.

To start with, there were three acts in the base game during the initial release. A fourth act was added at a later date and if I'm remembering correctly, the game was scaled to be played through multiple times on different difficulties, just like with most ARPGs of this type. Later on, there was a gargantuan update to the game that expanded the number of acts in the game to a whopping ten, with each set of new acts escalating in difficulty. I love this idea, because I've never been a huge fan of playing through the same content over and over, slightly remixed. The verdicts is still out (for me) on how much these new acts actually change up the game, however.

I love almost everything about the way Path of Exile is designed, from its massive spiderweb of a skill tree ala Final Fantasy X, its emphasis on the management of three important stats, its huge variety of different skills and skill types, and the dizzying variety of different mechanics that are introduced in each new update. Even the currency system is really unique and interesting. If there's anything about the game that I don't love, it's that the art direction is pretty dull and dreary, but the gameplay more than makes up for it.

I'm playing through the game cooperatively with a Shadow, the first Path of Exile class I ever played when I first picked it up years ago. I'm kind of making up my build as I go, but it's currently centered around the Frost Blades skill, which increases your character's melee attack range, deals Cold damage, and fires off a fan of projectiles from your targeted enemies. It's pretty fun and seems to mow down a lot of enemies pretty quickly. My girlfriend and cooperative partner is playing a Witch with a summon-centric build, which I'm always a fan of, even if things do get hectic when the screen is blotted out by an army of zombies, phantasms, and flaming skulls.

It's been a long time since I last played the game so I'm excited to really dive back into it. I want to see all the content I missed, including all the oddball mechanics introduced in previous limited-time Leagues. I'm already confused by stuff like memory nexuses, the ability to seek prophecies, and sacrificing captured animals to a blood altar--but I'm sure I'll figure it out.