Path of Exile 2

Game images by RAWG

Path of Exile 2

Grinding Gear Games

PCFree-to-play

Health Score

DECENT

Watch Gameplay

About This Game

Super Review

Path of Exile 2 offers a complex action RPG experience where players endlessly customize characters and battle through a dark fantasy world. While its deep systems can foster strategic thinking, parents should be aware of its mature themes, online social risks, and the presence of optional purchases inherent to its free-to-play model.

Super Review

Parent verdict

This free-to-play action RPG provides a challenging and deep experience best suited for older players who appreciate intricate character building and a dark fantasy setting. With a health score of 43, it's a qualified fit, largely due to its mature content, the social dynamics of online multiplayer, and a monetization model that, while not explicitly predatory, offers convenience or cosmetic purchases. Parental guidance is strongly advised to help navigate these aspects and ensure a balanced play experience.

What players actually do

Players engage in fast-paced combat against hordes of fantasy monsters and formidable bosses, exercising tactical decision-making for skill use and positioning.
Players continuously customize their characters through extensive skill trees and gear choices, encouraging strategic planning and experimentation with different playstyles.
Players explore diverse, often dark and gritty, dungeon environments, collecting loot and managing inventories to improve their character's power.

Where it shines

The game encourages teamwork and cooperation in its online multiplayer, requiring players to coordinate strategies and support each other through challenging encounters.
Its extensive character customization options and deep skill system promote experimentation and long-term engagement, fostering problem-solving skills as players optimize their builds.

Parent watch-outs

The game features fantasy violence and some horror elements, including dark themes and creature designs that may be unsettling for younger players.
Online multiplayer exposes players to interactions with strangers, carrying inherent social risks such as exposure to inappropriate language or behavior.
As a free-to-play title, it includes optional in-game purchases that, while not required to play, can provide cosmetic enhancements or quality-of-life advantages.

Family rules worth setting

Set clear time limits for play sessions to prevent excessive engagement with its endless progression loops.
Discuss and establish guidelines for online interactions, emphasizing respectful communication and reporting any inappropriate behavior to parents.

Talk about this

Discuss the free-to-play model: how it works, what the optional purchases offer, and whether those purchases are truly necessary or just conveniences.
Talk about the darker themes and fantasy violence encountered in the game, encouraging players to process the content and differentiate it from reality.

Play style

Sessions can be as short as clearing a few zones or as long as hours spent optimizing a character build or pushing endgame content. The difficulty is significant, often described as 'Souls-like' with challenging boss encounters and complex mechanics. While playable solo, the game strongly supports and encourages co-op play, which can alleviate some difficulty and enhance the social experience. Players may need help understanding complex systems or overcoming particularly tough challenges.

Score Breakdown

Positive Aspects

Educational Value

1/5

Creativity

2/5

Pro-Social

3/5

Risk Factors

Addictive Monetization

2/5

Time Pressure / FOMO

2/5

Social Risk

3/5

Content Intensity

3/5

Why this rating

Educational Value

1/5

The game's primary focus is on combat, loot, and character progression within a fantasy setting, offering minimal direct educational benefit. While strategic planning is involved, it does not translate into academic or real-world learning contexts, leading to a low score of 1.

Addictive Monetization

2/5

As a free-to-play title, Path of Exile 2 incorporates optional purchases, which, according to the negatives, 'can provide advantages' and implies potential pressure. However, without evidence of aggressively manipulative design or pay-to-win mechanics, it receives a moderate risk score of 2, indicating monetization is present but not overtly addictive.

Social Risk

3/5

The game's online multiplayer inherently carries social risks, including interaction with strangers and potential exposure to unmoderated communication. This common risk in online gaming, explicitly mentioned in the negatives, warrants a moderate social risk score of 3.

Content Intensity

3/5

Path of Exile 2 features 'fantasy violence and some horror elements,' along with 'dark fantasy' themes and a 'dark' aesthetic. These elements, which could be frightening for younger players, justify a moderate content intensity score of 3.

Negatives

•Contains fantasy violence and some horror elements, potentially frightening for younger players.
•Online multiplayer carries inherent social risks, including interaction with strangers.
•Free-to-play model may include optional purchases that can provide advantages.

Positives

•Encourages teamwork and cooperation in online multiplayer.
•Offers extensive character customization and build variety, fostering experimentation.
•Players can learn about strategic planning and decision-making through complex skill trees.