Secret Lovers
DANIEL WILKS betrays one great love for a dalliance with another
For the last few years I’ve had one mainstay game that’s consumed most of my non-work gaming time. That game is Path of Exile, the NZ created, free-to-play action RPG by Grinding Gear Games. I’ve taken a step away from PoE for a couple of months. By the time you read this an expansion that takes the game from being four acts to ten acts will have dropped and I’ll doubtlessly be fighting my way through Wraeclast again, but in the run up to the release I took a break. Not from gaming, just from PoE, and that break came in the form of jumping head first into the strange world of GR pushing in Diablo III.
For those of you not familiar with Diablo III, the end game is made up of Rift running. Rifts are multi-level, timed dungeons that challenge players to kill enough enemies to summon a Rift Guardian (the big boss) before the timer runs out. Greater Rifts come in levels, from one, the easiest level, through to, theoretically, infinity. Last season the highest level anyone reached was GR 113. In the down time between seasons, some Necromancer builds have been able to complete a GR 115. So far the highest I have been able to complete is some Greater Rifts in the low 60s, and while I’ll never be able to compete at the top tier, I think it has given me a pretty good glimpse at the fundamental workings of Diablo III and the seasonal end game approach.
Although they ostensibly fill the same market space, Path of Exile and Diablo III display almost diametrically opposed approaches to ARPG design, from character creation through to end game, but both of which are equally well designed and implemented. Diablo III is very much a modern Blizzard game, paring down the mechanics to a very solid core, making the title easily accessible but with enough depth to reward play. The major problem with the approach and Diablo III as a whole, is that the limited scope of skills available to each class and the reliance of armour sets for powerful buffs means that the game really revolves around cookie cutter builds for any meaningful success in end game. There is some scope for creativity in tweaking these endgame builds, but these tweaks are minor for the most part, and if they are successful usually get integrated into the base cookie cutter spec.
Path of Exile takes the opposite approach with their massive passive tree and use of skill
Path of Exile and Diablo III display almost diametrically opposed approaches to ARPG design
and support gems to create abilities. While gear does come into play when it comes to skills – a six-link skill will be more powerful than a five-link and there are a few items that are required for specific builds (like Low Life) – but for the most part builds rely more on theorycrafting and understanding mechanics more than having specific gear sets. The downside to this is that it’s all too easy to create builds that start strong but can’t cut it in end game, or create builds that are too reliant on the whims of RNGesus.
Both games adopt a seasonal approach to content, but the way they work again is almost diametrically opposed. Diablo III seasons are competitions for the most part, challenging players to complete a number of tasks to first unlock item sets to get started on pushing higher level Greater Rifts in the end game, and then to push the highest level rifts possible. PoE seasons introduce a new gameplay mechanic that runs throughout the entire experience as well as new items and occasionally skill gems, making both the levelling process and end game feel new. On top of that there are frequent races and events for cosmetic prizes.
In theory I’m much more partial to the PoE approach, but if the experience of the last couple of weeks is indicative of anything, it’s that the highly structured nature of the Diablo III end game and seasonal approach is immensely compelling and immediately rewarding, especially if you’re something of a completionist like me. Completing challenges for rewards of gear sets gives an immediate sense of progress. Chapters 2-4 of the seasonal journey each reward you with two pieces of a class specific gear set, allowing anyone to see the massive leap of power that comes with set gear bonuses, launching them directly into the end game instead of leaving them to grind for better items to make that first real step to the end. The structure gives immediate satisfaction and a constant feel of progress, and even as the challenges get harder you can still see a path to completion rather than feeling as though it’s impossible.
By the time you’re reading this I’ll be back with PoE, revelling in the chaos and trying to create interesting builds that use interesting interactions of skill gems and passives. Not every build will be able to achieve end-game goals, but the builds will be mine and I’ll find my satisfaction there. Still, brief sojourns into a world of relative simplicity and order are going to become a stable part of my gaming life I think.