After 85-ish hours of gameplay, I have re-written my initial review of the game.
As someone entirely new to the Path of Exile series — and to the ARPG genre in general — I approached Path of Exile 2 with fresh eyes and an open mind. What I discovered exceeded my expectations in almost every way.

From the very start, the game presents an immersive, dark medieval world, with a visual style that masterfully blends gloom with glimmers of hope. For an early access title, it’s remarkably polished. No environment felt repetitive, and the atmosphere consistently pulled me deeper into the experience. While the endgame currently suffers from a limited pool of maps, this feels like a temporary shortcoming, not a structural flaw.

I experimented with several builds across multiple characters, giving me a broad perspective on gameplay diversity. My main was a Mercenary with the Witchhunter ascension, running a grenadier build with Temporalis — a fluid and explosive playstyle that rewarded quick thinking. I also tried a fast-leveling Mercenary using the Pillar of God and the broken early-game uniques, flying to level 59 in under 8 hours with a Gemstacker build. Finally, I began a textbook guide character, reaching level 17 to explore more traditional progression paths.

The leveling curve struck a near-perfect balance: rewarding enough to feel earned, yet not so stretched as to become tedious. Difficulty is finely tuned — challenging without feeling punishing. Each encounter tests your awareness, especially boss fights where positioning, timing, and understanding enemy patterns are crucial. I particularly appreciated how the game lets you build around your own strengths and weaknesses. Whether you favor high evasion, heavy armor, or raw damage, there’s a clear path to tailoring your character. Personally, I found two-handed heavy weapons especially satisfying, even though the current meta leans elsewhere.

Combat fluidity is one of the game’s standout strengths. Controls are responsive, spell rotations feel natural, and the pacing keeps you engaged. Higher-level rare enemies can slow down the tempo a bit early on, but this just deepens the tactical layer, forcing you to think and adapt rather than mindlessly charge ahead.

The narrative is decent, though I’d say character depth could use refinement. Voice acting, however, is superb — every line fully voiced, making it easy to stay immersed even if, like me, you’re sometimes too lazy to read every dialogue box. While the story starts strong, it eventually takes a backseat to build optimization and gameplay addiction. For someone who loves story-rich games, I do wish for deeper lore, more meaningful side quests, and expanded narrative content in future updates.

Monetization deserves praise. While early access requires a supporter pack, the game will be fully free-to-play at version 1.0.0. Currently, microtransactions are limited to cosmetics and stash tabs. Admittedly, stash tabs are a bit of a love-hate relationship: not essential, but very convenient if you can afford them. Supporter packs feel fairly priced, often giving in-game currency equivalent to the purchase price, alongside exclusive cosmetics. I personally went for the "King of the Faridun" bundle — not out of necessity, but to support the developers of a game I’ve grown to genuinely appreciate.

Looking forward, I’m optimistic. Grinding Gear Games has a proven track record, and while the current 0.2.0 patch has some balance and bug issues, that’s to be expected in early access. If the team listens to community feedback, as they have historically done, I believe Path of Exile 2 has a long and healthy future ahead — potentially surpassing even the heights of Diablo III. My hope is for less "busy work" and more meaningful, rewarding exploration and diversity in gameplay.

For newcomers like myself: if you’re curious and can afford it, I recommend diving in now. If not, waiting for the full release will still reward your patience. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.