Path of Exileis one of the most popular dungeon crawlers and live-service action RPGs in recent memory. The game boasts a gameplay loop that feels both like a panacea forDiablofans looking for more content and its own beast that embraces some old-school design concepts.Path of Exilehas embraced the approach of brutal difficulty of older ARPGs while acknowledging the need for new players that any live-service game goes through. With its newest expansionExpedition, Path of Exilemay be looking to reach out a little bit to both veteran and incoming players.
Game Rant was invited to a prescreening of the recent livestream that announced the newExpeditionexpansion. This will be the firstexpansion forPath of ExilesinceUltimatumwas released. A short Q&A with Grinding Gear Games' Chris Wilson and other publications revealed a lot of excitement about the new expansion, and a large part of that was how the team at GGG is looking to help shake up the challenge ofPath of Exilegoing into the future of the ARPG.
Balancing out the beginning learning curve of any game that features an online or multiplayer component is vital. Fighting games are a prime example as that community has expanded, games with incredibly high learning curves are being balanced out to help newer players like what’s happened withStreet Fighter 5and the more recentGuilty Gear Strive.Path of Exile,and other RPGs with PvP and endgame PvE, is no exception to that rule. It seems like developer Grinding Gear Games has taken a hard look at that fact areshaking upPath of Exilein a big waywith its newest expansion.
RELATED:Path of Exile Classes Tier List
Rebalancing Path of Exile Could be a Big Move
Brutal difficulty isn’t something new or even something that dissuades many video game players. Games likeBloodborneandNinja Gaidenshown that an intense period of skill development isn’t something that will scare off a lot of potential players. Every new dungeon-crawler hopes to surpass the one before, somethingDiablois surely taking note of, andPath of Exileis in a unique position to climb the proverbial ladder by rebalancing key elements of its gameplay like resource management, core movement speed, and new defensive mechanics.
Many games that have a huge emphasis on multiplayer PvE can have steep learning curves, especially true with player versus player. Fans have gotten excited aboutPath of Exile’snewest expansionalready but shifting some key concepts and adding new ones could work well. The developers have mentioned a system that will simultaneously limit the usage of flasks in an exploitative way while maximizing their usage. The new livestream, embedded below, shows off a new management system for flasks that will make their usage a much more tactical choice than before.
ExpeditionforPath of Exilewill also be taking a new look at player and enemy base speeds. In an attempt to make the game more palatable to newer players, many enemies in the first few acts ofPoEmove considerably slower than the player. On its face, this may seem small, but in a game so focused on action economy andspecialization likePath of Exileit could quickly mean the difference surviving an encounter and a certain respawn. This aims to make the initial learning curve a little steeper, but players will also have access to a new defense attribute alongside blocking, energy shielding, and dodging.
The ward mechanic is the more ambitious change toPath of Exile’s core attributes that will be coming toExpedition. Ward serves as an immediate defensive stat that isn’t judged against anything else. If something does 100 damage to your character with a ward of 100, that first chunk of damage will be negated. This is another addition that seems minute but could shake up the meta ofPath of Exileby a lot. If players at earlier levels are given access to equipment that provides ward, then it could be yet another in the multitude of ways thatPath of Exileis looking to shake up the long-running ARPG.
Expeditionreleases forPath of Exileon PC and macOS Jul 24, 2025, and for Xbox One and PS4 on July 28th.
