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Diablo 4andPath of Exile 2are both top-down dungeon crawlers that will have you facing huge waves of enemies to get loot and build your best character. While the basic gameplay of each game may seem similar, there are lots of differences.
At the time of writing this article,Diablo 4has a full DLC, andPath of Exile 2is only in early access, but there are still many things both games do better than the other. This article will only focus on the early access ofPath of Exile 2along with the content mentioned that will be added with the full release. We also won’t be comparing the stories asPath of Exile 2’s story is incomplete and we can’t determine which is better.
What Does Path of Exile 2 Do Better
Free To Play
To play the early access ofPath of Exile 2; you will have to buy some version of the game that costs money. That being said, once the game fully releases it will becompletely free to play.
More Classes & Flexibility
Another promise of the full release, butPath of Exile 2will haveup to 12 classes once the game is fully released. Even with just the early access, this game has atotal of six classesto play, as the sixthDiablo 4class is locked behind the paid DLC. Each class also has an incredible amount of flexibility, as the exact skills you’ll be using are more based on the weapon you choose, while your class determines where you start on the massive single passive skill tree.
Thesingular passive skill tree is huge, and no matter where you start you can grow to unlock any passive you want, giving you a level of creativity not found inDiablo 4.Path of Exile 2also offers a permanent boost for completing quests and defeating optional enemies; rewarding players for more than just leveling up.
Ascension Classes
On top of the base classes, each one canascend intomultiple Ascension Classesafter a few hours of gameplay. You can choose not to Ascend and stay as a base class, or go into something new and offer more replayability even within the same class.
Randomized Maps
Every time you enter a location inPath of Exile 2aside from towns, it will be arandomly generated Instance. This guarantees you’ll never run through the same maps no matter how many characters you play with or how many hours you put into one character.
What Does Diablo 4 Do Better
Seasonal Content
To play seasonal content you’ll need tocreate a seasonal character, who will be moved to the eternal realm afterward, unable to access any other seasonal content later on. While it is temporary, each seasonbrings new content and a focus on various aspects of the gameto make things that are already good even better, along with new free new content, temporarily. While seasonal characters are timed, you’ll always have access to the base game and can make permanent characters that won’t get deleted, though you won’t be able to access the seasonal content.
Piles Of Loot
Diablo 4specializes in giving players tons and tons of loot to sift through to find the perfect build for you. There are many more tiers of loot inDiablo 4compared to whatPath of Exile 2has made public. While it will vary in quality, defeating bosses will oftensee huge piles of items drop on the groundwhich can be part of the fun when building your character.
More Varied Classes & Character Creation
WhileDiablo 4’s classes have less overall freedom, there are still many ways tobuild each class.Each class plays very differentlywith all sorts of class-specific skills that make them all feel very different from each other. Mixing these varied classes as seasonal characters makes each season feel like new as you’re always playing very play styles in different content.
Diablo 4also lets you completely customize your character’s appearance when first making them. You can then hide your character’s helmet to make sure you can see the face that you created without losing out on a gear slot.
