Sega has announced a closed beta test for Hyenas on PC alongside the release of a new gameplay trailer, which is viewable below.
28.07.2023 - 23:43 / ign.com / Jonathan Rogers
Path of Exile 2 has graduated into a full standalone sequel to the original Path of Exile, fully shaking off its origins as an expansion pack.
"When we announced Path of Exile 2 at ExileCon 2019, we told you guys that we were releasing Path of Exile 2 as an expansion to Path of Exile 1 and that both campaigns would be playable in the same game client with a shared endgame," director Jonathan Rogers explained.
"But Path of Exile 2's scope has continued to grow and grow. It's far more than just an expansion with a new campaign, it's entirely new monsters, skills, mechanics, classes, everything you would expect from the next generation of action RPGs. Not to even mention revamps of most of the Path of Exile 1 league content. This thing is freaking huge."
According to Rogers, the decision was made when the dev team realized that the original approach would "essentially be destroying a game that people love for no reason." The result is that Path of Exile 1 and 2 will be separate, with their own "mechanics, balance, endgames, and leagues."
Despite the split, Rogers said that Path of Exile 2 and its predecessor will continue to be a "shared platform," with both games being fully-supported and microtransactions being available across both games.
"Everything you have ever purchased or will purchase in the future will be usable in both games unless it's hyper-specific to the content of one of them. You can't be a bear in Path of Exil 1, so a reskin of your bear form isn't going to do anything. But you absolutely can equip the awesome sword skin you got and use all your stash tabs," Rogers said.
However, because Path of Exile's story continues directly into Path of Exile 2, Grinding Gear Games plans to wind down story content for the original game and focus on league content instead.
Rogers went on to show a lengthy demo set in Act 3 that revealed some of the following.
The team also showed off a host of other mechanics, suggesting that players will find a very different and in some ways revitalized game for the sequel. While Grinding Gear Games had plenty to show for ExileCon, though, the closed beta is still a ways out. Rogers confirmed that it will be out June 7, 2024.
Path of Exile 2 was first announced back in 2019. When we got to play it in 2021, we called it a "gorgeous overhaul of the classic action RPG." A trailer shown during Summer Game Fest teased it as a "free-to-play Diablo IV alternative."
In the meantime, Diablo IV is available now, but it's facing plenty of issues as it struggles through Season of the Malignant. It'll be a while though before fans get a true alternative.
"Path of Exile 2 has been a long time coming, and we're incredibly excited to near the finish line, but we are not quite there yet,"
Sega has announced a closed beta test for Hyenas on PC alongside the release of a new gameplay trailer, which is viewable below.
Ghostrunner 2 closed beta sign ups are now open, confirmed 505 Games and One More Level. Details of what players can expect in the Ghostrunner 2 closed beta have not been disclosed, so there are no details of how many levels to expect, where in the game the beta takes place, and what abilities players will have access to. To sign up for the Ghostrunner 2 closed beta, you need to fill out this form, after registering on the Ghostrunner Discord or Reddit.
Ghostrunner 2 closed beta sign ups are now open, confirmed 505 Games and One More Level. Details of what players can expect in the Ghostrunner 2 closed beta have not been disclosed, so there are no details of how many levels to expect, where in the game the beta takes place, and what abilities players will have access to. To sign up for the Ghostrunner 2 closed beta, you need to fill out this form, after registering on the Ghostrunner Discord or Reddit.
One More Level has announced closed beta sign-ups for Ghostrunner 2, which launches this year. Slots are limited, but that’s not all, as the developer and 505 Games will reveal the “next major drop” of news on August 21st, right before Gamescom Opening Night Live.
Just as Blizzard is facing backlash following the release of Diablo 4 Season 1, developer Grinding Gear Games has revealed new gameplay and the closed beta date for its upcoming action-RPG Path of Exile 2. But despite the frosty reception to the new season, it seems Diablo 4 fans haven't been won over by the Path of Exile sequel just yet.
Path of Exile 2 will follow an "Elden Ring sort of direction" rather than Diablo 4's "MMO path", according to the game's director.
Diablo 4's magnificent stallions may be more powerful than ever, but the game itself is in a tough spot. It's always had its disgruntled players, but the blow done to its reputation by the almost universally reviled pre-season 1 patch has seriously soured the mood in the game's community. Although Blizzard apologised for the update's disastrous launch, it didn't totally backpedal on it, and the mood in spaces like the game's subreddit—once a hive of hype— is still bitter.
In what seems to be a strategically timed announcement, the highly anticipated action-RPG sequel Path of Exile 2 has set a June 7, 2024 closed beta date, just as Diablo 4 stumbles through Season 1. Path of Exile developer Grinding Gear Games announced the beta at ExileCon, Path of Exile's aptly named BlizzCon alternative.
Path of Exile 2 made a splash this week at ExileCon, Grinding Gear Games’ annual convention for all things Path of Exile. Along with showcasing Act 3, the developer confirmed that the sequel would be a standalone game, instead of an update to the existing title. A closed beta is set for June 7th 2024, and it seems that fans will have more than enough to test.
Path of Exile 2 promises to be a dramatically different game from its predecessor despite the initial similarities. The changes are such that, during the Path of Exile 2 reveal at ExileCon 2023, it was revealed the sequel will now be entirely standalone from the first game, contrary to previous plans. The loot-chasing RPG game also looks set to solve many of the issues of the first as Grinding Gear Games makes smart alterations for Path of Exile 2, and PCGamesN speaks to game director Jonathan Rogers about how those choices came to be.
At ExileCon keynote, Grinding Gear Games announces a game split and extensive additions.
Highly-anticipated sequel Path of Exile 2 has been delayed.