I play POE 2 with my dad. Though computer games sometimes get a bad rap, I’ve found it’s one of the best ways for us to spend time together.

I’m in my 30s now, and my dad is so old his age is unlisted. The graphics and gameplay remind him of when he was in his 30s and I was just a kid, and we’d play Diablo 2 together in the basement. Now here we are, years later, back at it — only the monsters are uglier and the loot shinier.

Together, my dad and I charge through forests, raid castles, and fight side-by-side against spiders, wolves, and witches. We scheme, trade loot, and help each other gear up to take down bosses like the Executioner, Putrid Wolf, or the Viper.

He’ll be the first to admit — I’m 10x better at the game than he’ll ever be. The advantages of youth, he says. His clicking finger isn’t what it used to be, neither is his reaction time. I admire that he still dives in headfirst, though, managing mobs and dodging spells like a boss, even if sometimes his brain takes a beat longer than mine.

His monk, Euryanax, is a bruiser — not as fast as my sorceress, Social Security (named for obvious reasons), but he makes up for it in grit. While I’m darting through the Lost City of Keth, throwing sparks, he’s on the front lines, ringing his bell, taunting Titans and cracking skulls.

We play hardcore. When you die, that character is gone forever. And when it happens, you curse, you laugh, you mourn — and then you roll a new one. My dad lost his poison arrow ranger, Ariatozah, to the boss in Azog Bog. His warrior, Idanthyrus, got chewed up by the Wolf at the end of Act One. Our witches, Epinine and Terminate#5, both got one-shotted by the Titan. It happens. And every time, we swear we’ll be more careful next run.

While he’s gotten his monk Splutter to level 75, my highest hardcore character, a lightning arrow ranger named Maydes, only made it to 55 before dying to the Crowbell in Cruel. I’ve taken a softcore character into maps, but it just doesn’t feel the same. Hardcore is where the thrill is.

Facing Jamanra or Doryani in hardcore is like riding a roller coaster with no seatbelt. Your heart’s racing. You’re dodging, leaping, shooting, smashing. And when the boss finally drops, my dad and I both shout like idiots. That’s gaming done right.

The POE community is half the fun. Streamers like Ziz, Raxx, and Darth MT help us stay on top of builds, league mechanics, and boss strategies. Dad’s always linking me YouTube videos, and I do the same. It’s part of our routine now.

I’ve gotta give it to Grinding Gear Games. They’ve built a deep, challenging ARPG that doesn’t nickel-and-dime its players. I love how connected the developers are to the community, showing up in interviews with streamers like Jonathan and Mark, genuinely listening to feedback, tweaking mechanics, spells, and loot tables to keep things fresh.

I’m not here to list pros and cons — the streamers have already done that a thousand times better than I could. What I’ll say is this: POE 2 is a thinking person’s game. And for me, it’s also the perfect excuse to hang out with my old man.