Recent reviews by Patch

When One Falls, We Continue.

Ultimately, I can't recommend Wolcen.

In its current state, the game is as finished as it's going to get, bugs and half-baked storyline and all.

There's a history here: My understanding is that this game was, at launch, a buggy mess. A very *pretty* buggy mess, but still a mess. The devs made a lot of promises while overestimating the scope of the work to create and fix the game. The released a final patch and then cut and run. They posted a final update in Maty 2024 indicating the shutdown of multiplayer.

This may not be a direct scam, but it's a close as you get the classic Early Access tale of a developer not following through.

The current state of the game is playable.
The story is very engaging, but fizzles out near the end (guessing because they ran out of money) so you get a sudden "six months later" epilogue (which is the endgame) in one of the most pivotal moments of the final act.

Combat, mechanics, are okay. Not amazing, I would say feels pretty clunky by PoE2 or D4 standards.

If you can get it for $4 and want to play single-player, that's probably worth your time, but right now the most valuable piece of this product is as a cautionary tale and a "Remember Wolcen?" among ARPG fans.

Masterpiece.

It's always hard to justify games that have a rough start, but provide an eventually consistently phenomenal experience. Path of Exile is no stranger to a rough start, and with barely a tutorial, an intimidating skill tree, and 10 years worth of mechanical changes, it's no wonder there are plenty of memes about quitting before the end of Act 1.

That being said, stick with it. Path of Exile is tremendous. In scope, in content, in experience, and (best for myself) knowledge ceiling and reward.

If diving deep into an ecosystem of knowledge, content, mechanics, modifiers, math and optimization are what you crave in gaming, this is an excellent choice where knowledge of the game is well-rewarded. There is years and years worth of content here to get through that make it akin to a FFXIV, or Disgaea, or something equally long-lived. This is the Factorio of ARPGs; the never-ending chase for the perfect build, perfect drops, and perfect endgame. Because of the seasonal league mechanic, it's also one that will never end, as there's content updates every couple of months.

It's fairly important to mention that I personally think this is targeted to a very specific kind of need - ever-evolving content is both rewarding and exhausting. This may not appeal to everyone and while there's certainly a finite amount of endgame-viable builds, the attitude of being able to treat the game like a sandbox and create characters that explore different mechanics you're discovering, different gear you've encountered, is one that is almost perfect. If you find something in the skill tree that you'd like to build a character around, or a piece of gear that modifies the game in a particular way, there is very little stopping you from creating an entire build around it.

I will say, it's not a masterpiece - it has definitive flaws that have been called out by the community time and again and could arguably be validated in your very first playthrough. Reading the wiki is mandatory, understanding the meta and skill trees is mandatory, using a website (instead of an auction house) for trade is a pain (and mandatory). If anything, GGG (the developers) have found something and stubbornly stuck to it, creating a game that is deep, but wholly lacking in the informational tools it gives you.

If that disheartens you; people have played this game blind and enjoyed it, people have jumped into solo self-found hardcore and been just fine. Everything CAN work, it's just the level of investment that you want to sink into it, and it's a game that rewards that investment.

Give it a shot. Find a build guide on maxroll or poe-vault, and dive in.