As it often happens with the Diablo franchise and Path of Exile, both Blizzard and Grinding Gear Games scheduled big stuff for their products on April 8. Diablo2: Resurrected was available for streamers and content creators in its early Alpha stages, and soon after, Grinding Gear Games held a live streaming session to reveal a new Path of Exile2 trailer, some PoE2 gameplay, and more. It was huge, and some lucky ARPG fans got to try first hand the technical alpha for Diablo 2: Resurrected, and then watch the new Path of Exile content being revealed.
Diablo 2: Resurrected subsequently entered a weekend-long technical alpha available for those who pre-registered on the official website, starting April 9 and ending on April 12. In the meantime, the ARPG community also had lots to discuss and talk about in the form of the new information and footage of Path of Exile 2. While Diablo 2: Resurrected will launch much earlier than Path of Exile 2, and while these games are not competing, comparing them feels right because of the timing and because of how near the new era of ARPGs is. There's obviously some caveats, but there's enough out there that a baseline is already established.
Why Diablo 2 Resurrected Matters
When a remastered, modernized version of Diablo2 was announced, many long-time Blizzard and ARPG fans were overjoyed. Diablo 2 is arguably one of the most loved ARPGs to-date, and over the years, it built a strong community of old and new fans. Be it the nostalgia kicking in, or be it the fact that ARPG players are always in search of the "perfect" game to dedicate their time and passion to, the Diablo 2: Resurrected announcement's impact can not be understated.
The game is designed to be just like the original Diablo 2 so that everyone will be able to experience it with new graphics and better performances. In the beginning, some fans quickly jumped to the conclusion that Diablo 2: Resurrected was meant to be an improved, changed version of their beloved game. This is not what Resurrected is about. It is about reviving the experience that inspired players, including forgotten Diablo 2 features, after the original sparked so many small companies to make their own ARPGs.
Diablo 2 Resurrected does an excellent job at being a faithful remake of the original title, and this shows even in the clips from the official website, where Diablo 2 and Diablo 2 Resurrected are shown side by side. The comparison is mind-blowing, with the latter having incredible graphics through the new engine, while the former clearly shows the signs of time (which is not necessarily a bad thing). If Blizzard's intention was, and still is, to make a modern version of Diablo 2 while retaining everything from it, then Diablo 2 Resurrected is seemingly doing that well.
Path of Exile 2's Scope And What It Is Meant To Be
It feels a lot like Path of Exile 2 is a game that is aimed at fixing the mistakes and mending the wrongs of its predecessor, and the way it is made is an attempt from Grinding Gear Games to regain control of the ship. While Path of Exile is an incredibly successful game, and while it is one that will still be played even after Path of Exile 2 comes out, the sequel is a chance to take the game even further.
Path of Exile is a loot-based game, and as such, it is one that gamers can play for many hours in order to obtain more items and currency, improving their characters in return. The problem with this approach is that it promotes speed above all because clearing 10 maps in one hour provides much less loot than 40 or 50 maps would. Thus, the game slowly became one where players tend to forego defenses or build variety in order to achieve millions of damage per second. More damage equals less time to kill enemies, which equals more endgame maps completed and more loot obtained. GGG has stated multiple times that it doesn't want the game to be headed in this direction, so this might change with Path of Exile 2.
PoE2 also seems like a next-gen game, with the graphics and engine receiving a long-overdue modernization. It is a new environment, one where the most successful aspects of its prequel have their rightfully earned place, and one where new elements and features are added as solutions to past problems. Path of Exile is also an incredibly complex game, and that is great quality when it comes to retaining players and not holding their hands throughout the gameplay. Still, Path of Exile2 might retain that aspect while also trying to be friendlier towards those who play more casually or simply to those just starting.
Comparing Diablo 2 Resurrected to Path of Exile 2
Diablo 2 heavily influenced Path of Exile, and the addition of skills such as the iconic Cyclone and Ice Nova, being Whirlwind and Frost Nova respectively in Diablo2, really shows the extent. But, Path of Exile evolved from its origins and it became something else entirely. It is a game in its own right, and it ended up shaping other ARPGs in return.
To compare Diablo 2 Resurrected to Path of Exile 2, the games have to be seen from different perspectives, first. Diablo 2 Resurrected is a remake, and as such, its fans and players do have expectations on what the game is going to look like, play like, even feel like. They can do that because the game is an old classic in new clothes, and Blizzard seems to have nailed that. Path of Exile 2 is a whole new game, and yes, it does keep features from the original Path of Exile, but it also tries to evolve from that and become something new.
Ultimately, while the games have a lot in common and share the same roots, they have a dissimilar scope and each its own distinct purpose. Diablo 2 Resurrected does not have to change anything but showcasing of the game, whereas Path of Exile 2 has the task to be a much better version of the current Path of Exile. Sure, the graphics can be compared, and it shows how much of an improvement both games are from the original ones, albeit for diverging reasons. The UI could be compared as well, showing how similar they are, and how Path of Exile initially drew inspiration from Diablo 2. The skills and the classes are probably analogous as well, being them all based on archetypes and staple tropes of the ARPGs. Yet, the comparison ends there.
Diablo 2: Resurrected is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, and will be released in 2021.