Invited to Alpha Test

So, a couple weeks ago I was invited to the Alpha (I know, I couldn't believe it either). I believe they made a list of some of the users they'd like to invite and I got arbitrarily picked from that group. Since I've got some decent play time in, I figured I'd post my thoughts.

I just added up the amount of play time I have in and it's about 55 hours. For the amount of time that I've had access to the alpha, that's not normal for me. I've played games this much before, but it's been quite a while. D2 and Final Fantasy 3 are probably the only games I've played like this and those are essentially my favorite games of all time (and I don't want anyone posting about how it's really Final Fantasy 6, it said 3 on my box!). That's pretty impressive considering this is just the alpha. I've made four characters so far; 2 Ranger, 1 Marauder, and a Witch. This is definitely one of those games where if you find a cool item with one character, you think man I gotta design a character around this bad boy. I found a unique shield the other day and it's begging me to make a one-handed weapon Marauder (the first Marauder I made was geared more towards two-handed weapons).

The alpha can get pretty tough once you get a ways into it. Basically every character I've made is stronger than the last, as they have more gear waiting for them and I've learned more about how the game works. My witch had kind of hit a wall at one point as her fireballs just weren't getting the job done. But once I found some support gems to hook her up with (Multiple Casts, Increased AOE, and one other that hasn't been revealed yet) she started rocking along pretty good. The itemization in this game is a lot of fun. I found this belt for my witch real early on and it's got some pretty powerful mods on it. I didn't realize it at the time until I linked it in game for other people to see. She's now level 24 and she's still wearing it. It may be a while before I find a better belt and I'll probably just end up using some crafting items on it to improve it anyway. The gem slots obviously add to the mix as well. You sometimes find better items as far as base stats and mods go, but with inferior linked slots, so you have to weigh the pros and cons.

Some of the areas in this game look so freaking cool. One of my favorite is The Mud Flats. Cleaving through zombies in The Mud Flats is my idea of video game heaven. I'll grind there for the heck of it, even if I'm getting low exp. Action RPGs are by far my favorite genre of video games. It's almost all I play. While this year is looking great for ARPG fans, the past few years haven't been. There have been some good ones certainly, but no truly great one has been released for quite some time in my opinion. Some of them will have good graphics and combat, but crappy replayability. Others will have cool itemization, but crappy graphics and combat. Or it'll be a cool game, but far too easy. A few days ago (after the initial shock of being invited to the alpha had worn off) I was grinding in The Terraces and it hit me... the sand looked awesome and the blood was flying and the cool items were dropping and...it's just got that magic feeling. It was a feeling I haven't felt for far too long playing these types of games. Path of Exile is the real deal.

So there you have it, PoE exists! Some coworkers of mine noticed I lurk on these boards constantly and started making jokes about how it's all probably a giant hoax. But it's true! I have seen the promised land (parts of it anyway) and it is good.

awesome thank you so much :). lucky duck you!

You just made me want to know more about crafting lol

Totally agree about the last few years of ARPG, None that I have played seem to have got it right. I guess that just shows how good of a job blizzard did with D2 all those years ago.

Got a good feeling about PoE though.

I gotta say im pretty jealous

in anticipation for this game i just beat Diablo with 3 of my friends and am working through Diablo 2 with my brother

can't wait...

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xthecorinthianx wrote:

...and am working through Diablo 2 with my brother

Yeah D2 has been my waiting game of choice. Really looking forward to the beta; between this and the new game economy post, I'm dying to try out the game mechanics for myself.

:) the 50 plus page refreshes were not in vain. The Dev diary revealed a lot about the mysterious economy and Oasisbhrnw although i bummed i am not playing this game right now. I am pumped that you got invited!! :)

Oh yeah. I totally called that you were the alpha tester in the other thread. High five for me.

Congratulations! Hopefully the devs will let you post more impressions as you play more. Enjoy the game.

(and even more hopefully, they'll start inviting more of us.)

I, personally, am interested in seeing this economy implemented and trying it for my self.

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Oasisbhrnw wrote:

I was grinding in The Terraces and it hit me... the sand looked awesome and the blood was flying and the cool items were dropping and...it's just got that magic feeling. It was a feeling I haven't felt for far too long playing these types of games.

Were you high??

"

MrNick1221 wrote:

"

Oasisbhrnw wrote:

I was grinding in The Terraces and it hit me... the sand looked awesome and the blood was flying and the cool items were dropping and...it's just got that magic feeling. It was a feeling I haven't felt for far too long playing these types of games.

Were you high??

Unless lack of sleep + green tea + crispy wheat crackers creates a wicked buzz...no.