For years, there has been a debate in the communities about whether Path of Exile or Diablo is the better action RPG. Now, with Path of Exile 2 and Diablo 4, the latest and largest competitors from both franchises have arrived. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus talked to Diablo expert Rob about both games.
Rob is known for his expertise in theorycrafting for Diablo 4, where he provides fans with builds and in-depth analyses. His assessments significantly influence our tier list for Diablo 4. If you want to watch him, you can find him on his Twitch channel and his guides and videos on YouTube. Although Rob is from Germany, his streams and guides are in English.
Since the early access release of Path of Exile 2, Rob has also taken an extensive look at the competitor and has already praised that the harsh beginning hits just the right tone for the game.
Path of Exile 2 can currently celebrate numerous achievements, including being 45 times larger than Diablo 4 on Steam and even having attracted its director. Meanwhile, a debate has been raging in the communities for years about which game is better—or rather, which is worse.
Meanwhile, Rob believes that both games have their strengths and weaknesses. In the interview, we discuss what Diablo and Path of Exile do well and what the future holds for both games.
“Path of Exile makes Diablo better, and Diablo makes Path of Exile better”
MeinMMO: What makes PoE 2 better than Diablo 4, in your opinion?
Rob: I found the introduction really cool. You immediately notice: This is a tough game. I personally think that’s really good. Many might not appreciate that as much, but you know right away what you’re getting into. It is a game that is significantly harder than Diablo and from the very start. However, it gets better later. The more progress you make, the better you understand your character.
I don’t think it’s great to compare the games one-to-one. The player base largely overlaps. However, there is also a clear separation among many players. Those who want to invest more time will prefer Path of Exile. And those who might not have as much time will find Diablo better suited.
MeinMMO: And seasons would then allow alternating play between the games.
Rob: I really hope for the future that it will alternate like that. One month you have an update in Diablo 4, the next month one in Path of Exile 2. I don’t like all this drama and the negativity between the communities, where they always have to fight each other.
In my opinion, you can play multiple video games, not just one, and you can enjoy both. You don’t have to bash someone just because I’m playing one game or the other. And that applies to both communities.
For us, the consumers, the gamers, it is good when competition emerges between the games. Path of Exile makes Diablo better, and Diablo makes Path of Exile better. That’s why I, as someone who comes from Diablo, am glad that Path of Exile exists. Then Blizzard might see: Okay, we can do something here and there. And PoE sees: Ah, Diablo does this really well, we need to work on that. This makes both games better in the long run.
MeinMMO: While we are at it, what does Diablo 4 do better than PoE, in your opinion?
Rob: It’s quite simple to get into. You are guided well, can take it easy, even if you have little time. In Path of Exile, for example, you have only one difficulty from the beginning. You have to play at the same level as the ultra-speedrunner Ben or something like that. In Diablo, you have the choice between Normal, Hard, and so on, allowing a new player to start at a much more relaxed difficulty.
You don’t have that in PoE. You are thrown into the deep end. You can see that positively. Someone like me, who plays a lot, might find that good. But if you have little time, it can be a bit harder.
MeinMMO: And where are both games good?
Rob: The graphics are awesome in both games. They are different but good in both. Diablo is darker, more sinister, reminiscent of Diablo 2. I find that really good, not as cartoonish as in Diablo 3.
PoE has really great artwork, working a lot with colors. Just look at the breaches, for example.
Where they differ significantly is the endgame. I miss that in Diablo 4; in my opinion, there is still a lot that can be done there. Sure, you have many things to make your character stronger. But there isn’t a proper endgame. Path of Exile is still in early access, but there’s already a lot of endgame. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement here.
MeinMMO: What do you think PoE 2 needs for the endgame at release or afterward?
Rob: I find the Atlas system pretty cool, especially when you look at the first patch with the quality-of-life changes. But I think even more systems would be good. They will surely bring more boss fights; there’s still a lot to do. And the endgame will automatically expand because you will get more classes or ascendancies, which will also have a reason to exist in the endgame.
The major criticism of Diablo is “now just like in PoE”
MeinMMO: The class system is one of the biggest differences. Which one do you find better, PoE with its open skills or Diablo with its fixed classes?
Rob: I think both have their pros and cons. In Diablo, I think it’s cool that you can customize your character so much. Different hair colors, eyes, faces, skin tones, and even tattoos. You can customize everything, whereas in Path of Exile, you have a fixed character. He looks like this now, and you can’t change that.
What I find better in Path of Exile, however, is that you can play any archetype and any skill with any character. You can’t do that in Diablo.
MeinMMO: Which classes and builds do you see at the top in PoE 2 right now?
Rob: Right now, it was the Stormweaver with the Spark build and Temporalis chest. They have nerfed that a bit. In general, the power level in Path of Exile is very high. For example, you have the Deadeye Ranger with Lightning Arrow and the combination of Herald of Thunder and Herald of Ice, which is extremely strong.
Just like with the Gemling attributes stacking. It’s a bit like a Spin-to-Win build. Not directly; the archetype will come when the swords are introduced. But those are the top builds and, from what I’ve heard, also the most popular.
In the next league, there will surely be a big balance patch; that has already been announced. Then these builds will also be toned down. Right now, it’s the case that these top builds can one-shot the end bosses—which was a point of criticism in Diablo. And in PoE, it’s now the same with the top builds.
MeinMMO: You as a barbarian main, what is your favorite in PoE 2?
Rob: Of course, I played the Warrior, which is probably the closest. But I didn’t have the best experience with him. He is quite slow in terms of playstyle. I knew when I started that he is one of the slower characters. I just hoped that it would get better in the endgame—but it didn’t. He has such slow attack animations, which GGG has already said they want to fix. […]
Then I switched to the Monk and played the full Invoker. Now I’m playing an Attribute-stacker and it’s really cool. A smooth, fast playstyle with a lot of AoE. You can also play him as a Mercenary-Gemling, but it’s just this Monk playstyle with a two-handed staff. That’s currently my favorite.
“The numbers in PoE will rise extremely again”
MeinMMO: You mentioned cold water and newcomers before. What do you think is the biggest problem for newcomers, especially in the genre in general, when they start with PoE 2?
Rob: The complexity. Grinding Gear Games has already done a lot to make it a bit easier. […] But I think that’s still not enough; it can be friendlier for newcomers. Especially more explanations are needed. This attribute requirement system, for example, I often found a bit confusing; I experienced that myself at the beginning. Not understanding why I can’t combine this gem and that gem.
You are indeed thrown directly “into the deep end”; it’s both a blessing and a curse. A lot comes at you at once in Path of Exile.
MeinMMO: How big do you think the impact of Season 7 on PoE 2 will be? How many people will “switch back”?
Rob: I think, regardless of whether Season 7 comes out in Diablo 4: First of all, numbers in PoE will anyway drop. It came out, then there was a big hype, and now the numbers are going down. That’s very natural and happens in every game. However, Path of Exile manages to keep its player base very well, if you look at the Steam charts.
We are still at 40 to 50% of the launch numbers, and that’s impressive after now 6 weeks. That the numbers are going down now is quite normal and will remain so until the next league comes.
Sure, Diablo will grab some players with the season. Season 7 has some cool stuff in store, but no new endgame content. The season theme is strongly reminiscent of Season 2, one of the most popular. There will also be really cool quality-of-life changes like the armory, where you can save your builds. And changes to itemization, class quests, and so on.
But overall, I don’t believe that Season 7 will surpass PoE 2. I think the numbers in PoE will rise extremely again when the first big balance patch comes, which GGG has already announced.
Diablo 4 is currently “a really round thing” and Vessel of Hatred “a fair purchase”
MeinMMO: I must also say that I really welcome the overhaul of the ultimate skills in Diablo 4.
Rob: Yes, that’s really pretty cool. That makes it a bit difficult to balance everything. We had the blood wave necromancer on the PTR, who really dominated everything and one-shotted.
They have nerfed him a bit now, but it’s difficult with the extreme scaling. Season 7 will also be popular, but I believe that many people will continue to play PoE 2.
The game is very complex for an early access. Many casual players haven’t even reached the endgame yet.
MeinMMO: What do you think about the new witch powers in Diablo 4?
Rob: I think it’s pretty cool. It’s somewhat similar to the vampire powers from Season 2. And they are very reminiscent of the witch doctor. There were already cool skills in Diablo 3, but that wasn’t the mega-popular class.
That’s why I think it’s good that they’re bringing in some elements that worked well with the witch doctor into Diablo 4 without directly releasing a new class. Like these fire bats or something. I think it’s good that something like this can now be played as cool new content in a season.
In general, the power level is significantly increased by this. You have new skills that buff existing skills and also deal damage themselves. Then you have the occult gems and the new whispers from the tree. I think it’s a really round thing.
MeinMMO: After these few months, do you already have a reflection on Vessel of Hatred? Expectations vs. reality?
Rob: For 40 euros, I found it a fair purchase. That was a fair price for the expansion. With Spiritborn, there are of course a few things that are OP. But the new class and the new region are really cool.
What stuck with me a bit negatively, and I think also with the community, is that there was no real conclusion to the story. I know that many, especially casual players, play Diablo 4 for the story. And you don’t have this final battle with Mephisto, where you actually defeat him or something.
That’s why I don’t quite understand yet what comes in the next expansion. Rod Fergusson actually said that there would be an expansion every year. This means there will hopefully, probably, maybe be a new expansion this year. With the Paladin. But I’m not quite sure yet what will happen with the story.
Actually, I would have said: Okay, expansion 1, we now defeat the first big evil, Mephisto. In the next expansion, the Paladin comes with the next big evil Diablo or something.
Now everything is a bit mixed up because we haven’t definitively defeated Mephisto, and that has been missing for many as a closing battle. I had hoped that the Mephisto battle would be something like the Über-Lilith. With cool mechanics and similar significance—just like Lilith at the end of Classic Diablo 4. But that was very lacking; that left a negative impression on me.
MeinMMO: Thank you for the answers!
Both Path of Exile and Diablo have their pros and cons, as well as players who prefer one over the other. Here, determining which is better
or worse
is, as Rob says, pointless. You just have to know which game suits your playstyle better: Diablo 4 or Path of Exile 2 – Which action RPG should I play?
