Path of Exile vs. Lost Arc

With the release of Lost Ark in the Western regions, fans are worried about the status of Path of Exile. However, the two games are not even in the same boat. 

For years past, Path of Exile has been the reigning king of ARPGs. The game's status was retained due to the lack of real quality competition outside of Diablo 3. However, with the release of Lost Ark in the Western regions, some fans are wondering if breeding PoE Exalted Orbs is better than playing Smilegate's MMO ARPG. Luckily, Lost Ark won't knock the game down for die-hard Path of Exile players.

PoE Is Very Different From Lost Arc

Grinding Gear Games' ARPG features sharply contrasting features from Smilegate's MMO ARPG. PoE fans have been worried about the status of GGG's hit game ever since Lost Ark came out. Players discussed Korean MMO ARPG as the next premiere action role-playing game. However, players can only tell the difference between the two games. PoE currency and they began to realize that there was more to the Lost Ark than gold.

As a game declared to be of the same genre as PoE, Lost Ark's average of around 300.000 concurrent players dwarfed the premiere ARPG's average of 20.000 active players. However, the only similarity of the Korean MMO ARPG with PoE is its isometric view. Its gameplay is more similar to MMOs like Final Fantasy XIV and World of Warcraft than ARPGs like Path of Exile and Diablo 3.

Left Clicks

Perhaps the most obvious difference between the two games is the relevance and importance of the left mouse button. Left click is a major source of damage for most ARPGs, such as PoE, Diablo, Last Epoch, and Torchlight. Hack-and-slash action role-playing games rely on rotations between automatic attacks and skills to ensure consistent containment of damage.

Path of Exile does the best job of using LMB. Fans of the genre agree that PoE's auto-attacks are the most functional and do the most damage out of all ARPG games. Meanwhile, Lost Ark barely uses left click as its gameplay is more based on skill rotations. LMB in Korean MMO ARPG is not available.

Character Progression and Customization

While both games feature excellent progression, Path of Exile ultimately shines better for an ARPG. Lost Ark's progression is very simple and gives it some variety. However, the Korean MMO ARPG cannot be compared with the freedom PoE brings.

In Grinding Gear Games' hit game, player power-ups are based on their investment in a massive skill tree that determines what kind of passive and active skills their characters will use. The only restriction players have in PoE is that the skill tree still has limitations. However, due to the large number of abilities available, fans won't even have enough skill points to invest in them all.

Meanwhile, Lost Ark's progression is very linear. While there are a variety of abilities and add-ons for adventurers to choose from, the number of abilities per class in Smilegate's game pales in comparison to PoE. At the very least, the MMO ARPG is trying some variation through the Tri-Pod system.

The key difference between the two games' progression and character customization is their active skills. Lost Ark follows the standards of other MMOs, where abilities a character can use depend on their class. Meanwhile, Path of Exile doesn't rely on any business to dictate what skill players can use. Instead, fans can choose which abilities to use by equipping various gems.

Graphics and Images

Lost Ark shines better in this category due to its resemblance to MMOs. Smilegate highlights excellent visuals and animations to entice fans to enjoy the game. This strategy is similar to how theme park MMOs like FFXIV work. The game offers stunning visuals and vivid skill animations.

By the way, Road of Exile has more than one reason for the bad visuals to the Korean MMO ARPG. GGG's hit game focuses on improving its gameplay and hack-and-slash mechanics rather than improving its graphics. In addition, PoE has been around for much longer and when it started the graphics editing and engines it used were much inferior to the existing systems used by new games.

Overall, for fans worried that Lost Ark will dethrone Path of Exile as king of ARPGs, the two games are very different as LA leans closer to being an MMO. However, this point does not mean that PoE is off the hook, as the Korean MMO ARPG can entice players to play in the world of Arkesia. Hopefully, many more players PoE Sublimated Sphere stays in Wraeclast to train.