Path of Exile 2’s Early Access Plan Sparks Debate, Yet May Serve as a Reward for Loyal Players

Even if you’ve never tried your hand at Path of Exile, you’ve probably encountered tales of its notoriously sprawling passive skill tree. Yet, amongst the chatter from avid players, there’s a prevailing theme: it’s one of those rare free-to-play games that doesn’t exploit its user base.

Path of Exile is often heralded as a textbook case of how free-to-play should work—offering options for gameplay enhancements and cosmetic upgrades for purchase, yet never compromising on the core experience.

Now, while this good reputation generally holds true, eyebrows are definitely raised when you look at the price tags on Path of Exile 2 supporter packs. These start modestly at $30 but can soar up to a staggering $480! Sure, some editions come with physical goodies, but even without those extras, the cost is well beyond what you’d usually expect from free-to-play titles.

The value in these pricey bundles is set by Grinding Gear Games, the developers, who wouldn’t set them at such levels if they weren’t confident they’d find buyers. They’ve spent years fine-tuning their monetization strategy with the first Path of Exile, where some packages were similarly steep, so clearly, there’s an audience out there willing to invest.

A lesser-known tidbit is that GGG is actually rewarding loyal players for their past purchases. Anyone who’s spent $480 or more on Path of Exile microtransactions over the years gets an early access key to the sequel. While this might seem like a hefty sum, remember the game has been around for a decade. Many longtime players have already hit that mark without realizing it. In the big picture, that’s about $48 annually, or $4 a month—not exactly bank-breaking.

Initially, this offer might not seem that enticing, but it actually acknowledges players who have already poured money into the game. With the original Path of Exile remaining available, these players get to continue enjoying their purchases while dipping into the sequel without any upfront costs. It rewards loyal players and offers a clever strategy for retaining a dedicated audience. Everyone wins, right?

In essence, this move by GGG is smart business, but it also reinforces their reputation for maintaining a fair free-to-play model. Consistently, through the years, their decisions around monetization seem to echo the sentiment “they didn’t have to do this,” and that’s exactly what they aim for.

Hopefully, other developers chasing profit over player satisfaction can learn a thing or two from their approach.