You might see the oft-maligned specter of F2P hanging over Path of Exile and fear the worst, but you’d be missing out on what’s quietly becoming the smartest hack ‘n’ slash in the business. Between socketable everything (including maps and skills!) and difficulty that’s not afraid to eat a bowl of nails and steal its powers, PoE’s slowly but surely pushing the needle forward. Which brings us to brand new, ultra-fast-paced “race” events. In short, they toss players into fresh economies – doughy and naked minus whatever quantities of luck and skill they’re dual-wielding – and task them with out-leveling everyone over the course of an hour or a week. And now Grinding Gear’s put together a race league that comes with special, event-only rewards. Of course, the system is not without its flaws, but GG’s got a few plans to work out the kinks.

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