The newest gameplay walkthrough from Grinding Gear Games revealed the Witch class, a classic archetype returning to Path of Exile 2 when it releases into early access later this year. In the video showcase, PoE2 game director Jonathan Rogers explains that, while all classes will be able to use minions in one way or another, the Witch class takes the minion build to another level.
Most ARPGs have some sort of “minion build” in them, a combined set of skills and gear that allows the character to summon an army of dispensable followers to swarm their enemies. The minions mindlessly path toward the closest enemy, many of them die, and the player summons new bodies to take their place. It’s the usual song and dance we’ve come to expect.
Path of Exile 2, however, looks to be giving minion players an amount of control that’s virtually unparalleled, allowing them to command their armies to move to anywhere they want, attack specific enemies, open chests for them, and even cast spells and abilities unique to each minion.
In the video walkthrough, Jonathan Rogers explains, “Many minions also have command skills. I can order my sniper to deploy a gas arrow on the battlefield to get some damage over time”. The walkthrough showcases a variety of minions the player can use through allocating Spirit, a new resource in Path of Exile 2.
“Now I’m going to summon a Skeletal Arsonist. They can throw little fire grenades, but they also have a command skill that can detonate your own minions that are low on life”.
Also debuting in Path of Exile 2 are Bind Spectre gems, allowing players to capture the bodies of any enemies slain to summon them as their own minions.
The walkthrough later reveals the Witch fighting against a boss, in which previously-slain elite enemies are seen fighting alongside the character’s diverse army of minions. Many summoned minions will automatically resummon themselves in PoE2, meaning players can focus more on their own abilities as well as the myriad of newly added minion abilities in their unique armies.
Path of Exile 2 is scheduled to release into early access in late 2024 for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
