There’s not a lot of details, really
Back in November of 2019, Grinding Gear Games announced a mobile port of their ARPG hit, Path of Exile. Since then, a pandemic swept the world and affected every kind of industry there is. It’s no wonder why there’s little to no information about PoE Mobile. Can you imagine being able to farm Exalted Orbs , or hunt down bosses on your phone?
So here’s everything about PoE Mobile.
Announcement
Path of Exile Mobile will give an experience that’s close to the PC and other platform versions as possible, so says GGG. There will be no microtransactions, time gates, nag screens, or video ads. The only difference is that players would play for short bursts of time, rather than one long session. In that vein, mapping would be the core gameplay of mobile.
In a world of mobile gaming with each and every one of those aspects, PoE Mobile would be a breath of fresh air. Of course, the developers would have to deliver on their promises first. Path of Exile had already established itself as a good game and getting a mobile port is like icing on the cake.
Expected Gameplay
You cannot expect the PC/console version to be ported to mobile devices wholesale. There should be some adjustments to controls, how to render graphical data, and a bunch of other technical stuff. At most, it’s going to be like a mini version of the game.
Still, even with the cut content, the developers promise to deliver on the core of Path of Exile. The deep systems of character building, crafting, mapping, and trading should be there. That’s all players can ask for, really.
Despite Tencent having a major stake in GGG, hopefully, they can deliver on the promise of no game-changing microtransactions or ads. Monetization is important for mobile games, yes, but so is player satisfaction. How can you expect players to enjoy when they get interrupted every five minutes by an ad? Otherwise, how can they play with ridiculous wait times intended to push them to buy boosters?
PoE Mobile would be one of the best mobile games if that promise gets fulfilled.
There’s no word about it having cross-play (like OSRS Mobile had done). If it does, that’s going to change a few things. PoE trade can be done through phones, for example. Hopefully, that can lead to shorter waits when trading. Friends who don’t have PCs or consoles can join in, despite the game having lackluster co-op mechanics. It would also be very convenient to bring your game away from the desk or TV.
What About a Release Date?
There’s no official word on release dates. They did say that they were developing it in-house along with Path of Exile 2. That hints at a simultaneous release, though GGG is quite mum about specific dates. Speculation puts it at about 2023/2024, which is a long time to wait. Good thing there’s an upcoming announcement on April 8. It doesn’t have anything directly about PoE Mobile, but they might mention something about it.
The announcement is about the upcoming expansion and the sequel. Ultimatum, the expansion, is shaping up to be an exciting league for Exiles. Whether it’ll involve time travel, Doryani’s experiments, or him as a boss, it’s easy to get hyped up.
As for the sequel, the trailer for the announcement doesn’t show much, just the logo. With that kind of teaser, the new information could be about anything. It’s been almost two years since the last we heard about it, after all.
Conclusions
While there’s nothing too concrete about PoE Mobile yet, we can trust that its development is steadily progressing. Things are harder with the pandemic, so there’s a long wait ahead. You can expect that farming Exalted Orbs on your phone or tablet won’t be happening anytime soon. However, it will happen with enough patience.
They’re not going to stop creating content for Path of Exile anyway. Once all three games are out, they’ll continue to make them better and better, patch by patch. PoE is a little niche since it can be difficult to get into. Once you get the hang of it though, it can be quite rewarding. The constant updates and new content also keep it fresh, which is why it keeps a dedicated player base.
Here’s to hoping for good news in the announcements soon. Let’s all look forward to PoE Mobile, Ultimatum, and PoE 2!