Creating items that are mandatory for build X and useless for builds !X does not add value. However, not every item should be designed towards a specific build – in fact most should not. As a relative outsider, character guides have proven to be very useful. Therefore it is important to stay on top of the popular builds and which builds are unpopular because they have no item support.

Laz: Path of Exile’s character build options are very deep, which sets the game apart from most other ARPGs. IncGamers: When you joined the project, how did you get up to speed and gain the expertise required to make proper unique items? You had to learn the overall item strength and values, project what high end characters would need, etc. Diamond supporters can have their own uniques added to order, which helps alleviate some of the load, but there is still a metric ton of low and mid level itemisation that needs to be done and is particularly relevant for the levelling experience. Laz: It took talent, hard work, and saying “yes” to an email that arrived in my mailbox one day.īasically there is a huge variety of base items in the game, and making unique versions of all of them is a process that most certainly takes longer than it looks, especially for a small studio like Grinding Gear. How did you get that job and what sort of responsibilities do you have working on the project? IncGamers: You’re creating some of the unique items for Path of Exile. It’s an interesting interview which highlights how hard it can be creating an item system in an ARPG so read on for the full interview… More recently Laz was brought in by Grinding Gear Games to create Path of Exile’s unique items so we wanted to find out more about Laz, his current work and his thoughts on creating items in an ARPG.īack in June we asked Laz for his thoughts on the items in Diablo 3, and in this new lengthy interview he elaborates further on the problems that have surfaced with the game that have become such a big talking point since the game was released back in May. On the main IncGamers site this week it’s Path of Exile week, and part of the content is an interview with Laz, who many of you will know from his excellent Diablo 2 Median XL mod.

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