Alright, let's dive deep into one of the greatest and arguably the godfather of all action RPGs: Path of Exile 2.

Story: 4/10
The storyline in Path of Exile 2 isn't anything great. It's just something there so you may have some kind of explanation for fighting monsters. Most often, one would just let it be and enjoy the game play - since that matters most here. You will utterly be disappointed in this game if you're on a story power trip.

Graphics: 8.5/10
It really looks great. Dark and detailed environments, incredible spell effects-the atmosphere of every area is gloomy and pulls you in. Animations are smooth, and everything feels polished visually. If your PC can handle it, it's a treat for the eyes.

Optimization: 6/10
Performance is an issue right now. I've had multiple crashes at random moments, be it during boss fights, loading screens, or just running around. It's frustrating, especially when you're deep into a fight. Hopefully, the developers fix this soon, as it really breaks the flow of the game. We will have to wait for the full release to make the final decision here.

Progression System: 9/10
Amazing progression system in PoE2, giant skill tree with huge customization options, and this gem system is just fantastic, adding a whole another level to it. Will definitely be overwhelming at first, but when one gets used to it, it is incredibly satisfying. You will always have something you'd like to change or work on, so it feels fresh.

Combat Mechanics: 10/10
It's far and away the best part of this game. Currently, I am maining the Infernalist, an Ascendancy class of the Witch. The combos of spells are amazing, really. You commit to one element as an Infernalist, and mine is fire. The synergies between AoE Spells, Minions, and Fire Resistance reduction AoE are incredible. So dynamic in combat. You can set everything on fire, summon minions to do your bidding, and debuff enemies to melt them even faster. Adding in the dodge roll really changes the pace of combat; you're not just standing there, spamming abilities, you're moving around, dodging attacks, and repositioning to deal damage. It makes every fight way more skill-based and keeps you on your toes. Abilities hit hard, and controls feel tight and responsive so that when you land a big spell or pull off a perfect combo, it feels incredibly satisfying. Clearing mobs or going toe-to-toe with bosses, every fight feels like an engaging and rewarding fight.

Grinding: 8/10
It's a huge part of the game, and it's done well. It feels really rewarding to find just the right item, even when RNG can sometimes drive you crazy. Hence, you need to grind for crafting and upgrading materials a lot since you will lose a lot of your lovely gear to RNG system :(. But still, you will find a +8/10 gear eventually and make your dream build with it. So, the grinding system for me is a solid 8/10. It's great but still needs a bit of work and might change drastically after full game release.

Endgame Content: 7/10
Once you complete the campaign, PoE2 boasts a huge and challenging endgame. Maps are classified into 16 tiers; the difficulty scales up real fast as you progress, where enemies become more formidable in every way, including higher elemental resistances. And this means you will continually be upgrading your own resistances to keep up. But here’s the frustrating part : while enemies gain resistances, your character's elemental resistances are often drastically reduced, making it harder to survive in the later tiers. It's one of those mechanics that feels more like an artificial difficulty spike than an interesting challenge. You’re essentially forced into tweaking your gear constantly just to survive in higher-tier maps, which can be pretty annoying. You spend a lot of time dealing with this imbalance, and it feels like it just adds unnecessary grind rather than strategic depth.
Besides the maps, significant endgame content is provided by the Trials of Chaos and Sekhemas. You only need to complete four rooms in the Trials of Chaos to get the Ascendancy points, but you can challenge yourself even more by going up to room 10, which is true endgame content. These trials are made for up to six players, making sure it's a very cooperative experience, really putting to the test your skills and teamwork. Difficulty ramps up significantly, but the rewards are quite worth the effort, therefore making this aspect of the game both exciting and challenging.

Overall Score: 9/10
PoE2 is an excellent ARPG. The combat feels amazing, the progression system is deep, and the grind is addictive. The crashes and weak story do hold it back a bit, but its still a great experience overall. The full release will likely improve the game further, especially with better optimization and possibly some tweaks to the endgame. If you're willing to push through some rough edges for now, it's definitely worth playing. We’ll have to wait until the full release to see how much it improves, but for early access, it’s already very promising.