Path of Exile is prepping for another two-day Public Stress Test Weekend. Grinding Gear Games recently unveiled the sixth Path of Exile class, the Shadow, over at Rock, Paper, Shotgun followed by some exclusive footage by the TotalBiscuit. This weekend testers will have the chance to put the Shadow through its paces.

Check out the Path of Exile Public Stress Test FAQ for more details about the event and how to sign up. You can also gain a permanent beta key by ordering a Path of Exile support pack. Path of Exile’s Public Stress Test Weekend begins on Friday, May 11th and will conclude on Sunday, May 13th.


Play Indie Action RPG Path of Exile’s latest Class the Shadow this Weekend



AUCKLAND, New Zealand - 9 May 2012 - Indie Action RPG Path of Exile has announced its latest character class, the hit-and-run trap-laying Shadow. Although currently in closed beta, Path of Exile is opening its doors to everyone for two days with a public test this coming weekend. Supporters can also pre-purchase credit for the game’s ‘ethical microtransactions’ and receive a permanent beta key.

The Shadow is a hybrid dexterity and intelligence class, a professional assassin exiled after getting on the wrong side of a former client. He employs deadly traps and spells against opponents, finishing off survivors with quick dagger strikes while darting in and out of combat.

In Path of Exile, any class can use any skill, weapon or trap, allowing for a huge variety of possible character builds. The Shadow is particularly well suited to traps and fast weapons like claws and daggers.

Using Path of Exile’s support gem system, the Shadow can turn any spell into a trap or remotely detonated mine. For instance, the Shadow can link a Frost Wall skill gem with a Remote Mine support gem to create a Frost Wall Mine which they can place to strategically trap enemies.

The first chance to play the Shadow character will be in this weekend’s public stress test. The Path of Exile Beta servers will open for public access at 5pm PDT on Friday, May 11. Public access will end at 11:59pm PDT Sunday night, May 13. A full FAQ about the public weekend is available at http://www.pathofexile.com/publicweekend/.

A previous public weekend in March attracted 47,000 players.

Grinding Gear Games’ producer Chris Wilson says the Shadow is one of the more difficult classes to play due to his fragility. “He more than makes up for it if handled with skill. His hit-and-run style of combat makes the most of his natural Evasion and Energy Shield, and rewards strategic coordination of attacks, spells, and traps.”

His signature tactic is to lay hidden traps and to lure his opponents in. When they step too close, the trap springs and his foes find themselves caught in place, missing a leg or blown to pieces in a fiery explosion. Alternatively, he can place remote mines which are manually detonated, ideally in the middle of clusters of enemies.

As an indie game developed by a team of hardcore action RPG fans, Path of Exile has several unique takes on the genre. It features a unique skill gem system, a huge passive skill tree, extensive character customisation and PvP combat in a persistent online world. The game is free to play, but does not feature ‘pay-to-win’ microtransactions. Path of Exile will enter Open Beta in late June.

Key features of ‘Path of Exile’:

  • Completely free to download and play, but never ‘pay-to-win’
  • A persistent online world capable of supporting hundreds of thousands of players
  • A dark and gritty game world rendered from a fixed 3D perspective
  • Randomly generated levels and items for extreme replayability
  • Online ranking and ladders for every game mode
  • Visceral combat with dozens of combinable skills
  • Battle in PVP tournaments for worldwide recognition
  • Dynamic skill system

View the trailer at www.youtube.com/grindinggear

HD trailers are available from www.pathofexile.com/video/


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Path of Exile Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 14, 2016

About The Author

Stacy "Martuk" Jones was a long-time news editor and community manager for many of our previous game sites, such as Age of Conan. Stacy has since moved on to become a masked super hero, battling demons in another dimension.

Comments