Path of Exile is essentially the Diablo III game that Diablo II fans wanted, but never got. That’s not to say Diablo III is a bad game, or even a mediocre game, but after almost ten years in development in its free-to-play existence, complete with regular content updates and patches, a strong argument can be made that Path of Exile is now the king of the loot/action-RPG genre that Blizzard created with Diablo and Diablo II.

Blizzard took too long to make Diablo III after Diablo II released (12 years), and when they did, it was underwhelming. It took some major fixes to get the game to where it ultimately is today. By that point, it was too late for many fans of Diablo II, who were not happy with how streamlined Diablo III was, even in its fixed state. They didn’t want a streamlined Diablo II experience, they wanted a bigger and better Diablo II experience. That’s what Path of Exile delivers in spades.

If Diablo II and Baldur’s Gate were to have a baby, and then someone were to kidnap that baby, take it to a lab, and inject it with gallons of steroids, that’s Path of Exile. It’s a fantastic game and maybe the best action-RPG I’ve ever played. The fact that it’s free-to-play sweetens the deal, as there is easily $60 worth of content in the game.

The little we’ve seen of Diablo IV looks promising. Given Blizzard’s checkered PR history over the last two years, a serious competitor to the loot/action-RPG genre that they single-handedly created is exactly what Blizzard needs right now. They need a competitor who will hold their feet to the fire and force them to give Diablo fans what they want. That’s the role Path of Exile is playing right now: a fantastic alternative to the Diablo series that wears its influences on its sleeve, as it takes everything Blizzard North created two decades ago with Diablo II and runs with it.

If Blizzard decided to make Diablo IV free-to-play as well, that would make the competition even more interesting.

Diablo IV needs to be dark, gothic, horrifying, have a great story, and be every bit as customizable as Path of Exile is, if not more so, complete with a massive skill tree this time. Diablo IV needs to be a game for Diablo fans, not a catered, streamlined experience for fans new to the genre – and Blizzard should be supporting the game with patches and expansions for years to come.

Hopefully, Blizzard hasn’t become so compromised by Activision that they’re incapable of delivering on what Diablo fans want. There have been rumors of a remastered Diablo II announcement coming later this year, but Blizzard has been very quiet since the Blitzchung PR fiasco. Hopefully that means they’re quietly working on their next RPG masterpiece. Hopefully, this time it won’t be rushed out the door and won’t need several major patches and fixes to make it the game Diablo fans want to play.

To surpass Path of Exile, Diablo IV will need to be a better game than Diablo III by a significant margin. Again, that’s not a shot at Diablo III, which is an excellent game. That’s just how good Path of Exile has become. Blizzard will need to bring their A+ game with Diablo IV because Path of Exile isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. It’s a superb game with a strong fan base that’s been building for seven years strong.

If you love the Diablo series, or action-RPGs, and haven’t tried Path of Exile yet, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot. Like I stated earlier, it’s free-to-play, so you have nothing to lose but a few hours of your time.