Joe Ziegler, the game director known for leading the development of Valorant and later working on Bungie’s extraction shooter Marathon, has revealed that he has spent 3,437 hours playing Path of Exile. His dedication comes down to one major reason: the action RPG gives players extraordinary freedom to experiment with character builds.
In an interview with PC Gamer, Ziegler described Grinding Gear Games’ free-to-play RPG as an especially flexible experience for players who enjoy combining abilities, skills, and effects to create powerful builds. While games such as Diablo have helped define the action RPG genre, Path of Exile has developed a dedicated following through its intricate customization systems.
“ARPGs to me are [about the] buildcrafting and the cleverness of putting things together,”
Ziegler told PC Gamer. He added that Path of Exile offers “the most freeform version” of that experience, highlighting how many different approaches players can explore.
WHY PATH OF EXILE’S BUILD SYSTEM KEEPS PLAYERS HOOKED
Ziegler explained that experimenting with different character setups is one of the main reasons he continues playing. He particularly enjoys totem builds, which let players rely on summoned structures to deal damage, although he also appreciates simpler setups when he wants a more relaxed experience.
“When I’m feeling really lazy, I like one-button builds, like Whirlwind builds,”
he explained.
For Ziegler, the appeal comes from discovering how different mechanics interact. He compared the game’s interconnected effects to a “Rube Goldberg machine,” with players continually testing combinations to increase damage and defeat enemies more efficiently.
That freedom distinguishes Path of Exile for players who enjoy theorycrafting as much as fighting monsters. Rather than settling on one optimal strategy, players can spend considerable time refining builds and exploring unconventional combinations.
Although Ziegler has also played Path of Exile 2, he feels the original game better matches his preferences. He acknowledged that the sequel’s more action-oriented design explains why some aspects feel more restrictive, but he still favors the first game’s greater flexibility.
“I think I’ve changed my expectation around ARPGs because of Path of Exile,”
Ziegler said, explaining that the original has become his preferred experience.
That preference reflects one of the original game’s defining features. According to Grinding Gear Games, Path of Exile offers a vast passive skill tree and a skill gem system that lets players modify abilities through support gems. These systems allow players to create unusual combinations and develop characters around specific strategies.
Ziegler’s 3,437 hours demonstrate how that freedom can keep experienced players invested long after completing the main campaign. For him, the appeal is not simply defeating stronger enemies. It is discovering new combinations and finding more effective ways to build a character.
