Path of Idle: Old Gods Rising Review Summary

Excellent idle gameplay with diverse builds and smooth progression, but class imbalance and poor UI/graphics hold it back.

Excellent idle game: Reviewers praise it as a fun idle game, with some calling it the best and one of the greatest idle games ever played. It is considered a milestone and exactly the modern idle game that was missing.

Large build diversity: The game offers many classes and builds per class, leading to high replayability. Players highlight the variety of customization and strategies available.

Great for multitasking: The game is good to play while doing other things, such as playing other games or working. It features convenient automation and a floating overlay for monitoring progress.

Smooth progression curve: Players report a smooth growth and difficulty curve, especially in the first five chapters, with rewarding milestones. Progression feels satisfying and without resource bottlenecks.

Attractive art style: The art style is described as playful, vibrant, charming, and detailed, with a dark style that fits the Lovecraftian theme. The visuals and UI contribute to immersion.

Class balance issues: Warriors and mercenaries are over-tuned, while archers, priests, and other classes seem useless or underpowered. The mage and warrior combo is overpowered, and hunters rely heavily on a bear pet for damage.

Poor UI and graphics: Multiple reviews criticize the UI for looking cheap and being poorly designed, with issues like text wrapping making tooltips unreadable. The lack of movable windows and fixed class/spec interface also hinder usability.

Lack of crafting and sorting: The game lacks a crafting system and useful sorting or filtering for loot and warehouses. This makes inventory management chaotic, especially with many drops after idling.

Complex and confusing affix system: The affix system is described as too complicated, not rigorous, and even ruining the game. Players find the many affixes overwhelming and nonsensical, especially when combined with poor stat descriptions.

Building system is underwhelming: Buildings like the town hall, market, and prison are useless or lag behind character progression. They often produce lower-level gear or characters, making them feel pointless and poorly designed.

Idle auto-battler core loop: Players consistently describe the game as an idle/auto-battler where characters fight automatically, with resources accumulating even when idle. This core loop is the most frequently mentioned aspect.

Deep equipment and progression systems: The game offers extensive gear, stats, rarities, enhancements, and multiple progression paths (talents, weapons, blessings). Players highlight the depth and variety of builds and upgrades.

Multiple classes with unique attributes: Players note the presence of various classes (hunter, mage, warrior, mercenary, priest) and that each has specific attribute requirements and multiple build options. This adds replayability and strategic depth.

High build variety and customization: Many reviews emphasize the large number of possible builds, including skill and set equipment combinations. This variety supports replayability and player experimentation.

Idle mechanics generate resources offline: The game passively generates currencies and other resources even when the player is offline. This makes progression easier for casual players and is a hallmark of the idle genre.

Strong overall recommendation: Several clusters express strong support for the game, with ratings like 'highly recommended' and 'recommends 100%'. This indicates a generally very positive reception among reviewers.

Recommended for auto-battler fans: Multiple clusters praise the game as a fun autobattler and semi-idle experience. Recommendations specifically target players who enjoy auto-battler or idle genres.

Recommended to buy and try: Some reviewers directly advise others to purchase and start playing the game. This is a simple, unconditioned endorsement from multiple users.

Suitable for casual short sessions: The game is recommended for players who want casual progress in short play sessions and don't want to stare at the screen for long hours. This makes it ideal for busy or relaxed gaming.

Great for idle game enthusiasts: Fans of idle games and Diablo-like titles are specifically pointed to as the target audience that will enjoy this game. The game is considered one of the most worthwhile idle games this year.

Session length: 10.0h.

Endgame: 200.0h.

Players find the game enjoyable during the first hour or two, but then it becomes repetitive as all content is seen early. The initial hook fades quickly, leading to a drop in fun.

Reported time to anchor: 1h.

Spreadsheet Optimizer: Meticulous planning, spreadsheet analysis, and optimal gear allocation. Motivation: Min-maxing builds and exploring deep progression systems. Stance: buy.

Casual Enjoyer: Passive, occasional checking, enjoying the theme and ease. Motivation: Relaxing idle experience with cute aesthetics and simple progression. Stance: buy.

Frustrated Optimizer: Active management, frequent market interaction, seeking streamlined tools. Motivation: Efficient multi-character progression and build assembly. Stance: sale.

Comparisons to established ARPGs: Reviewers frequently compare the game to Diablo, Path of Exile, and Lootun, noting similarities in mechanics, affixes, and builds. These comparisons suggest the game is seen as derivative or inspired by popular ARPGs.

Release and update expectations: Reviewers note that the game had a full release, with beta and demo versions beforehand, and that future seasons and DLCs are planned. They hope for continuous updates with the previous update frequency maintained.

Art style feels copied: The art style is described as charming but heavily borrowing from Darkest Dungeon and World of Warcraft, with some calling it a shameless rip-off. This indicates a lack of originality in visual design, which may polarize players.

Positive notes on factions and classes: The dwarves faction is highlighted as particularly cool, and the game features many classes and branches at launch. These elements are appreciated and add to the game's appeal.

Early UI bugs and oversights: The main menu still displays an 'Add to Wishlist' prompt, and the AI content disclaimer was missing pre-release. These are minor but noticeable oversights that can undermine polish.