Path of Exile: Ascendancy

This expansion does justice to the hard-core base game by setting the bar high from the beginning. Though tutorial levels (Trials) give players a means to become acquainted with a new series of environmental traps, the main test that follows isn't for the faint of heart or short of temper. The base game's Normal difficulty allows players who die to come back to life and pick up where they left off. The expansion isn't so nice. One false move in the Labyrinth can mean a bloody, dismembering death, and heroes who die must start over from the very beginning, which can be extremely frustrating.

Only the most committed, patient gamers are going to get through the Labyrinth, which means many gamers will never access the expansion's new Ascendancy classes. These 19 new classes (three for each base class and one for the Scion class) give players access to elite Ascendancy skill trees that provide a slew of cool new powers. The thing is, to progress through these trees, players need to get through the Labyrinth not once but multiple times on harder and harder difficulties. This is great for the game's main audience (which consists largely of hardcore RPG players) but not so good for everyone else. Winning an Ascended class is the main point of the expansion, but players who don't (or can't) do this can take advantage of other new features such as the new Perandus challenge league, new weapons, items, and gems. Granted, while these other features are fun, that might not be enough reason to play Path of Exile: Ascendancy if you're not a card-carrying hard-core gamer.