Path of Exile is adding tower defense to their action RPG with the upcoming Blight expansion.
It’s come full circle. Tower defense, as a genre, arose from the real-time-strategy genre as well as the isometric, point-and-click action RPG. Now, the two have come back together in a single game.
Path of Exile has gotten numerous expansions over the years, including Ascendancy, Atlas of Worlds, and Betrayal. However, with the Blight expansion, this is definitely the first time they’ve added tower defense to the game’s many mechanics.
A mysterious fungal-based Blight has taken over parts of the land. Its tendrils infect monsters and turn them into tough yet mindless zombie creatures that will charge down the tendril’s path and attack all heroes that stand in their way.
You will most certainly be standing in their way as you have to eliminate the Blight with some arcane technology, but helping you out will be a series of upgradable towers. Each tower takes advantage of a specific monster’s weakness, whether that be cold, shock, stun, burn, or petrification. You can also get towers that summon helpful monsters, buff yourself, or debuff the oncoming horde.
Each tower defense section will be a "fast, bite-sized" portion that won't detract from the rest of the classic ARPG gameplay. While you're running around placing towers, you'll also be able to augment the damage those towers are dealing with your own considerable arsenal of talents.
If players finish off the Blight, they shall be rewarded with a chest. As well, finding special Blighted Maps will enable players to unlock even larger Blight challenges to get the top tier goodies.
In addition to the fancy new tower defense content, Blight will add a new challenge league, revamp and rebalance 3 character archetypes, and "plenty of new items."
Blight will also implement two of Path of Exile's older leagues into the core game, as well as some changes that will "focus on giving you more freedom to choose which aspects of Path of Exile's content you play and when."
The full list of changes and new content is available on the official website. Path of Exile: Blight arrives on September 9th.