Path of Exile 2 makes buildcrafting more approachable than ever—but I'm glad I can still sleepwalk through screenfuls of skeletons in the original

Despite the 500 hours of playtime I've accrued over the years, I've always been a pretty casual Path of Exile player. In PoE, 500 hours is rookie numbers: The infamous sprawl of its passive skill tree and labyrinthine gear crafting mechanics still border on the unfathomable to me. For players who aren't instinctively horrified by having to do any amount of math, PoE is an expansive canvas for buildmaking artistry; for me, it's the world's largest character build buffet. I've been standing comfortably...