head to head

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn cover artvsPath of Exile cover art

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of AmnvsPath of Exile

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Path of Exile leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).

EXECUTION2 /10READS1 /10VARIANCE5 /10OPTIMIZATION10 /10
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of AmnPath of Exile

Axis by axis

Execution2 vs 3

Path of Exile leans harder on execution: Some dodge and reflex play, but build carries fights.

Reads1 vs 0

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn leans harder on reads: Enemies run scripted behaviour patterns, never modelling your tactics

Variance5 vs 6

Path of Exile leans harder on variance: Loot, map mods, and crafting outcomes are heavily random.

Optimization10 vs 10

Even - both lean on optimization about the same.

Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.

full breakdown

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn

full breakdown

Path of Exile