Path of Exile is an online Action RPG set in a dark fantasy world. It is developed by New Zealand based independent developer Grinding Gear Games and is a downloadable game supported by "ethical microtransactions". The player controls a single character from an overhead perspective and explores large outdoor areas and underground caves or dungeons, battling monsters and fulfilling quests from NPCs to gain experience points and equipment. All areas aside from the central encampments are randomly generated for increased re-playability. While all players play on (currently) one server world the game play outside of encampments is highly instanced providing every player or party with an isolated map to freely explore.As is customary with this type of game, the items are also randomly generated from a wide variety of basic types and endowed with special properties and gem sockets. They come in different rarities with increasingly more and/or more powerful properties. Thus a large part of game play is dedicated to finding well balanced and synergetic equipment.