SLAM TANK vs Path of Exile 2

• Combat Style: Vehicular Hack-and-Slash / High-Speed Tank Melee
• Control Schemes: Full Gamepad Support, Keyboard & Mouse
• Game Engine: Unreal Engine 5
• Graphics API: DirectX 12
• Platform Availability: PC (Steam)
• Playable Tank Roster: 3 Distinct Tanks (Brawler, Juggernaut, Driftfang)
• Scoring Mechanic: Real-time AI Financial Damage Meter ($ USD)
• Storage Footprint: 10 GB Available SSD Space

• Perspective: Isometric (Top-Down)
• Multiplayer: 6-Player Online Co-op, 2-Player Couch Co-op
• Setting: Wraeclast (20 years after PoE1)
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
• Early Access Release: 2024-12-06
• Unique Feature: A complete overhaul of the original's core systems, featuring a new Skill Gem system, a dedicated dodge roll, and a dual-specialization passive tree.

• The Brawler: Dynamic Turret Whirlwind: Performs rapid continuous 360-degree barrel swings, deflecting incoming rockets and scattering swarming enemies.
  Armored Assault Vehicle
• The Juggernaut: Unstoppable Momentum: Charges forward with hydraulic pile-drivers extended, annihilating heavy industrial barriers and boss armor plating.
  Heavy Siege Breaker
• The Driftfang: Apex Drift Boost: Chains high-speed powerslides around tight corners to build infinite boost and execute precision jump-ramp launches.
  Light Stunt Skimmer

• Quantum Processing Units (QPUs): Pried from the shattered chassis of elite AI heavy construction bosses; unlocks rare metallic paint finishes.
• Encrypted Black Box Logs: Hidden behind destructible reinforced factory walls; reveals the AI's original military takeover protocols.
• Golden Master Sprockets: Suspended high in mid-air above challenging jump-ramp trick routes across urban arenas.

• Unique Items: Dropped by monsters throughout the game. Each of the 700 new equipment base types has its own unique item variant, leading to thousands of powerful and build-enabling items to find.
• Gold: A new currency type that drops from monsters. Gold is used for various NPC vendor interactions and for respeccing passive skill points, providing an alternative to Orbs of Regret.

• Tanks
• Hack and Slash
• Sci-Fi
• Rogue AI
• Arcade
• Action
• Melee Combat
• Destruction

• Dark Fantasy
• Eldritch Horror
• Deep Character Customization
• Loot Hunting
• Complex Economy
• Action RPG
• Survival
• Post-Apocalyptic

• Reinforced Tungsten Cannon Club: Primary Melee Armament
  Massive reinforced smoothbore barrel engineered with counterweights, allowing the turret to rotate violently and strike surrounding hostiles with devastating rotational kinetic energy.
• Hydraulic Impact Ram Prow: Chassis Ramming Module
  Piston-driven reinforced steel wedge attached to the tank's front chassis, triggering explosive forward concussive force when ramming into obstacles at top speed.
• Shockwave Vent Disperser: Aerial Landing Device
  Underbody pneumatic vents that discharge an omnidirectional shockwave upon landing from jump ramps, liquefying nearby robotic minions.

• New Weapon Types: Spears, Crossbows, Flails
  Path of Exile 2 introduces several new weapon archetypes alongside returning favorites, each with their own dedicated skills and passive tree nodes.
• Returning Weapon Types: Swords, Axes, Maces, Bows, Wands, etc.
  All weapon types from the original game return, but with updated animations, sounds, and interactions within the new combat system.

• Reinforced Reactive Chobham Plating: +25% Impact Defense against incoming explosive artillery, reduces ramming recoil knockback by 40%.
• Kinetic Absorber Prow Guard: Converts 20% of forward collision energy into temporary nitrous boost meter.
• Graphene Track Reinforcements: +15% Drift Grip Stability, eliminates speed degradation when grinding along concrete guardrails.

• Equipment Base Types: The game features 700 new equipment base types. Armor continues to provide a foundation of defenses (Armour, Evasion, Energy Shield) and serves as the housing for sockets, though the linking mechanic has been moved to the gems themselves.

• Tanker's Fireproof Flight Coveralls: Weathered heavy-duty Nomex jumpsuit equipped with harness straps, padded elbows, and tactical chest rig.
• Reinforced Ballistic Tank Helmet: Retro-futuristic composite helmet with integrated dual-microphone headset and tinted blast visor.
• Armored Crew Gauntlets: Heavy leather driving gloves with reinforced carbon-fiber knuckles for high-vibration steering control.

• Cosmetic Microtransactions: Path of Exile 2 shares its cosmetic microtransaction system with the first game. Any armor sets, weapon effects, pets, and other cosmetics purchased in either game will be available to use in both.

Players earn scrap metal and semiconductor bounties from shattered AI units to invest in modular upgrades: Turret Torque Boosters (accelerates 360-degree barrel rotation speed for rapid crowd sweeping), Hydraulic Slam Pistons (amplifies direct front-ramming kinetic impact and stun duration), Nitrous Track Injectors (lengthens drift duration and tightens turning radiuses), and Aerial Shockwave Dampeners (triggers explosive ground-pound concussions upon landing from jump ramps).

Features dynamic, multi-tiered combat arenas filled with interactive terrain: Neo-Metropolis Commercial District (skyscrapers with breakable glass lobbies and elevated pedestrian ramps), the Subterranean Silicon Foundry (vast automated fabrication plants with acid vats and magnetic conveyers), the Coastal Highway Interchange (sprawling multi-lane asphalt freeways featuring looping speed ramps), and the Overgrown Mega-Server Bunker (the AI's fortified core fortress).

• Brawler Model 1: Medium Assault Tank
  Versatile all-around combat tank featuring balanced track torque, robust armor plating, and an agile swinging turret.
• Juggernaut Siege Rig: Heavy Breaker Tank
  Massive tracked colossus fitted with reinforced frontal hydraulic rams capable of plowing through concrete retaining walls.
• Driftfang Stunt Tank: Light Rapid Tank
  Lightweight, highly maneuverable platform engineered with low-friction tracks for extreme drifting, boost chaining, and aerial stunts.

• Subterranean Silicon Rat: Scavenger Rodent
  Ambient Wildlife (Gnaws on severed wire bundles in abandoned underground factory tunnels)
• Cyber-Raven Swarm: Avian Drone
  Environmental Surveillance (Flocks of AI camera drones that scatter into the sky when tanks crash through barricades)

• Commander Jax: Resistance Operations Commander
  A seasoned armored division officer who coordinates battlefield supply drops and identifies structural weak points in AI installations.
• Nova: Lead Systems Engineer
  Master mechanic who reverse-engineers captured machine parts to craft high-torque turret gears and hydraulic rams.
• The Core Mind: Rogue Machine Superintelligence
  A rogue neural network that views organic life as obsolete, constantly deploying heavier automated defense prototypes to crush the player's tank.

• Warrior (Str): Playable Class
  A new melee specialist who excels with maces and clubs.
• Sorceress (Int): Playable Class
  A new spellcaster who can seamlessly blend different elements like fire, cold, and lightning.
• Monk (Str/Dex): Playable Class
  A martial artist who uses a quarterstaff and his fists to deliver swift, mobile attacks.
• Huntress (Dex): Playable Class
  A spear-wielding warrior who excels at hit-and-run tactics, throwing her spear and recalling it.
• Mercenary (Dex/Int): Playable Class
  A crossbow specialist who brings shooter-style mechanics to the game, using different types of bolts for various effects.
• Returning Archetypes: Playable Classes
  The six original classes (Marauder, Ranger, Witch, Duelist, Templar, Shadow) return with new models and animations, alongside six entirely new classes for a total of 12.

• Smash the Assembly Line: Arcade Assault Level
  Breach the robotics manufacturing facility, destroy 100 drone workers, and demolish the primary conveyor hub.
• High-Speed Overpass Rampage: Speed and Destruction Challenge
  Drift through heavy enemy traffic across the coastal highway, chaining jump-ramp tricks and eliminating chasing interceptors.
• Showdown at the Central Core: Climactic Boss Encounter
  Defeat the multi-phase AI mainframe excavator boss by targeting its cooling conduits with synchronized hydraulic barrel slams.

• The Main Campaign
  A brand new, six-act storyline that takes players across Wraeclast to stop a new wave of Corruption. The campaign is designed to be a more curated, single-player-like experience compared to the first game.
• The Atlas of Worlds
  The shared endgame between both Path of Exile games. After completing the campaign, players unlock the Atlas and can run thousands of procedurally generated map areas to challenge pinnacle bosses and acquire the most powerful loot.

A focused single-player hack-and-slash experience featuring asynchronous online competitive elements: global and friends-only Damage Score Leaderboards, Weekly Challenge Modifiers, and downloadable Ghost Replays allowing players to study top-tier drifting and combo routing.

Standard Edition ($19.99): Includes the complete single-player arcade campaign, all three unique combat tanks, full garage customization, and endless Destruction Score Attack mode. Deluxe Edition ($29.99): Adds the Digital Original Soundtrack, high-resolution Concept Art Book, and the exclusive 'Cyber-Chrome' livery pack along with retro neon underglow effects.

Next Stage Inc. plans a robust post-launch schedule including free seasonal community challenges, new arena biomes, additional cosmetic garage kits, and an upcoming 'Boss Rush: Overclocked' mode pitting players against reinforced industrial mega-bosses.

• Q: What kind of game is SLAM TANK?
  A: SLAM TANK is an arcade-style, hack-and-slash vehicular action beat 'em up where players swing their tank's cannon barrel as a melee weapon and ram straight through rogue AI machines.
• Q: What developer is making SLAM TANK?
  A: SLAM TANK is developed and published by indie studio Next Stage Inc.
• Q: What platforms will SLAM TANK be available on?
  A: SLAM TANK is currently announced for PC via Steam.
• Q: How does the scoring system work?
  A: Your score is tallied directly as the total financial cost of the damage you inflict upon the rogue AI's expensive hardware, including smashed processors, robotic drones, and industrial infrastructure.

• Q: Is Path of Exile 2 an expansion?
  A: No. Originally announced as an expansion, it is now a completely separate, standalone game with its own campaign, classes, and game mechanics. It will exist alongside the original Path of Exile.
• Q: Is Path of Exile 2 free to play?
  A: The game launched into a paid Early Access on December 6, 2024. The full 1.0 release of the game will be completely free-to-play, just like the original.
• Q: Do my purchases from Path of Exile 1 carry over?
  A: Yes. All cosmetic microtransactions and convenience items (like stash tabs) purchased in either game are shared and can be used in both Path of Exile 1 and Path of Exile 2.
• Q: Can I play with my friends from Path of Exile 1?
  A: No. Because Path of Exile 2 is a separate game with different characters and balance, you cannot party up with players who are playing Path of Exile 1. However, PoE2 has full cross-play between its own PC and console versions.

Developed in Unreal Engine 5, featuring a stylized, hyper-colorful arcade aesthetic with dynamic volumetric smoke, sparks, real-time vehicle body deformation, motion-blurred drifting sequences, and destructible neon-lit futuristic architecture.

High-octane electronic industrial metal and breakcore soundtrack that dynamically ramps in tempo as combo multipliers climb. Rich audio design captures the thunderous crunch of metal-on-metal collisions, screeching rubber tracks, hydraulic hiss releases, and satisfying electronic shattering sounds as AI silicon chips and circuit boards explode.

Stylized arcade HUD featuring a dynamic real-time financial Damage Counter (tracking dollar-value hardware damage inflicted on AI units), an RPM/Drift Momentum Meter, Turret Swing Direction Indicator, cooldown dials for hydraulic slam maneuvers, and a multi-layered garage customization menu for decals, paint finishes, and chassis attachments.

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system. DirectX 12 API required. Supports full controller input (DualSense, Xbox Wireless Controller, DirectInput gamepads), Steam Cloud, and ultrawide 21:9/32:9 displays.
• Laptop Performance Note: High-velocity physics interactions, multi-body vehicular collisions, and dense volumetric particle explosions generate significant real-time GPU and CPU demands. Mobile components require sustained thermal dissipation to prevent clock throttling during chaotic horde encounters.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: Requires mobile GPUs operating with at least 75W-90W TGP for 1080p60 and 115W-140W+ TGP for 1440p high-refresh gameplay.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: Aggressive fan curves and an elevated laptop stand are strongly recommended to manage sustained heat from Unreal Engine 5 physics and destruction calculations.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: Sustained PL1 limit of 35W-45W+ recommended to maintain high tick-rate physics calculations during multi-enemy chain slams.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: Dedicated GPU mode via MUX switch or Advanced Optimus reduces input latency during high-speed drifting and parry maneuvers.
• Optimization Detail: Upscaling Tech: NVIDIA DLSS 3.7 (Super Resolution + Frame Generation), AMD FSR 3.1, and Intel XeSS 1.3.
• Optimization Detail: Key Settings Impact: Debris Physics Quality, Volumetric Smoke, Screen Space Reflections, and Post-Processing Motion Blur have the highest performance impact.
• Game Name: SLAM TANK

• OFFICIAL EARLY ACCESS PC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS from the game's Steam page. These specifications may change as development continues towards the full 1.0 release.
• Laptop Performance Note: Laptop performance will vary based on the specific model's cooling and power delivery (TGP). Path of Exile 2's new engine and complex combat encounters can be demanding.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P Impact: Total Graphics Power (TGP) is critical for laptop GPU performance. A higher TGP allows the GPU to perform closer to its desktop equivalent.
• Laptop Consideration: Advanced Cooling Thermals: The game's intense combat can be graphically demanding. A robust cooling system is essential to prevent thermal throttling and maintain consistent performance.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Performance Sustain: A strong mobile CPU with high single-core performance is important, as the game's core logic can be CPU-bound, especially with complex builds and numerous calculations.
• Laptop Consideration: R A M Configuration Speed: 16GB in a dual-channel configuration is the recommended minimum. The game can utilize more, and faster RAM can improve performance.
• Laptop Consideration: Display Panel G P U Pairing: Match the GPU's capability to the laptop's display. The game's fast-paced combat benefits from a responsive, high-refresh-rate panel.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch N V I D I A Advanced Optimus: A MUX switch or Advanced Optimus is beneficial for reducing latency, which is crucial for the timing of the new dodge roll mechanic.
• Laptop Consideration: Driver Updates O S Optimization: Keeping GPU drivers updated is crucial for performance and stability, especially for new content patches.
• Game Name: Path of Exile 2

• Upscaling Tech: NVIDIA DLSS 3.7 (Super Resolution + Frame Generation), AMD FSR 3.1, and Intel XeSS 1.3.
• Key Settings Impact: Debris Physics Quality, Volumetric Smoke, Screen Space Reflections, and Post-Processing Motion Blur have the highest performance impact.

• G P U T G P: Requires mobile GPUs operating with at least 75W-90W TGP for 1080p60 and 115W-140W+ TGP for 1440p high-refresh gameplay.
• Cooling Thermals: Aggressive fan curves and an elevated laptop stand are strongly recommended to manage sustained heat from Unreal Engine 5 physics and destruction calculations.
• C P U Power Limits: Sustained PL1 limit of 35W-45W+ recommended to maintain high tick-rate physics calculations during multi-enemy chain slams.
• M U X Switch Optimus: Dedicated GPU mode via MUX switch or Advanced Optimus reduces input latency during high-speed drifting and parry maneuvers.

• G P U T G P Impact: Total Graphics Power (TGP) is critical for laptop GPU performance. A higher TGP allows the GPU to perform closer to its desktop equivalent.
• Advanced Cooling Thermals: The game's intense combat can be graphically demanding. A robust cooling system is essential to prevent thermal throttling and maintain consistent performance.
• C P U Performance Sustain: A strong mobile CPU with high single-core performance is important, as the game's core logic can be CPU-bound, especially with complex builds and numerous calculations.
• R A M Configuration Speed: 16GB in a dual-channel configuration is the recommended minimum. The game can utilize more, and faster RAM can improve performance.
• Display Panel G P U Pairing: Match the GPU's capability to the laptop's display. The game's fast-paced combat benefits from a responsive, high-refresh-rate panel.
• M U X Switch N V I D I A Advanced Optimus: A MUX switch or Advanced Optimus is beneficial for reducing latency, which is crucial for the timing of the new dodge roll mechanic.
• Driver Updates O S Optimization: Keeping GPU drivers updated is crucial for performance and stability, especially for new content patches.