I think i'm missing the social aspect of this game.

"

adghar wrote:

Wait, really? When I played D3, the other players in the group were precisely the "mannequins... might as well be NPCs" that original poster mentioned.

What I mean to say is that the social aspect of the game is better facilitated by D3. Group play is plentiful at all levels, whether in story or adventure, and there is a good level of endgame group play when pushing GRifts.

The quality of the players and their actual level of interaction is in no way as strong as it is in Path of Exile. The community here blows D3 out of the water. Which is why I recommended that the OP get involved with a guild.