Elex is an action role-playing game set on the planet Magalan after it was hit by a meteor. The game starts with the player's character ship being shot down while on a mission. Stranded far from home, the player now has to survive and explore the world. The game revolves around finding a rare substance that arrived with the meteor, which can be used to power machines or give the user magical abilities.
Like previous games from the same developer, factions exit in Elex , and the player can join them. These factions include the Berserkers in Edan who use Elex to restore nature, Outlaws in Tavar, Clerics in Ignadon who power their machines with Elex, and the Albs in Xacor who consume raw Elex for strength. The game offers a range of weapons, including crossbows, swords, hammers, guns, and flamethrowers, as well as a jetpack. All five regions of the game world are free to explore from the start, allowing players to gain experience by slaying hostile creatures or completing quests.