Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2 is the sequel to Grinding Gear Games’ Path of Exile, released in Early Access on December 6, 2024. It is a free-to-play action role-playing game built around character building, randomized loot, and repeated combat encounters. Unlike its predecessor, it uses a new engine and presents a separate campaign, while remaining in the same broader universe of Wraeclast. Early Access launched with six playable classes, three campaign acts, and a Cruel difficulty route that revisits the early story. The opening story follows an exiled player in Ogham, where Count Geonor rules through fear and succumbs to the Beast’s corruption. The campaign then moves through the Vastiri Desert, using the Ardura Caravan as a mobile hub, before reaching the jungle city of Utzaal and its Vaal machinery. Important encounters include the Trial of the Sekhemas, overseen by Balbala, and the confrontation with Jamanra, the Risen King. In Act Three, players investigate the Vaal past while corruption spreads through Wraeclast. Early Access offers six classes: Warrior, Monk, Ranger, Witch, Sorceress, and Mercenary. Each begins with a distinct attribute identity, but the skill system allows unusual combinations. Warriors favor Strength and heavy weapons; Monks combine Dexterity with Intelligence, using quarterstaves and elemental attacks; Rangers specialize in bows; Witches command minions or wield occult spells; Sorceresses focus on elemental magic; and Mercenaries use crossbows with ammunition types and grenades. The available Ascendancy specializations further refine these identities during progression through challenging trials. Skills are granted by Skill Gems, while Support Gems are socketed directly into them rather than placed in separate support slots. This change lets players create linked abilities without rolling traditional socket colors on body armor. Gear still matters: weapons determine many attack properties, and passive Skill Gems can be assigned to weapon sets for fast swapping between loadouts. Combat adds a dedicated dodge roll, and bosses use more deliberate arenas and telegraphed attacks than encounters in its predecessor. Grinding Gear Games announced Path of Exile 2 at ExileCon 2019, initially describing it as a sequel that would share the original game’s endgame. During development, the scope expanded, and the sequel became a separate client with its own campaign and mechanics, while both games continued receiving updates. Early Access is not the finished release: Grinding Gear Games has stated that additional acts, classes, ascendancies, skills, and endgame content are planned. Players get PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions.