Path of Exile 2 1.0: what we know so far
Confirmed facts only, each with its source and date — checked again after the ExileCon reveal on November 6.
Path of Exile 2 1.0 is the full release: on December 11, 2026 the game leaves early access, becomes free to play and completes its story with six acts, two more than today. It adds a new class, the Duelist, together with swords, and launches on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The rest — the Duelist's ascendancies, any further classes, how leagues are set up at launch — is expected at the ExileCon reveal on November 6 (PST).
PoE 2 1.0 in short
- Launch on December 11, 2026 (PST); the hour is not announced yet
- Free to play from launch; cosmetics and stash tabs stay optional
- Six acts: the final two join the four in the game today
- A new class, the Duelist, arrives with swords
- Nine of the twelve planned classes at launch, unless ExileCon adds more
- PC (standalone, Steam, Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S
- Full reveal at ExileCon on November 6 at 1:00 PM PST
Release date, hour and price
The date is December 11, 2026, Pacific time, announced on August 25, 2026 at gamescom Opening Night Live together with the first Duelist trailer. The hour is not announced; the countdown uses 11:00 AM PST (19:00 UTC) as an estimate, because every earlier launch went live at 8:00 AM New Zealand time.
From that day the game is free to play. Cosmetic items and stash tabs stay optional purchases, and purchases are account-wide, shared between Path of Exile 1 and Path of Exile 2.
Acts and the campaign
Four acts are in the game now; 1.0 adds the final two for six acts in total, according to the game's Steam page. The director has kept the details of the last acts for the reveal.
The three Interludes that replaced Cruel difficulty in 0.3 are temporary. In a gamescom interview in August 2026 the game director said they will be removed at 1.0 and their bosses and content moved into the endgame or into quests. That is a stated plan rather than patch notes — the 1.0 notes will confirm it.
Classes and ascendancies
Path of Exile 2 is planned with twelve classes. Eight are playable today: Warrior, Ranger, Witch, Sorceress, Mercenary and Monk from the start of early access, the Huntress from 0.2 and the Druid from 0.4. The Duelist, a fast sword-and-shield fighter shown at gamescom on August 25, 2026, joins them at 1.0 — nine in total. Swords arrive with him; the director told PCGamesN that the team did not want to ship 1.0 without them.
Marauder, Templar and Shadow have not been announced for launch, and in an interview at gamescom the director said some classes will still be missing at 1.0. Today the eight classes share 22 ascendancies — three each for Warrior, Witch, Sorceress, Mercenary, Monk and Huntress, two each for Ranger and Druid. The Duelist's ascendancies have not been shown. A short teaser titled “Become the Darkness” appeared on October 30; fans read it as a hint at the Shadow, but no new class is confirmed.
Platforms, cross-play and Steam Deck
1.0 releases on PC — the standalone client, Steam and the Epic Games Store — and on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. There is no PlayStation 4, Xbox One or native Mac version.
The developer promised cross-play and cross-progression across all supported platforms before early access began — one account on PC and consoles, plus couch co-op on consoles — and it has worked that way since. One catch: a stash tab bought on one platform is remove-only on a platform where you do not own it. Path of Exile 2 has been Steam Deck Verified since September 24, 2026.
What carries over from early access
Your account and everything bought with it. For characters, the developer's early access FAQ from November 2024 says there will be no wipe: early access characters stay in their early access league and still exist after launch.
How 1.0 itself is organised — new Standard and Hardcore leagues, whether early access characters can move into them, which temporary league comes first — has not been announced. Partial resets do happen with big updates: with 0.5 the Atlas and its passive tree were reset for existing characters, who got a free passive refund. Nothing like that has been announced for 1.0 yet.
Supporter packs and full-release rewards
The packs that granted early access are leaving the store within a few weeks of the developer's October 22, 2026 post and will be replaced by five new packs. Neither the removal date nor the contents and prices of the new packs are announced. No pack is needed to play 1.0.
Anyone can register for the full release at pathofexile2.com/register with an email address and receive cosmetic codes after launch: one item is guaranteed, and up to five unlock as sign-ups pass community milestones. By October 19, two of the five were unlocked. Early access owners are not registered automatically; the deadline is December 11 (PST).
What ExileCon 2026 will show
ExileCon 2026, the convention of Grinding Gear Games, runs November 6–8, New Zealand time, at the Aotea Centre in Auckland. The keynote — the full Path of Exile 2 1.0 reveal, plus Covens of Umbra for Path of Exile 1 — starts on November 6 at 1:00 PM PST (21:00 UTC) after a pre-show at 12:30 PM PST, runs about two hours and streams free on Twitch and YouTube. This page is rewritten within a day of the keynote.
Path of Exile 2 1.0 at a glance
| Item | What is known | Source date |
|---|---|---|
| Launch date | December 11, 2026 (PST) | August 25, 2026 |
| Launch hour | Not announced; past launches at 8:00 AM New Zealand time | November 2, 2026 |
| Price | Free to play | August 25, 2026 |
| Acts | 6: the 4 in the game today plus 2 new | Steam page, November 2, 2026 |
| Classes at launch | 9 of 12 planned, with the new Duelist | August 29, 2026 |
| Ascendancies today | 22 across 8 classes | September 2026 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S | August 25, 2026 |
| Full reveal | November 6, 2026, 1:00 PM PST | October 29, 2026 |
Dates in the last column are when the source said it. Rows marked not announced change after the ExileCon keynote.