Path of Exile 2 1.0 finally has its full shape. At ExileCon 2026 in Auckland, Grinding Gear Games used its keynote to lay out everything arriving when the action RPG leaves early access and goes free-to-play on December 11, 2026 (PST) on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S — and it is a lot more than a release date.
The headline is a finished campaign. Path of Exile 2 1.0 adds Acts 5 and 6, closing out the six-act story with a return to a ravaged Oriath, 24 new areas, 18 new bosses and more than 70 rare encounters. After nearly two years in early access — the paid beta debuted in December 2024 — the full story will finally be playable end to end.
Path of Exile 2 1.0 Adds the Shadow and the Duelist
Two new classes headline the character roster. The Shadow is a stealth-focused class built around a new Darkness resource, with the Assassin and Saboteur Ascendancies. Stealth in Path of Exile 2 1.0 is an offensive tool: there is no movement penalty, attacks from stealth teleport you onto enemies for backstabs, and traps placed in stealth stay dormant until you break cover, then detonate in the order you laid them — chain a poison, concussion and fire trap together and the gas goes up in one massive explosion.
The Duelist, the dual-wielding class first shown earlier this year, arrives with the Knight and Weapon Master Ascendancies. The Knight reveal at ExileCon stole the show: the Knight fights alongside a squire companion you can equip with your own weapons, armor and skills, plants banners that radiate buffs to allies, and builds Glory in combat to unleash abilities like Mounted Charge — riding a chariot straight through the enemy line, damaging and stunning everything in the way.
Conquerors of Wraeclast Turns Path of Exile 2 1.0 Into an RTS
The 1.0 launch league, Conquerors of Wraeclast, might be the wildest swing Grinding Gear has ever taken. It adds base-building and real-time strategy elements to the ARPG: you rescue and hire mercenaries, deploy them on the map, and lead your army in real-time battles against boss strongholds — and eventually against other players.
You pick one of three factions — Ezomytes, Maraketh or Karui — and fight through 23 campaign battles. The endgame opens up from there: you maintain your own castle with more than 20 unique buildings and upgrades, unlock commanders who run missions in real time, and fight over a shared endgame map where conquering rival player castles buffs your whole faction and opens new hunting grounds.
A New Endgame and 110 Reworked Uniques
Beyond the campaign and league, Path of Exile 2 1.0 brings a new endgame storyline, more than 25 new maps, 60 new active skills and a passive tree rework with hundreds of new stats. Jewels move into clusters instead of sitting on fixed highway paths, and support gems are being rebalanced for more flexible damage scaling.
Unique items get the overhaul players have been asking for. More than 70 uniques have been revamped with new modifiers, abilities and visuals, 40 brand-new uniques are being added, and over 200 new base items — weapons and armor with skills not previously available — round out the loot pool. Several existing classes, including the Acolyte of Chayula, Blood Mage, Infernalist and Mercenary, also get major reworks.
If you have been waiting for the finished game before jumping in, December 11 is the day — and if you are already deep in another free PC epic, our coverage of Soulframe Is Finally Open to Everyone and Warframe Is Leaving the Origin System has you covered there too. Reporting via MMORPG.com’s ExileCon 2026 recap.
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