Path of Exile 2 1.0: Everything Confirmed So Far — ExileCon 2026 & the December 11 Launch
Path of Exile 2 1.0: Everything Confirmed So Far — ExileCon 2026 & the December 11 Launch
Unlike a lot of "what's coming next" posts in this genre, this one isn't built on leaks or data-mined files — Grinding Gear Games has already confirmed the headline news themselves. At Gamescom 2026, GGG announced that Path of Exile 2 will leave Early Access and launch as version 1.0 on December 11, 2026, roughly a month after the community gathers for ExileCon in Auckland. Here's everything that's actually confirmed, what's still speculation, and what to watch for when ExileCon kicks off on November 7th.
The Big One: 1.0 Launches December 11, and It's Going Free-to-Play
Path of Exile 2 has been paid Early Access since it launched — a $30 entry fee to get in early. That changes completely at 1.0: the game becomes fully free-to-play the moment version 1.0 goes live. GGG hasn't confirmed the exact release time yet, but based on how every previous major update has rolled out, expect it to land around 1 PM PDT on the 11th, the same slot 0.5.0 and 0.5.5 both used.
The free-to-play switch is the part worth paying attention to as a seller, honestly — GGG themselves are expecting a "massive influx of new players" once the price barrier disappears. That's a lot of brand-new characters that are going to need currency, uniques, and gear fast, and a launch of this size tends to create real early-league scarcity while the fresh economy finds its footing. If you're planning to farm or trade around launch, expect the first week or two to be the most volatile pricing window PoE2 has seen since Early Access itself began.
It's also worth putting this in context: a full PoE title going free-to-play at 1.0 isn't unprecedented — the original Path of Exile has been free since its own launch in 2013, and that model is a huge part of why it built the player base it did. GGG applying the same approach to PoE2's full release suggests they're treating this less like a "sequel launch" and more like the moment PoE2 formally becomes the flagship game.
Where the Game Is Right Now: 0.5.5 "Forbidden Rites"
If you're catching up: the current patch is 0.5.5, "Forbidden Rites", which went live September 4th as an event league running alongside the existing Runes of Aldur (0.5.0) league. Forbidden Rites drops a Ritual encounter into every campaign zone — handing out leveling currency and gear rather than the Endgame-only uniques Ritual is normally known for — plus a reworked Trial of Chaos and the new Viridian Wildwood endgame mechanic. There are no Skill Gem or Ascendancy balance changes in this patch, so nothing about it invalidates a build you're already running.
Per GGG's own FAQ, Forbidden Rites is confirmed to run until 1.0 launches — meaning this event league and Runes of Aldur both end together on December 11th when everyone migrates to the full release. If you're currently leveling a character in Forbidden Rites purely for the campaign-currency boost, that's a reasonable strategy right up until launch — just don't expect any of your progress or league-specific items to carry forward once 1.0 resets everything into its own economy.
New Class Confirmed: The Duelist
The other major Gamescom reveal was the Duelist — a sword-wielding class built around what GGG is describing as "the power of sand and blood." This is the class most of the community has been asking for since Early Access launched, since PoE2 has been missing a fast, aggressive sword-focused melee option up to this point. Every existing class so far has leaned into a different fantasy — Warrior's heavy weapons, Ranger's bow play, Witch and Sorceress's elemental casting, Monk's martial arts, Mercenary's firearms — and the Duelist is being positioned to fill the "quick, precise, blade-focused" gap none of them fully cover.
GGG showed artwork for two Ascendancy classes coming with the Duelist, though neither has been officially named yet. Community speculation — not confirmed — points to Gladiator and Slayer, based on how the original Path of Exile handled the same class. Treat that specific pairing as a guess until GGG says otherwise; it's an educated guess rooted in PoE1 history, not something GGG has stated.
What Else 1.0 Is Expected to Bring
Beyond the two headline announcements, GGG has laid out a broader shape for what the full release includes:
- Full, completed campaign acts — 1.0 is being positioned as the "finished" story experience, not just a balance patch.
- A core endgame overhaul, building on what Forbidden Rites and Runes of Aldur have already been testing in the lead-up.
- Expanded Ascendancies for classes that already exist, on top of whatever the Duelist brings.
- No campaign skip feature is currently planned, so new characters will run the full story — worth knowing if you were hoping to speed-run alts once 1.0 lands.
One thing that's been explicitly ruled out for 1.0: Divination cards are not coming back at launch. GGG has said they're targeting a post-launch 1.1 or 1.2 update instead, with a PoE2-specific twist rather than a straight port from the original game. If Divination cards were part of your PoE1 farming routine, that's a system you'll be waiting on for at least one update cycle after release.
What to Watch For at ExileCon (November 7–8, Auckland)
ExileCon is where the rest of the picture is expected to fill in. Likely on the agenda:
- The full 1.0 roadmap — content, systems, and probably a proper 1.0 trailer.
- Official Ascendancy names for the Duelist, and possibly reveals for any remaining classes GGG hasn't shown yet.
- Post-1.0 league cadence — how often new leagues will ship once the game is out of Early Access, which matters a lot for anyone deciding whether to buy in fresh or wait for a specific season.
- A status update on Path of Exile 1's own 4.0, since GGG has confirmed a PoE1 expansion is planned around the same event — meaning ExileCon isn't purely a PoE2 show, and PoE1 players have a reason to watch too.
Given the roughly five-week gap between ExileCon and the December 11 launch, expect GGG to use the convention as the real "here's everything" moment, with the launch itself being closer to execution than surprise reveals.
What's Confirmed vs. What's Still a Guess
To be clear about the line here: the December 11 date, the free-to-play switch, and the Duelist class itself are all things GGG has stated directly — not leaks, not rumors. The specific Ascendancy names, and exactly how much additional content lands day one versus in a follow-up patch, are still community speculation until ExileCon confirms them. We'll update this guide the moment anything changes.
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