Quick answer: Path of Exile 2 leaves Early Access and goes free-to-play on December 11 (PST) on PC, Mac, PlayStation and Xbox. Version 1.0 finishes the campaign with Acts 5 and 6, adds two classes (the Shadow and the Duelist) and launches the Conquerors of Wraeclast league. The original Path of Exile gets its free Covens of Umbra expansion first, on November 13. Current as of November 7, 2026.
Grinding Gear Games used its ExileCon 2026 keynote to put a date on the moment Path of Exile 2 players have waited on since Early Access opened in December 2024. Path of Exile 2 1.0 launches December 11 (PST), and from that day the game is free-to-play, so nobody needs a supporter pack to get in.
What 1.0 adds
The campaign is finally complete. Acts 5 and 6 send you back to a ruined Oriath to finish the Twilight Order and the Beast, with 24 new areas, 18 new unique bosses and more than 20 new Champion Rare encounters. Grinding Gear says the full release ships with 10 playable classes, 26 Ascendancy classes, 320+ skills, 400+ unique items and 150+ endgame maps.
- The Shadow uses daggers and a new Traps weapon type, plus Stealth: monsters cannot see you until you get close, and traps you set while hidden go off in the order you threw them. Ascendancies: Assassin and Infiltrator.
- The Duelist fights with swords and Stances. Ready Stance empowers sword skills and upgrades into Sand or Blood Stance. Ascendancies: Knight and Master-at-Arms.
- Conquerors of Wraeclast is the launch league. You recruit troops, conquer castles, build a stronghold for one of three factions and team up with your faction across the whole league to take castles from other player factions.
The patch also brings 40+ new uniques, reworks of 70+ existing ones, a Passive Skill Tree overhaul that moves every Jewel socket into the clusters, a Support Gem rebalance and new skills for the Warrior and Witch.
The ExileCon calendar for both games
- November 13 (PST): Path of Exile 1: Covens of Umbra, a free expansion with a new challenge league and endgame changes.
- December 11 (PST): Path of Exile 2 1.0 goes free-to-play with Conquerors of Wraeclast.
That one-month gap means PoE1 players get roughly four weeks in the new league before the sequel pulls attention away.
Why it matters
Free-to-play is the big switch. Until now, playing PoE2 meant buying an Early Access supporter pack, and Grinding Gear already said those packs are leaving the store and being replaced by five new ones. On December 11 the paywall comes down on every listed platform at once, so expect a big wave of new and returning players in December.
What the announcement does not give yet is an exact launch hour or details on what happens to Early Access characters at 1.0. We will update this post when Grinding Gear shares them.
Planning to start fresh as the Shadow, or are you sticking with your Early Access main?
Sources: Grinding Gear Games, ExileCon 2026 Announcements; Path of Exile 2 Full Release on December 11 PST (Steam news); Grinding Gear Games press release (PR Times). Featured image: Grinding Gear Games.
