Path of Exile 2 leaves early access on December 11 and becomes fully free-to-play, Grinding Gear Games announced with a new gameplay trailer at Gamescom Opening Night Live.
The studio's own announcement, posted to the game's Steam page, said the full release introduces the Duelist, a long-awaited class revealed in the Opening Night Live trailer, and pointed players to a registration page carrying milestone rewards ahead of launch. IGN reported that the 1.0 release covers PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. GameSpot reported that the trailer offered a snippet of the sequel's narrative setup along with a look at combat that runs faster than the first game's.
Swords arrive with the 1.0 release
Grinding Gear Games described the Duelist as Path of Exile 2's first sword-wielding class: an orphan raised in the slums who trained for a place in the Grand Arena, fled during the Fall of Oriath and now fights on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves. The studio said he is a master of both sword and shield, built around fast, aggressive and adaptable melee combat, according to MassivelyOP.
PC Gamer noted why a new weapon type matters beyond a single class: weapons in Path of Exile 2 are class-agnostic, so adding swords effectively drops a batch of new skills into every build. One attack shown in the trailer summons a cone of icicles before the sword comes down through the middle of it, a move PC Gamer recognised as borrowed from a campaign boss.
The release also settles the game's business model. Path of Exile 2 entered early access in December 2024 on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, and access to those builds was paid, GameSpot reported. Version 1.0 drops that barrier and matches the free-to-play structure of the original Path of Exile. MassivelyOP reported that the game will be story-complete when it launches.
A balance league lands first
Grinding Gear Games is not going straight to launch. PC Gamer reported that the studio plans a mini-league aimed at tightening balance across the game's classes, delivered in update 0.5.5 and expected within the next month. The studio said it would hold a stream on Thursday, August 27, with more detail on both the mini-league and the full release.
GameSpot reported that the finished game keeps the depth the series is known for, with hundreds of active and passive skill gems and an endgame built around more than 100 maps and boss encounters. December 11 falls on a Friday, PCGamesN noted, and closes an early access run of almost exactly two years.