During last weekend’s ExileCon 2023 celebration of all things Grinding Gear, developers released some new information about Path of Exile 2. The upcoming ARPG may not begin any public testing events until 2024, but that doesn’t mean GGG isn’t ready to start ramping up the excitement. During the event, developers showcased a PoE2 walkthrough video and revealed the next official trailer from the forthcoming game. Oh, and let’s not forget that the first closed beta event was announced for June 7, 2024. Let’s get cracking.
First up, the official PoE2 trailer
The trailer sets the stage story-wise and introduces the classes players can expect when PoE2 launches. These classes include Witch, Ranger, Duelist, Shadow, Templar, Marauder, Warrior, Huntress, Sorceress, Mercenary, Monk, and Druid.
PoE2 features list
- Return to a Dark Fantasy World – Since the death of Kitava, society has been slowly rebuilding, but Corruption has once again started to spread throughout Wraeclast. The people whisper of a ghastly living Seed that drives those around it to madness. Path of Exile 2 features a brand new campaign with six acts, 100 distinct environments, 600 monsters and 100 bosses.
- Twelve Character Classes – Path of Exile 2 features twelve character classes, two for every combination of Strength, Dexterity and Intelligence. While each of the class variants focuses on a different playstyle, they’re just a starting point. You can combine skills from many classes together to create your ideal character build. Each of the twelve character classes has its own three Ascendancy specializations, resulting in a total of 36 Ascendancy Classes to pick between.
- New Skill Gem System – Path of Exile 2 features 240 Skill Gems that grant devastating active skills and 200 Support Gems that modify their behavior. Combine these together to create your perfect build. This is the next generation of Path of Exile’s famous skill system. Support Gems are now socketed directly into Skill Gems, removing many of the frustrations present in the old system while maintaining all the previous depth. It’s now possible to six-link every skill your character uses.
- Dual-specialise your Passive Skill Tree – Path of Exile’s iconic Passive Skill Tree has made a return, with 2,000 skills that allow you to completely customise your gameplay experience. It now features Dual Specialisation, the ability to allocate some passive skill points to two different sets of skills. They engage whenever the appropriate weapon or skill type is used. For example, you can have some points allocated to both daggers and traps, or ice and lightning, and as you swap between attacks, the appropriate skill points will apply. This lets you specialise in multiple areas without opportunity cost.
- Uncover All-new Items – Path of Exile 2 features 700 equipment base types and every single one has its own unique item you can find. You can augment your arsenal with new weapons such as Spears, Crossbows and Flails, as well as supplementary items like Focuses, Traps and redesigned Sceptres.
- Explore a new Endgame – At the conclusion of Path of Exile 2’s six-act campaign, you’ll gain access to its endgame. Each of the more than 100 endgame maps has its own boss fight and modifiers that enable revamped versions of many of Path of Exile’s past leagues. We’ll reveal more details of the surprises that await you in Path of Exile 2’s endgame in the leadup to release.
PoE gameplay walkthrough
Play before 2024
One of the most notable announcements from ExileCon 2023 is that a playable demo will be shown at Gamescom in late August and at PAX West in early September. So for fans eager to see the game long before it begins beta testing, this is a golden opportunity to check things out.
Path of Exile 2 is being developed for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, macOS, and PC.
Want to know more? Head to the Path of Exile 2 official site for more details.
