When will the long-awaited Path of Exile 2 release and what kind of new gameplay we can expect in the biggest Diablo 4 competitor? Well, with Exile of Path 2 possible just around the corner, here's everything we know about Path of Exile 2.
Path of Exile 2 Guide - Release Date, Beta, New Gameplay Features & Content
It's hard to believe that it's been nearly four years since this beautiful man announced Path of Exile 2 on the stage at Exile Khan back in 2019, where has the time gone? The highly anticipated upcoming installment has remained relatively unnoticed since its official announcement. However, as we enter 2023, it seems that we are on the brink of getting our hands on the game. Shortly after the release of the biggest "Path of Exile" competitor Diablo 4, Grinding Gear Games dropped two new trailers for Path of Exile 2 at the PC gaming show and Summer Games Fest, it's been quite a while since we've seen or heard anything about PoE 2, so it was pretty exciting to get a little glimpse. And despite these being such short trailers they actually show a lot to the keen eye. In this post, we are going to not only talk about the info leaked from the new trailers but also cover the release date, classes, weapons, companions, skill tree, and gameplay of the Path of Exile 2!
Path of Exile 2 Release Date
When will The specific release date of PoE 2 is not yet known, but with the release of Diablo 4, we believe that GGG will speed up its development and will probably let us enter the new world by the end of 2023 or 2024.
Path of Exile 2 has experienced significant delays since its initial announcement in 2019. Initially anticipated to release in 2022, the estimated date proved inaccurate. However, the recent attention given to the Exilecon reveal gives us hope that 2023 is now a more reliable release window.
During ExileCon 2023, scheduled for July 29 to July 30, the full details of Path of Exile 2 will be unveiled. This event is highly anticipated as it is expected to provide valuable information regarding the game's release date.
Path of Exile 2 Beta Release Date
There is a possibility that the first beta of Path of Exile 2 may commence around July 2023, coinciding with this second ExileCon. Actually, as early as last year, GGG had revealed in a live broadcast that PoE 2 closed beta start date will be announced during ExileCon 2023. At that time, we believe that the content that has been teased in the trailers is likely to be experienced in Beta by players.
Path of Exile 2 Platforms
GGG has confirmed that PoE 2 will be released on PC Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, expected to be on the new generation of consoles such as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series!
Path of Exile 2 New Gameplay Features & Contents
In Path of Exile 2, players can expect a fresh seven-act story campaign that intriguingly converges with the familiar endgame centered around the Atlas of Worlds, which existing players will already be acquainted with. In addition, what new content and gameplay features are worth looking forward to in PoE 2? Let's find the answer from the official trailers and announcements!
We know that Path of Exile 2 is set 20 years later featuring canonically new player characters, however, in the original PoE 2 trailers we saw the same classes as before and very similar character models overall just updated. These new trailers however seem to reveal that we're getting completely new character models and potentially the base classes might be a little different too. This actually becomes a bit more obvious from the two new trailers, especially the Aggorat trailer!
Sorceress Character & Skills
In the Ngamakanui Trailer, the new character appears to be taking the place of the Witch, though she could be a bit more of a sorceress this time around, the aesthetic would fit that more than Path of Exile's Witch. During the combat in the trailer, we get to see some new looks for existing skills: Arc, Spark, and Ice Nova:
- Spark in particular looks quite different now, less like little lightning creatures zooming around and more like lightning actually traveling along the ground.
- Ice Nova is a lot spikier and looks pretty chunky as well, the effect on the ground does seem to linger visually, it's mechanically different based on this footage here as it doesn't seem to chill some of the mobs that run through the area.
- Inside we get our first glimpse of a new skill - an Ice Meteor with a wind-up cast to it, frame by frame analysis gives it about two seconds from the beginning of the cast to the end it lands, with about a 1.2-second animation lock-in.
Monk Character & Skills
In the Aggorat Trailer, a new player character is present and this one has a strong monk aesthetic to it. It's actually hard to say who this character replaces, currently, Templar is aligned to staves, and Templars and Monks both often overlap in spiritual focuses. That said the Duelist is all about Martial Perfection and monks are often flavored that way as well. This could even be a replacement for the shadow since dexterity intelligence is a good fit for more magical monks which is what this seems to be. It's really tough to call but we are leaning towards this new monk-style character being the shadow replacement but does however mean that Staves role and passive tree support would likely be expanding either way. That brings us to the next detail, this character class actually uses a staff even changing their grip on it for different attacks, and also incorporating kicks and punches as well.
- This trailer seems to have all new skills in it, but more than that it looks like a huge leap forward for melee combat in general, it looks a lot more fluid and mobile. For outside of Cyclone and a couple of gimmicky exceptions, most melee skills in Path of Exile are very static, your character plants their feet and you do a whack. Melee combat from swordsman's ship to mixed martial arts or indeed star fuse always involves a lot of movement with footwork being fundamental. Nearly every attack here incorporates movement, this first attack is a lock-in combo that travels forwards as it slashes around in circles, it looks super satisfying and this sort of thing can be used to attack enemies while you avoid their attacks, that already is much more Dynamic gameplay.
- Now despite wielding a staff, the monk does a punch here that seems to be part of another skill that punch seems to grab a charge off of the head of a marked enemy, which is then spent to do a follow-up lightning slam which includes a short leap forward. Seamlessly following that up is a backflip with an ice swipe that sends icicles along the ground and then followed up with a series of win slashes. Now that between the punch and the slam, there's a small Dodge roll as well as we saw in the last trailer, it's used to reposition it's insane how much better this looks than current Peewee melee combat.
- Another important detail is also marked after being attacked and then that punch skill from earlier actually teleports the player to the marked enemy to steal that enemy charge which makes that skill look a lot more fun to use. The enemy dies from the punch but the charge orbits the player and is spent to unleash another lightning slam on the next pack. This time the ice follow-up skill is not used that means the ice slash backflip is probably a different skill, despite the fact that it seemed to weave in so seamlessly with the lightning slam. We are guessing those charges are generated on hitting enemies if you have the lightning slam slash punch hybrid skill active on your skill bar. This is definitely much more interesting moment-to-moment gameplay and way more mobile and fluid melee combat that's on display in this new trailer.
One of the biggest changes coming to the game with Path of Exile 2 is the complete overhaul of the skilled Gem and socket system.
In Path of Exile 2, instead of socketing your support gems into linked sockets in your gear, you'll instead socket them directly into the active skill gem itself, which itself is then socketed into predetermined sockets in your gear. There'll be a flashy new skill gem interface to support this change. Orbs of fusing will be no more as the sockets and skill gems will always be linked and you'll be able to find up to three linked skill gems from item level 1 to 19, for linked skill gems from item level 20, onward 5 linked skill gems from item level 35 onward, and fully six-linked skill gems starting at item level 50.
Also, did you spot that multi-colored socket that's a new addition with the predetermined gear socket system and Path of Exile 2? Gear will always drop with the same number and color of sockets based on type, like a Hybrid Armor evasion helmet with a hybrid red and green socket, which means it can be socketed with either color of the gem. Two-handed weapons will have four sockets, one-handed weapons, and off-hands will have two sockets each, body armor will have two sockets, and helmets gloves and boots will have one socket each.
You will still be able to modify the color of sockets on gear with a new in-game currency, and you will also be able to use Chromatic Orb s and Jewelers to modify the sockets on skilled gems if you find a skilled gem. With more links than the one you are using, you'll be able to destroy your current gem to apply the level and experience to the new gem to obtain more links.
While the new socket and Gem system may be the largest change that Path of Exile 2 will introduce the addition of 19 new ascendancy classes might be the most anticipated feature. The new ascendancies will be tied to the new campaign so if you want to play a juggernaut or a Pathfinder, you will still need to play through the original campaign to reach the end game. The ranger will be getting the new survivalist ascendancy with an interesting Dynamic with the skill tree having defensive options on the left side and defensive options on the right side.
- Division: One of the offensive options, division grants you two copies of compatible skills socketed in your bow one supported by GMP and the other by the barrage, potentially two seven links.
- Forking, Piercing, Chainning: The survivalist will also have an ascended-like choice between Forking, Piercing, and Chainning
- Multiplication: This skill allows you to save your projectiles to build up larger bursts.
Spell Avoidance: On the defensive side, we have Spell Avoidance which convert your evasion into Spell Evasion.
- Beastmaster: The ranger will also be getting the Beastmaster ascendancy which heavily supports the new shape-shifting abilities that will be coming in Path of Exile 2. This ascendancy will grant you the workout skill a high crit shape-shifting ability which you won't be able to find anywhere else.
- Born to be Wild: You will also be able to spec into wild shape to massively improve shape-shifting bonuses and keep those bonuses even when you're in human form.
- Ally of the Wild: This will give you a nice little companion that will work like a Golem and provide Buffs.
- Lion/Panther/Cheetah Companion: You can even specialize into which type of companion you need.
- Tactician (Death from Above): The Ranger's third new ascendancy is possibly the most ambitious of them all. The tactician will be able to continuously leave bombard areas with reigning arrows and even gain multiple uses of this skill which will prevent enemies from attacking at range.
- Siege Warfare, Siege Breaker: These two notables will provide massive Buffs to your totems like ensnaring enemies and making them take more range to attack damage and allowing the most recently placed totem to deal a lot more damage. But the most interesting of all is the close combat specialist which will enable the tactician to use ax and sword melee abilities with a bow. The developers did mention that they are re-rigging animations which have made things like bows using melee animations possible and Path of Exile 2.
- Other New Ascendarcies: We don't have a whole lot of information on the other ascendancies but we do have some names and concepts. Defiler, new Witch Ascendancy will have a heavy focus on lightning damage and charging up energy, Reaver war leader ascendancy for the marauder which will grant powerful bonuses to allies around him, unnamed Marauder ascendancy with a focus on avatars and ancestral abilities.
New ascendancies are pretty exciting but there's also going to be new weapon types too. We know of at least two of them the crossbow and the spear. These new weapons seem to hint at a new direction in terms of gameplay in regard to your choice of weapon as both of them will grant new skills:
- Crossbows grant implicit attack skills such as PowerShot a high damage single Target ability. Instead of socketing attack skills, you can socket crossbow bull types to augment the attack abilities and change what they do. We know of at least three types of bolts: armor piercing, incendiary, and permafrost.
- Spear will allow you to use new engage and disengage abilities to provide freedom of movement and more interesting combat.
Aside from what we've already discussed here, there are a few more tidbits of information we have about Path of Exile 2.
Meta Gems
We know that there will be a new gem type called Meta Gems which the developers described as the opposite of an active skill gem. Instead of socketing support gems into an active skill gym you'll socket active gems into meta gems. Like this Proficiency meta gem for auras which will allow you to turn all of your auras on or off with a single hotkey. Cast on Critical Strike support and spell totem support will also be meta gems.
AI Options
Speaking of spell totems, the developers also talked about tentative plans for new AI options to allow your spell totems to use skills in certain orders. In the trailer, they showcased the spell totem setup that will curse any uncursed enemies in the area before moving on to use other skills. On the discussion of AI, they also mentioned that monster packs will have more interesting AI in Path of Exile 2, such as patrolling areas where appropriate.
UI Elements
Of course, you can also expect other upgrades such as UI elements like the new character sheet which will provide information that is better laid out and easier to find.
That's just about all we know about Path of Exile 2, the project was slated for a 2022 release prior to the covid-19 pandemic which ultimately impacted the plan schedule, but by how much will we see a 2023 release, we'll likely find out that and a lot more about Path of Exile 2 at Exile Khan on July 29th and 30th in Auckland New Zealand.
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