Path of Exile 2: Full Release Date, Acts 5-6 and Shadow Class Detailed

Grinding Gear Games officially confirmed the launch schedule for Path of Exile 2 during their ExileCon 2026 keynote: the ARPG exits Early Access and transitions into a fully free-to-play title on December 11, 2026 (PST). Version 1.0 brings a massive wave of endgame overhauls and campaign chapters, headlined by the Shadow class, the final Acts 5 and 6, and a siege warfare challenge league.

The Shadow Arrives: Tactical Stealth and Lethal Trap Chains

The return of the Shadow brings back Wraeclast's definitive Dexterity and Intelligence hybrid archetype, completely revamped around a dedicated Stealth system. Monsters drop target lock and lose visual detection until the exile steps into close proximity. This fundamentally reshapes combat pacing. Rushing mindlessly into the center of a pack is obsolete. The Shadow flanks targets undetected, pre-lays clusters of traps along patrol paths, and opens from concealment with guaranteed critical strikes.

Upon opening fire, pre-set traps detonate simultaneously, triggering devastating cascade bursts of elemental and poison damage. Clean pack wipeout in a single second. Scoring finishing blows instantly refreshes the stealth cooldown window, letting disciplined pilots sustain continuous chain-kills without taking counter-hits. At launch, the Shadow features two distinct Ascendancy paths: the Assassin, built around direct single-target burst multipliers and lethal poison scaling, and the Infiltrator, engineered for tactical battlefield sabotage, repositioning, and multi-trap orchestration.

Campaign Finale: The Fall of Oriath Across Acts 5 and 6

Version 1.0 finally wraps up the Path of Exile 2 campaign storyline by delivering Acts 5 and 6, adding 24 new zones and 18 unique multi-phase bosses. The narrative arc steers exiles straight into a calamity-ravaged Oriath. Players confront the zealots of the Twilight Order and put a definitive stop to the lingering horror of The Beast before stepping foot onto the Atlas of Worlds.

These concluding chapters act as a brutal build check before mapping. The tight, devastated city avenues of the capital are packed with punishing elite squads that quickly punish greedy animation commitments. Boring trash corridors have been eliminated: campaign bosses feature strict multi-stage arena evolutions, requiring tight dodge-roll timing and proactive crowd control management.

Atlas Warfare: Castle Sieges in Conquerors of Wraeclast League

Launching alongside the 1.0 milestone is the Conquerors of Wraeclast challenge league, bringing tactical faction warfare directly into the Atlas endgame loop. Instead of merely blowing through map modifiers, players seize territorial strongholds across the Atlas from rival warlords.

The core league mechanic introduces outpost building, mercenary battalion recruitment, and direct siege coordination. Deploying ballistas and battering rams tears open fortified castle gates, exposing warlord vaults stacked with exclusive siege crafting bases and rare modifiers. This turns traditional map farming into an active campaign for continent-wide dominion.

Simultaneous Multiplatform Launch and Meta Overhaul

Path of Exile 2 launches on December 11, 2026 (PST) simultaneously across PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, standalone client), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S with complete cross-play and cross-progression enabled. The 1.0 update also marks the debut of the stance-switching Duelist (featuring Knight and Master-at-Arms Ascendancies), alongside a sweeping passive skill tree retune and updates to over 100 unique items.