Path of Exile 2 1.0 on December 11: Shadow class, death recap and free to play
Early access ends December 11 PST. The Shadow joins the Duelist, Acts 5 and 6 finish the story, a siege league starts, and a death recap shows what killed you.
Stories on esportz.fun are written by the esportz.fun team under house pen names. About our authors
Path of Exile 2 leaves early access and becomes free to play on December 11, 2026 (PST), Grinding Gear Games confirmed during its ExileCon keynote in Auckland on November 6. Version 1.0 adds two classes instead of one: the Duelist, already shown in August, and the Shadow, a dagger and trap class built around stealth.
The launch also finishes the campaign with Acts 5 and 6, starts a new league called Conquerors of Wraeclast, and adds a death recap screen that shows what actually killed you.
What's confirmed
Release. December 11, 2026, Pacific time, on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store and the standalone client), PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, KeenGamer reports. Grinding Gear has not announced the launch hour, so we cannot give a time in MYT yet. The paid early access period began on December 6, 2024.
The Shadow. According to PC Gamer, the Shadow can ascend as the returning Assassin or a new Infiltrator. A third ascendancy is still unannounced. Its key mechanic is stealth: monsters cannot see you until you are close. Stealth has a cooldown that resets when you get a kill. Traps return, and traps placed from stealth do not go off until you reveal yourself, so you can set up a real ambush. There are eight trap types in 1.0. Entering stealth leaves a shade behind that blinds monsters and copies your melee attacks, and a new Darkness resource boosts damage when you leave stealth.
New weapons. Daggers arrive with the Shadow and swords with the Duelist, each with new skill gems and supports. The roster reaches 10 of the 12 planned classes. Game director Jonathan Rogers said the last two come after launch.
The rest of 1.0. KeenGamer lists 24 new areas and 18 major bosses across Acts 5 and 6, with the campaign ending in Oriath, plus a new endgame storyline, Atlas changes, a large balance pass, new uniques and more support gems. Microtransactions bought in the first game will not all transfer at launch. The rest come in later updates.
Conquerors of Wraeclast. The launch league adds a strategy layer. You recruit mercenaries, set their formation before each fight, then join the battle yourself. The campaign has 23 army battles, and in the endgame you build a stronghold and lay siege to castles held by rival factions.
The death recap. Rogers confirmed the feature at ExileCon after Mark Roberts' character died on stage and the recap appeared in front of the crowd, PC Gamer reported on November 8. It shows the damage you took and how much was mitigated, so you can see whether you need more life, evasion or a specific resistance. Damage over time is tracked but cannot yet show its source. Rogers said the team is working on that.
Dates before launch. Path of Exile 3.30, Covens of Umbra, launches on November 13 PST. Sign-ups for launch rewards on the Path of Exile 2 site close on December 10 PST.
Background
Grinding Gear launched the first Path of Exile as a free-to-play game in October 2013 and has run three-month leagues ever since. Path of Exile 2 went into paid early access in December 2024 and has added classes in waves, each with its own weapon type. The Shadow is a familiar idea for long-time ARPG players: Diablo II's Assassin, added in Lord of Destruction in 2001, was also built on traps and martial arts, and PoE 1's Shadow played the same trap and dagger role.
My take: what it means for players
I think the death recap is the most important feature in this announcement, even though it is the least flashy. Every ARPG veteran knows the feeling of dying in the endgame to a screen full of effects with no idea why. A tool that shows the damage and the mitigation turns a frustrating death into a fix you can make. Rogers' line that it lets players "complain about the right things" is exactly right. Bad balance values, like the killer crab caused by a typo, will be easier to prove.
The Shadow looks like the most interesting class design yet. Traps that wait for you to break stealth feel like a real ambush, not traps you throw at enemies' feet. Whether the trap and stealth loop holds up at endgame speed is something we can only judge after launch.
Going free to play is the big change for new players. My advice is to wait for the first week's patches before you spend money on a stash tab.
What we don't know yet
- Launch time. Grinding Gear has given the date but not the hour.
- The Shadow's third ascendancy. It has not been named.
- Last two classes. Rogers said they come after launch, with no date.
- Microtransaction transfers. Which purchases from the first game carry over at launch has not been fully listed.
Quick facts
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Release | December 11, 2026 (PST) |
| Price | Free to play |
| Platforms | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S |
| New classes | Duelist (swords) and Shadow (daggers, traps) |
| Classes at 1.0 | 10 of 12 planned |
| League | Conquerors of Wraeclast |
| Campaign | Acts 5 and 6: 24 areas, 18 major bosses |
FAQ
When does Path of Exile 2 1.0 come out?
On December 11, 2026, Pacific time. Grinding Gear Games has not announced the exact launch hour.
Is Path of Exile 2 free to play?
Yes, from the full release on December 11, 2026. Early access was paid.
What does the Shadow class do in Path of Exile 2?
It uses daggers and traps, with a stealth mechanic that hides you until enemies are close. It can ascend as the Assassin or the new Infiltrator.
What is the Path of Exile 2 death recap?
A screen shown after you die that lists the damage you took and how much was mitigated, so you can see what to improve.
More: World of Warcraft: Forever's record launch.
Sources: Path of Exile (Grinding Gear Games forum); PC Gamer; KeenGamer.
