Path of Exile 2 reaches its full release on 11 December 2026, with Grinding Gear Games confirming a free-to-play launch on Xbox. The announcement at ExileCon 2026 brings Acts 5 and 6, the Shadow class, the Knight Ascendancy for the Duelist and a new league, Conquerors of Wraeclast.
That is a campaign finale and an army to organise. Wraeclast clearly has no intention of letting anyone put their feet up.
Acts 5 and 6 finish the campaign
The final two acts conclude the campaign’s conflict with the Twilight Order and the Beast. According to Grinding Gear Games’ official announcement, they introduce 24 areas, 18 unique bosses and more than 20 special encounters.
Act 5 takes players back to Oriath, now scarred by war and corruption. The route runs through fallen districts, abandoned noble estates and a desecrated temple district as players work towards breaching the city’s defences.
Shadow joins the class line-up
The Shadow specialises in daggers, traps and stealth. The developer describes a system in which successful kills reset Stealth’s cooldown, letting players link ambushes together rather than treating concealment as a one-off escape.
There is also the Knight, a new Ascendancy for the Duelist. Beyond those additions, the full release includes more than 40 new Unique Items, over 70 reworked Uniques, a passive skill tree overhaul and changes to skills and Ascendancies.
Conquerors of Wraeclast brings armies and sieges
The launch league adds recruiting armies, constructing fortresses and commanding soldiers in large-scale sieges. Players fight rival factions and attack their strongholds, with the press announcement listing more than 70 new points of interest and 23 campaign battles.
It is a different set of responsibilities alongside the usual character-building: assembling a force and taking territory are part of this league’s progression, not just background scenery.
Free-to-play full release on Xbox
The Xbox Store listing currently labels Path of Exile 2 as a Game Preview for Xbox Series X|S. The newly announced full release is free-to-play; that should not be confused with the existing paid early-access supporter packs.
Grinding Gear Games gives 11 December as the release date, but has not supplied a launch hour in the announcement, so an exact UK unlock time is still unconfirmed.
Find the wider background in our Path of Exile 2 game hub and Path of Exile 2: Everything We Know guide.
