Path of Exile 2 Will Not Leave Adventurers Disappointed, Even During Early Access

After a very long wait and a last-minute delay, Grinding Gear Games’ Path of Exile 2 is finally launching in two weeks in Early Access. However, it will be an early access game only in name, as it will boast a massive amount of content and even some endgame activities that will make the wait for the full version of the game easier to bear.

While I was not able to try out the game once again following the opportunity I had during Gamescom 2024, which left me thoroughly impressed, Grinding Gear Games made it abundantly clear during yesterday’s presentation that Path of Exile 2 will even exceed my expectations, offering a staggering amount of content to sink my teeth into right from its initial release on December 6th. The Early Access version will include the first three of the six story campaign acts, which will take players up to level 25, as well as Cruel Mode. This mode, which will be removed once version 1.0 is out with the other three acts, will allow players to experience the first three acts at a higher difficulty that will take them to level 65 to be ready for the endgame content.

Having endgame content straight from the beginning became a focus during the development of Path of Exile 2, as the studio realized that one of the biggest issues for an action RPG at launch was not having enough. As such, after spending 25 hours completing the campaign the first time and clearing it again in Cruel Mode, players will be able to spend a lot of time clearing the random encounters spread across the Atlas, a huge overworld map filled with different areas completely separate from those seen in the campaign. The endgame content will be further expanded by systems not available during the campaign, such as Breaches, a mechanic returning from the first entry in the series, where players will have to defeat enemies as quickly as possible, and Rituals, where players will have to survive multiple waves of enemies in quick succession.

Path of Exile 2 will not skimp with character classes right from the get-go as well, offering players six different classes – Warrior, Ranger, Monk, Mercenary, Witch, and Sorceress – all coming with very different play styles, ranging from short-range to long-range and magical warfare. This already massive variety of combat styles will be further expanded down the line with six more classes that will bring the total number of classes to twelve. Even with just six classes, Path of Exile 2 will have a lot to offer to players who want to create unique builds, thanks to the extremely versatile customization systems in place that don’t tie skills to specific classes.

Path of Exile 2 will be free to play once its 1.0 version launches, but those who wish to dive in straight away in the Early Access version will need to purchase one of the Early Access Supporter Packs. The basic pack will cost $30 on PC and consoles and will only grant access to the game, while the more pricey packs will include some additional in-game and physical goodies, although the physical goodies are only available for the PC versions of the Thaumaturge of the Vaal, Warlord of the Karui and Liberator of the Wraeclast Supporter Packs. You can check out the full chart below.

From what I have experienced and what the developers Grinding Gear Games have shown so far, Path of Exile 2 has the chance of becoming one of the best action RPGs ever released, if not the very best, taking everything that made the original great and competently modernizing it while expanding the experience in so many ways that it wouldn’t be surprising to see players spend hundreds of hours in the game and still not having seen the full potential of the systems and mechanics powering the game. As such, I really cannot wait for the Early Access version to release and be able to spend more time with a game that I feel I will be playing for a very, very long time.

If you’ve been waiting to hear the system requirements for the PC version of Path of Exile 2, they are below.

Minimum

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-7700 or AMD™ Ryzen 5 2500x
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960 (3GB), Intel® Arc™ A380, or ATI Radeon™ RX 470
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 100 GB available space
• Additional Notes: A GPU with at least 3GB of VRAM is required

Recommended

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-10500 or AMD™ Ryzen 5 3700X
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2060, Intel® Arc™ A770, or ATI Radeon™ RX 5600XT
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 100 GB available space
• Additional Notes: Solid State Storage is recommended