Path of Exile 2 is still a ways off, with a closed beta coming June 7, 2024

Today, the developers at Grinding Gear Games held ExileCon 2023 in their native New Zealand. The team behind the hit free-to-play fantasy action RPG Path of Exile used the event to give attendees, along with people streaming the event live, the first extensive look at the long-awaited sequel, Path of Exile 2.

Originally announced way back in 2019, the original plan was to develop the sequel as a replacement for the first game (similar to how Overwatch was replaced by Overwatch 2 by Blizzard). However, that plan has now changed.

Today, Grinding Gear revealed that Path of Exile 2 will now be a separate game from the original and that both will run concurrently, and expansions will be released for both games in the future.

The good news is that most in-game purchases of virtual items will be available in both games, with a few exceptions for items that are made specifically for one game.

The bad news is that Path of Exile 2 is still going to take a while to finish. Grinding Gear announced that the closed beta for the sequel won't begin until June 7, 2024.

The developer will be letting people get their hands on early versions at certain events before then, like at Gamescom and PAX West in late August.

One of the reasons why the sequel will take so long is that it will have a ton of content. Path of Exile 2 will have six new character classes (Sorceress, Monk, Huntress, Mercenary, Warrior, and Druid) in addition to the six original classes from the first game.

The sequel will have a six-act campaign with 100 different environments, along with 600 monsters, 100 boss creatures, a new skill gem system, and more.

Grinding Gear has released a nearly 30-minute narrated gameplay walkthrough video, which shows part of Path of Exile 2's Act 3 campaign. The game is coming to PC, Mac, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5 consoles.

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