Here's what's in Path of Exile 2’s huge 1.0 release, coming in December

Path of Exile 2’s full release arrives on December 11, featuring two new classes: the Shadow and the Duelist. The Shadow introduces dagger-based mechanics like stealth, traps, and shadow clones, while the Duelist centers on swords with skills such as cyclone and hemorrhage. Both classes expand build variety with new skill gems and mechanics, including stances like blood and sand for the Duelist. The additions aim to diversify playstyles and deepen mechanical depth across the action RPG.

The campaign, incomplete during early access, now includes two new acts and a fully finished story following the Beast through Oriath and beyond. New rare monsters with unique abilities and mods populate the campaign, alongside bespoke encounters. The expansion also introduces the Conquerors of Wraeclast league, which integrates a base-building system where players recruit armies, construct a castle, and engage in strategic battles to progress and earn loot.

The league’s base-building system allows players to recruit soldiers at over 70 points of interest, upgrading their castle with gold to unlock commanders who automate map progression. Players can join one of three factions—Karui, Ezomyte, or Marraketh—to battle for control of castles, unlocking shortcuts on the Atlas and increasing item rarity. Victorious factions gain access to hunting grounds with rare monsters and enhanced loot, while currency from battles enables gear crafting with fractured mod systems.

Endgame content receives substantial updates, including a redesigned Atlas skill tree reduced from over 300 nodes to about 70, streamlining progression toward the Arbiter of Divinity. Gem systems have been overhauled, consolidating support gems like elemental penetration and reducing penalties for chaos damage. The passive tree now integrates jewels into skill clusters, aiming to reduce homogeneity in endgame builds. Over 70 existing uniques have been reworked, and roughly 40 new uniques have been added, alongside powerful base types, expanding loot variety across the game.