During ExileCon, Grinding Gear Games revealed that as Path of Exile 2 grew since its announcement in 2019, they realized it was no longer just an expansion to Path of Exile as originally planned. With over 100 developers working on Path of Exile 2, it has become a much bigger project than originally anticipated. Moving forward, Path of Exile 2 will now be its own standalone title. Each game will still be supported and have its own unique mechanics, leagues, and features.
However, microtransactions and cosmetics will be cross-compatible across both games unless it’s not possible. For example, Druid is an ascendancy in PoE2 but not in PoE. Therefore, a Druid-specific cosmetic for PoE2 will not be available in PoE where Druid does not exist.
Path of Exile 2 has evolved into its own standalone game
I was torn back in 2019 when Grinding Gear Games revealed Path of Exile 2 as more of an expansion that would integrate with and extend the base game. I love Path of Exile, but a big focus for PoE2 appeared to be accessibility. Therefore, it seemed counter-intuitive to me to combine the two when it seemed they would each be a unique experience.
It certainly makes sense to support the two as separate games moving forward. Here’s the list of the current features for Path of Exile 2:
- 100 distinct environments
- 600 monsters
- 100 bosses
- 1,500 passive skills
- 36 ascendancy classes
- 240 active skills
- 700 equipment types
- 6 person co-op
For comparison, the base Path of Exile currently has 19 ascendancy classes, 1,325 passive skills, and 276 active skills. This is with nearly a decade of updates and expansions under its belt, as well.
Furthermore, balance would have surely become an issue when integrating the two games with each other. With each having its own separate ascendancy classes, splitting the two game should hopefully streamline any ongoing balancing.
Grinding Gear Games announced that a closed beta for Path of Exile 2 will launch on June 7, 2024. While a release date has yet to be announced, it looks like we might have to wait a while until this one’s officially launched.
