Path of Exile 2 has been officially announced. Revealed at ExileCon in New Zealand today, the sequel is a seven-act game promising numerous updates and improvements over the first game. Notably, however, Path of Exile 2 is not a separate standalone game. Instead, it combines the campaigns for Path of Exile 1 and 2, with its tagline being "one game, two campaigns."

Grinding Gear Games founder Chris Wilson said the studio did not want to split the community, so it decided to fold the games together. "Both the old and new storyline lead to the same shared Atlas endgame," Grinding Gear explained. "Path of Exile 2 retains all expansion content that has been created over the last six years and introduces a new skill system, ascendancy classes, engine improvements and more."

All the game content you might already have for Path of Exile 1--including microtransaction items, expansions, and more--will carry forward to the new version.

One of the biggest and most notable changes for Path of Exile 2 is that gems are no longer socketed. This is a very big change, and it'll surely change the way players consider armor drops, among other things.

Additionally, the game engine has been updated with improvements to make the lighting and other effects look better. There are also improvements to the skill system and more. Another new feature is "shapeshifting," which allows players to change form with the press of a button, even mid-animation.

Here are some other notable changes for Path of Exile 2:

It's set 20 years after the death of Kitava. "Ambitious men rise to fill the void and their thirst for power is once again corrupting Wraeclast," reads a line from the announcement.

There are 19 new Ascendancy Classes.

All armor and weapons have been updated.

The beta is starting in late 2020 at the soonest.

The skill system is being overhauled. There are new Support Gems that are socketed directly into Gems. With the new system it will be possible to six-link all skills.



Wilson said Path of Exile 2, overall, addresses all of the "deficiencies" of the first game. A live demonstration of Path of Exile 2 was shown during the ExileCon keynote--and it looked seriously impressive. You can check out some extended gameplay in the video below.

No release date has been announced for Path of Exile 2, but Wilson said the studio is taking its time to ensure the experience is polished. ExileCon runs all weekend, so keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.

Disclosure: Grinding Gear Games is paying for GameSpot's flight and accommodation in Auckland, New Zealand to attend ExileCon.