Source: Grinding Gear Games (official art via Steam)
Grinding Gear Games closed out ExileCon 2026 in Auckland with two dates Path of Exile players have been waiting on. Path of Exile Covens of Umbra launches November 13, 2026 (PST), and Path of Exile 2 leaves early access with its full release on December 11, 2026 (PST). Both drops are free to play, and both were announced on stage in front of a home crowd in New Zealand, where the studio is based.
The timing matters. Covens of Umbra is the next expansion for the original Path of Exile, and it lands less than a month before the sequel's full release. Grinding Gear Games is running both games in parallel, and the ExileCon announcements show the studio is not winding the original down to make room for the sequel. The official Covens announcement page lays out the expansion's headline systems, and the Path of Exile 2 site carries the full-release details.
Path of Exile Covens of Umbra: Witches, the Wickerman, and a Reworked Atlas
Covens of Umbra pits players against ancient witches, and its signature system is the Wickerman, a construct built from the corpses of slain bosses. Bosses drop Viscera trophies, and those trophies feed the Wickerman, which grows stronger as you feed it tougher kills. Boss Fates add another layer, raising both the difficulty and the rewards of boss fights for players willing to take the risk.
The endgame gets a structural shake-up too. The Atlas Passive Tree has been redesigned, league mechanics have been revamped, and Threads of Creation replace Scarabs, letting players guarantee up to three primary league mechanics inside a map. Loot changes round out the patch, including tiered unidentified Magic and Rare drops that should make picking loot off the ground feel less like a chore and more like a gamble worth taking.
Path of Exile 2 Full Release Brings Acts 5 and 6
The December 11 full release is the bigger milestone. Path of Exile 2 has been in early access since 2024, and the 1.0 launch closes the story with Acts 5 and 6, adding 24 new areas, 18 new unique bosses, and more than 20 special encounters as the fight against the Twilight Order and the Beast reaches its end. The release package now lists ten playable classes, 26 Ascendancy classes, more than 320 skills, over 400 Unique Items, and more than 150 endgame maps.
A new Shadow class joins the roster, along with the Knight Ascendancy for the Duelist. The studio also lists more than 40 new Unique Items, 70-plus revamped Uniques, broad skill and Ascendancy changes, and a reworked passive skill tree. If you have been waiting for the game to feel finished before jumping in, this is the version to start with. Our Path of Exile 2 beginner guide covers classes and first-week survival, and our best starter builds list five league starters that survive the campaign.
Conquerors of Wraeclast: Faction Warfare Comes to the Sequel
The launch league is called Conquerors of Wraeclast, and it turns the endgame into a war between player factions. You recruit armies, build fortresses, and command soldiers in sieges to take enemy strongholds. It is a loud, systems-heavy idea, and it fits a launch that is trying to prove the sequel can stand apart from the original rather than just continue it.
Grinding Gear Games first revealed the December 11 date earlier this month, but ExileCon put the full picture together: a date for the original game's next expansion, a finished sequel, and a league built around large-scale faction conflict.
When and Where to Play
Covens of Umbra arrives November 13 on PC, Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and the Epic Games Store. Path of Exile 2 lands December 11 on PC, Mac, Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation, and Xbox. Both are free to play, so the only cost is your time, and in late November and December, that is a serious commitment. With two launches four weeks apart, the busiest month in Path of Exile history is about to begin.
