Path of Exile 2 is finally leaving early access purgatory - full release incoming

Attention all exiles who have been grinding through early access like it's a second job - your suffering is about to be canonized. According to Polygon, Path of Exile 2 game director Jonathan Rogers confirmed during a recent online briefing that the game's full version is on its way, and the final early access patch is locked and loaded.

Rogers essentially told the community to start panic-crafting their farewell builds, because the 1.0 release date announcement is coming soon. The final early access patch is dropping first, which means Grinding Gear Games is basically handing players one last dungeon crawl in beta-land before flipping the big switch to full release.

Why this is a bigger deal than a six-link drop

For context, Path of Exile 2 has been one of the most anticipated ARPGs in recent memory - a spiritual successor to a game that already had a notoriously dedicated (read: obsessed) fanbase. Early access launched to enormous numbers, and despite the usual complaints about difficulty spikes that would make a Dark Souls veteran weep, players have been logging obscene hours into it.

The full release means new content, presumably more polished systems, and the terrifying prospect of even more currency trading that makes the stock market look simple. If PoE2's early access was the tutorial, the full game is the real boss fight.

What to expect from the final early access patch

While specific patch details weren't fully outlined in the briefing, the fact that Grinding Gear Games is calling it the "final" early access patch suggests they're wrapping up loose ends before the grand 1.0 debut. Think of it as the last save point before the final dungeon - you definitely want to respec your build before walking through that door.

The ARPG community is already buzzing harder than a Spark build at max cast speed. Whether you're a returning exile, a Diablo refugee, or someone who just enjoys torturing themselves with loot-based progression systems, now is the time to dust off your characters and start theorycrafting for launch day.

Stay tuned - that official release date reveal could be dropping faster than a rare item from a trash mob.