Path of Exile 2 1.0: What PC Players Need to Know Before December 11
Path of Exile 2 leaves early access on December 11, 2026. Grinding Gear Games announced the date at gamescom Opening Night Live, and multiple reports since then still point to the same date as of October 28, 2026. This is a preview, not a review. The 1.0 version is not out yet, and this article does not claim hands on play with it.
Here is the short version. On December 11, 2026 Pacific time, Path of Exile 2 becomes free to play, adds the Duelist class with swords as a new weapon type, and completes its six act campaign with Acts 5 and 6. If you waited out early access, this is the version you waited for. If you already own early access, read the section on your old characters before you plan a launch day build.
In this guide:
- What changes at 1.0
- What happens to early access characters
- Will your PC run it
- Get ready before December 11
- What is still unconfirmed
- FAQ
- Bottom Line
What changes at 1.0
Four changes are confirmed across the reports checked for this update.
- Free to play. Early access required a paid supporter pack, reported at $30. From December 11, you do not pay to access the full campaign and endgame. Cosmetics and stash tabs remain the funding model, as in the original Path of Exile. Purchases shared between Path of Exile 1 and Path of Exile 2 carry across where they apply.
- The Duelist. The Duelist is the first sword wielding class in Path of Exile 2. Grinding Gear Games describes the class as a fast, aggressive, and adaptable melee fighter who fights with sword and shield. This matters beyond one new class choice, because builds in this game are shaped by weapon type first.
- Swords as a new weapon type. Swords arrive with the Duelist. As with other weapons in Path of Exile 2, they are not locked to one class, so other classes can build around sword skills too.
- The full campaign. Act 4 already arrived during early access. Acts 5 and 6 complete the six act story at 1.0. The planned full version also adds more skill gems, items, endgame content, areas, bosses, and monsters, but Grinding Gear Games has not detailed every 1.0 change yet.
The launch covers PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. Early access began on December 6, 2024, so 1.0 arrives almost exactly two years later.
What happens to early access characters
Do not plan a 1.0 character around an old save. This is the mistake the old version of this article invited, and it is now fixed.
According to the Wccftech roundup checked for this update, early access characters are not deleted, but they do not move into the new economy. They move into a separate permanent league called Early Access, where they keep their levels, gear, and stash. The new 1.0 Standard league starts from zero for everyone. Nothing from early access, including characters, currency, gear, or maps, transfers into the 1.0 economy. Challenge rewards earned during early access stay on your account.
Treat that transition summary as reported, not as a direct Grinding Gear Games post retrieved for this draft. Check the official launch week patch notes before you assume anything about a specific character or stash tab. Your real carry over is knowledge: two years of learning the combat, bosses, and systems.
Will your PC run it
Grinding Gear Games has not announced updated PC requirements for 1.0. The numbers below are the official specifications published ahead of early access, not 1.0 requirements. Use them as a rough guide only.
- Minimum: Windows 10, Intel Core i7-7700 or AMD Ryzen 5 2500X, 8 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 (3 GB), Intel Arc A380, or AMD Radeon RX 470, DirectX 12, 100 GB storage.
- Recommended: Windows 10, Intel Core i5-10500 or AMD Ryzen 5 3700X, 16 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, Intel Arc A770, or AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, DirectX 12, 100 GB storage on an SSD.
Early access supported NVIDIA DLSS and NIS, AMD FSR 2, and Intel XeSS 1.3. No frame generation technique was officially supported at that stage. That does not promise any frame rate gain for your PC. Dense endgame maps with hundreds of monsters and stacked effects are exactly where frame rates fall, so judge performance in busy maps, not in an empty town.
If your PC struggles in busy scenes, check your temperatures first with our guide on how to check GPU temperature. If one CPU thread is pinned while your GPU sits idle, read our CPU bottleneck explainer before you blame your graphics card.
Get ready before December 11
Do these steps in order. Each one is free.
- Free up SSD space. Budget at least 100 GB for the game, plus headroom for launch week patches. A full drive causes more launch day failures than most players expect.
- Update your GPU driver in the launch window. Big releases usually get game ready drivers. If your current driver has been layered over for a year, do a clean install with DDU instead of installing on top of it.
- Set your upscaling first. In dense maps, turn on your upscaler and dynamic resolution before you lower every other setting. Our maximum FPS settings guide covers the order to tune settings in, and our graphics settings explainer covers what each setting actually costs.
- Fix stutter before launch day. If games already stutter on your PC, launch day is the wrong time to debug it. Work through our game stuttering guide now.
- Register if you want the launch rewards. Reports checked for this update say players can register on the official Path of Exile 2 site for exclusive rewards, with bigger rewards unlocking as more players sign up. The official registration page was not directly retrieved for this draft, so it is left unlinked in Sources. Do not treat any specific reward tier as confirmed until Grinding Gear Games publishes it.
- Pick a starter, not a finished build. Wait for the launch patch notes and the Duelist Ascendancy details before you lock in a build. A starter that clears the campaign comfortably beats a perfect endgame plan built on pre launch guesses.
Windows 11 players should also run through our Windows 11 gaming optimizations before launch week, so a background setting is not the thing that costs you frames on day one.
What is still unconfirmed
Separate these from the confirmed items above. Do not treat them as facts.
- Exact launch hour. Reports give December 11, 2026 Pacific time. No precise launch hour was confirmed in the sources retrieved for this draft, so players in other time zones may see a different calendar date.
- Duelist Ascendancy names. Grinding Gear Games has not named the Duelist Ascendancy classes in the sources retrieved. The long term plan is 12 base classes with three Ascendancies each, but only nine classes are confirmed for launch including the Duelist. Whether any of the remaining three arrive at 1.0 is unconfirmed.
- Final 1.0 PC requirements. The specs in this article are early access specs. Updated 1.0 requirements are unconfirmed.
- Registration reward tiers. Registration itself is reported, but specific reward tiers and thresholds are unconfirmed in the sources retrieved for this draft.
- Full 1.0 change list. Grinding Gear Games has confirmed the date, the free to play switch, the Duelist, swords, and the broader campaign plan, but the full patch level detail is still to come.
FAQ
Is Path of Exile 2 free at 1.0?
Yes. From December 11, 2026, the game becomes free to play. The paid early access supporter pack requirement ends at 1.0.
When does Path of Exile 2 1.0 release?
December 11, 2026 Pacific time. No exact launch hour was confirmed in the sources retrieved for this draft.
What is the Duelist?
The Duelist is the new class at 1.0 and the first sword wielding class in Path of Exile 2. Grinding Gear Games describes the class as a fast, aggressive, and adaptable melee fighter who fights with sword and shield.
Do early access characters carry over to 1.0?
Not into the new economy. Reports checked for this update say early access characters move to a separate permanent Early Access league and keep their levels, gear, and stash, while the 1.0 Standard league starts fresh. Check the official launch week patch notes before you assume anything about a specific character.
Do I need to buy anything to play the full campaign at 1.0?
No purchase is required to access the full campaign and endgame at 1.0. Cosmetics and stash tabs remain optional purchases.
Can I play Path of Exile 2 on PC for free while I wait?
The original Path of Exile is free, and it sits on our list of the best free PC games on Steam. Path of Exile 2 itself stays paid until December 11, 2026.
Bottom Line
December 11, 2026 Pacific time: Path of Exile 2 goes 1.0, goes free, adds the Duelist and swords, and finishes the campaign. If you skipped early access, wait for that date and start fresh with everyone else. If you played early access, expect a fresh Standard league, not a transfer of your old economy. Free up disk space, update your driver, and pick a starter. Then watch our upcoming PC games calendar for launch week coverage.
