ExileCon 2026: everything announced for Path of Exile 1 and 2, and what players think

ExileCon 2026, Grinding Gear Games' third, runs on 7 and 8 November in Auckland, New Zealand.⁸ The keynote went out live on 6 November at 12:30 p.m. Pacific time, and these are the announcements, checked against Grinding Gear Games' own pages on 7 November.^1,6

Every date announced

Path of Exile dates, from ExileCon 2026

When	What happens
7 November (PST)	The ExileCon Twitch drops end
9 November, 1 p.m. PST	Path of Exile 1's Curse of the Allflame league ends
Wednesday 11 November, New Zealand time	Path of Exile 1's 3.30 patch notes
13 November (PST)	Path of Exile 1: Covens of Umbra launches, free on PC and consoles
11 December (PST)	Path of Exile 2 leaves early access and goes free-to-play. The last day to sign up for the free launch cosmetics

Path of Exile 2: the full release

Path of Exile 2 becomes free-to-play on 11 December. The full release finishes the story with Acts 5 and 6, set in Oriath, with 24 areas and 18 new bosses. It adds the Shadow, who fights with daggers, traps and a new Stealth mechanic, and the Duelist, who fights with swords and switches between Stances. A new challenge league, Conquerors of Wraeclast, has you raise an army, build a stronghold and siege castles alongside the rest of your faction. Over 40 new unique items, a passive tree rework and a rebalance of every support gem come with it.^1,3

Our Path of Exile 2 full release guide has every detail, and how players have rated the game through two years of early access.

Path of Exile 1: Covens of Umbra

Path of Exile 3.30, Covens of Umbra, arrives on 13 November. Its Covens league has you choose Fates that make bosses harder and richer, then hang their Viscera on your own Wickerman. Scarabs are removed for a new system, Threads of Creation, alongside a new Atlas tree, a loot rework, and Mirages becoming a permanent part of the game.⁴

Our Covens of Umbra guide explains the league step by step and every endgame change.

The ExileCon Twitch drops

Watching the ExileCon broadcast, or any channel in the ExileCon directory, until late on 7 November, Pacific time, earns Nightfowl cosmetics: a weapon effect at two hours, a level-up effect at four, a dodge roll at six and a back attachment at eight. Link your Path of Exile account to Twitch first and claim the rewards from your Twitch inventory before the promotion ends. They work in both games, and they aren't exclusive, since they'll reach the store later.⁶

What players think of the ExileCon reveals

The army mode is the surprise hit. Conquerors of Wraeclast is the announcement players talk about most, and they compare it to Heroes of Might and Magic and Total War. Many are wary of the faction contest over castles, though, and of how much menu work managing an army could add to mapping.⁹

Losing Scarabs splits Path of Exile 1 players. Plenty are glad to see them go. Others will miss customising their maps with them, worry the endgame becomes more random, and point out that selling Scarabs was a steady income for casual players. Some hoarded them by the thousand, and Grinding Gear Games hasn't said what happens to Scarabs players already own.¹⁰

Both new classes have fans. The Shadow looked fast and fluid on stage, and plenty plan to start with him, though some expect Stealth to need a pass or two of fixes and find its screen effect distracting. Others can't wait to play the Duelist.¹¹

The support gem rebalance excites build makers. Players expect many old builds to become viable, and some broken ones at launch, and they're bracing for nerfs elsewhere.¹²

The next news comes with Path of Exile 1's patch notes on 11 November, New Zealand time.²