December 6: Path of Exile 2 has sold very well, and that . "There are probably going to be some queues during the launch weekend," says game director Jonathan Rogers. "Before the launch, when we were ordering [server] capacity, we really didn’t expect to have more than a million people online at the same time."
Path of Exile 2 is the long-awaited follow-up to the free-to-play Diablo-like from Grinding Gear Games. Originally conceived as a new story campaign for the original Path of Exile, GGG's habit of piling a sanity-straining amount of mechanics, systems, and nesting skill trees into [[link]] their software turned the would-be expansion into a full sequel.
Here's the launch times for Path of Exile 2, so you can know exactly when you'll be able to start comparing item affixes.
When does Path of Exile 2 early access launch?
Path of Exile 2 will launch in early access at 2 [[link]] pm EST / 7 pm GMT on December 6. That makes for a pleasant 8 am NZDT morning launch for players in GGG's hometown of Auckland, New Zealand. Nice to start your day with a fresh coffee and a sprawling passive skill tree.
Here's that Path of Exile 2 early access unlock time for various global time zones:
- 11 am PST, December 6 (Los Angeles)
- 2 pm EST (New York)
- 7 pm GMT (London)
- 6 am, December 7 (Sydney)
- 8 am, December 7 (Auckland)
Is there preloading for Path of Exile 2 early access?
Yes, you can start installing Path of Exile 2 ahead of launch time, [[link]] but only through the standalone client available for download from the .
There's no early install on Steam, unfortunately. If you purchased a PoE 2 early access supporter pack through Steam, though, you're still able to preload if you login on the PoE 2 site and download the standalone client. If you eventually want to switch to a Steam install, you'll have to redownload it, but you can use the same PoE 2 account however you've got the game installed.
Is Path of Exile 2 free to play?
Not in early access. While PoE 2 will eventually follow in the first game's free to play footsteps, playing Path of Exile 2 in early access requires the purchase of an early access supporter pack. The cheapest costs $30 / £24 and includes 300 points to spend on PoE's various microtransactions, while the more expensive options include progressively more elaborate cosmetic offerings.
You can grab PoE 2 early access supporter packs through , or from GGG directly on the .