Path of Exile 2 Early Access launches today with six characters and full endgame experience

Have you heard of Path of Exile 2?  If you’re one of the 500,000 people online on Steam pretty much ALL weekend, then the answer was yes.   Well, today we’ve got the formal launch of Early Access (not just the early jump-in prior to the official launch) for the game, offering offering six characters, distinct endgame content, and couch co-op with full cross-play and cross-progression on all supported platforms.  Frankly, I’m shocked at just how wildly complete this game is already, based on what I’ve heard from friends who are being completely consumed by it already.   In early Access you’ll have access to Monk, Warrior, Ranger, Mercenary, Witch, or Sorceress, with each class able to ascend to two additional roles to further customize that character.  In a move that is fairly unheard-of in Early Access, the game also has a full endgame that appears at the end of the Campaign.  If I didn’t tell you the game is Early Access, I suspect you’d have a hard time drawing any other conclusion.  Let’s get some more info on that campaign:

Set twenty years after the original Path of Exile, the forsaken continent of Wraeclast has been free of devastation. However, the Count of Ogham, tempted by the promise of power, unleashes Corruption on the land, resulting in the undead rising, mutating monsters, and spreading madness.

Under the dark influence of Corruption, the Count metes out death sentences to those who question him. Escaping the clutches of your executioners and narrowly making it to survival, players must track down the Seed of Corruption, the source of the devastation.

Again, bafflingly, the game already has more than 50 bosses and 400 monster types, as well as “seven distinct endgame systems for Path of Exile 2, which includes the Ascension Trials, Delirium, Rituals, and more. A second Campaign difficulty, titled Cruel Difficulty, is also added, which allows Exiles to rediscover Wraeclast in a much more challenging setting with greater rewards.”

All signs point to this being comfortably one of the biggest games of 2024.  Stay tuned as we jump into the game and get our own impressions.  If you’d like to join us, you’re spoiled for choice — the game is available on PC, Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and the Epic Games Store right now!  Here are some screenshots to check out while you wait for that download…

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