So much happened on stage at ExileCon 2019, Path of Exile’s inaugural fan convention! What started with a visit from the great beast hunter Einhar entertaining the crowd ended with announcements for Path of Exile 2, a reveal and launch date for the next expansion, Conquerors of the Atlas, and its companion Metamorph league, and the announcement of POE expanding to two more devices: mobile and Mac OS. Try saying all that five times fast! Grinding Gear Games definitely has a big year planned for its MMOARPG.
Here’s a quick peek at these new announcements. We’ll be covering each of these in deeper detail as we continue to talk with devs and get hands-on time with the builds here at ExileCon, so stay tuned for more info!
Path of Exile 2
Known also as Path of Exile 4.0, this mega-mega expansion is reworking PoE in an entirely new way. Instead of just adding more acts and story, it is developing an entirely new storyline that players can work though. It is not a stand-alone game: Players will use the same game client and share the same endgame, but they will progress through different storylines on different versions of characters. PoE 2’s characters will be from the future and their ascendancies and even visuals will be different.
More exciting news here is the ability to seamlessly shapeshift into various creatures. Wilson noted that certain classes will be better suited to certain creatures due to their skills, but there won’t be a restriction on who can do what. I am interested to see what folks can come up with, but I am personally very excited to focus my attention on the Ranger, who according to Wilson has a unique cat shapeshift specialization. No way I can pass that up!
There is no release date set, but GGG’s Chris Wilson told me the team is targeting the end of next year (but could reasonably take longer), with three-month expansions continuing to fill in the space until it is ready.
Conquerors of the Atlas
Long before we get the new story path, we’ll get more endgame with the next expansion, Conquerors of the Atlas. Starting December 13th, players will be able to socket the Atlas and upgrade the maps on top of new skills, supports, and other stuff.
Metamorph
What can you expect with Metamorph? The main premise is to collect parts and use them to make your own metamorph boss that you will face. The more components, the better the reward you get when defeating that boss.
Mobile and Mac OS
Path of Exile already exists on two consoles, XBox One and PlayStation 4, but two new devices will soon be joining the ranks. Mac OS users will finally be able to get in on life as an Exile.
Also, don’t you guys have phones? If you do and you love PoE, you have a mobile version to look forward to. Interestingly, Grinding Gear Games told us it debated until the last minute whether or not to make the mobile announcement today on stage at a con aimed at PC and console players. We can’t imagine why anyone might think that was a bad idea. Ultimately, it was a go; Wilson explained that the quality came together enough to sway the studio in its decision to share the news of this project now. He added, “After the build we were playing last night, we said ‘Do it!'”
We’ll have deeper looks at some of these projects on Saturday!
