Grinding Gear Games has locked in August 29 at 4 p.m. EDT for the arrival of Path of Exile 2: The Third Edict, version 0.3.0, which rolls out Act 4, an inaugural league, and a free four-day trial for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox.
The new campaign arc transports exiles to the non-linear Ngamakanui archipelago, eight islands packed with 16 new zones and 12 fresh bosses. Destination flexibility means travelers can chart their own course while piecing together the scattered fragments of the titular Third Edict. Immediately after Act 4, three time-limited interludes The Curse of Holten, The Stolen Barya, and Doryani’s Contingency will add another 19 environments and nine bosses before Act 5 launches during Early Access.
Endgame content grows with 25 additional maps, plus new encounters that twist familiar zones such as the Siren-filled Rockpools, the haunted brigands of Cliffside, and a time-bending Faridun Swordmaster. To reach them faster, every archetype now gains sprint after dodge rolls, shaving minutes off traversal.
The free-to-play league this season is Rise of the Abyssal: hunt abyssal rifts, seal fissures, then sacrifice loot at the Well of Souls to upgrade gear or leap inside for hidden boss gauntlets and league-uniques.
Build diversity explodes through 40 new Lineage Support gems, removal of one-copy limits, multi-level supports, and class-specific buffs across Rangers, Huntresses, Warriors, Mercenaries, Witches, Brutes, and Sorceresses. Crafters gain overhauled essences, powerful new Orbs, and exceptional items tailor-made for “from-scratch” projects, while the hideout-based asynchronous trade terminal lets buyers purchase items even when the seller is offline—progress that will later carry back to the original Path of Exile.
A no-purchase weekend runs August 29 – September 1, and all progression converts to paid access if players decide to stay. Existing Dawn of the Hunt leagues will end August 26 at 3 p.m. PDT and migrate characters to Standard or Hardcore Early Access, logging the first economic clean slate for The Third Edict.
