Actually, the beta for Path of Exile 2 was supposed to start on June 7, 2024. However, it has been postponed because the developers underestimated the effort required to polish it. Instead, there will be an alpha – so that the first impression for everyone is perfect in the end.
This is the status of Path of Exile 2:
- The successor to the action RPG and greatest competitor of Diablo has been announced since 2019. Even back then, it was stated that development would take a long time.
- In 2023, MeinMMO author Mark Sellner tried out Path of Exile 2 in a version that already seemed finished, and since then, the developers have been making last details and improvements.
- Recently, it was said that there will be a beta for everyone in June 2024. Now the game is postponed to later.
When can I play Path of Exile 2? In a presentation for the new Ranger class in PoE 2 and the new league in Path of Exile, Creative Director Jonathan Rogers explained that the beta of Path of Exile 2 will not be released until the end of 2024. The full release on PC, Xbox, and PS5 is not yet known.
Instead, an alpha will start in June. However, this will exclusively invite experts and veterans from the community to extensively test the game. In an interview with MeinMMO, the head said:
We currently do not need a million players to test what we have. What we really need is a much smaller group […] veterans and players we can trust. Players we know can test different builds and such. […] They will get a complete game, but it will be a bad game.
Jonathan Rogers, Creative Director of Path of Exile 2
The goal is to improve and perfect mechanics and gameplay. That’s why the alpha is also under an NDA.
Some content has already been created five years ago. Bringing this content into a presentable state has taken longer than expected. However, they want to present a finished product directly to the general public.
Rogers says: “We want the beta to have release quality directly. We want to have as much done as we can.” The first impression counts, as it often stays in memory for a long time.
Path of Exile 2: New Ranger Class is Ideal for PS5 and Xbox
During the presentation, the people responsible at Grinding Gear Games also introduced the new class: Ranger, which is already playable in Path of Exile. Rangers focus on ranged bow attacks.
The developers wanted to capture the feeling of a ranger during creation – like Legolas with dozens of arrows, it was said in the example. However, various elemental builds with poison or lightning were also shown in the presentation.
A major feature of the class is the ability to move and shoot at the same time – something that sounds tailor-made for controller players. However, the class was originally designed for mouse and keyboard.
Rogers explains in the interview:
We definitely had PS5 and Xbox in mind during development, but [Ranger] was not created for them. We had the WASD control in mind, which we announced last time.
The controls feel much more natural on the controller than one would expect.
Path of Exile 2 is primarily a kind of new beginning, the opportunity to streamline the old game. After the first part has been on the market for so long, many players have simply optimized the fun out of it. With PoE 2, one can simply start anew and thus solve the problem. This is the best improvement, along with enhanced gameplay. Even though the beta will be released later, you have a lot to expect this year: 2024 is the best year if you love games like Diablo
