The big Path of Exile 2 update, “The Third Edict,” is dropping on August 29, 2025, and it’s going to change everything from the campaign to the endgame and the crafting systems. This is the second huge expansion since Path of Exile 2 went into Early Access, and it shows how dedicated Grinding Gear Games is to making the ARPG better and better.
You’ll get a brand-new Act 4, a totally fresh league mechanic, and a pile of quality-of-life upgrades. Path of Exile 2 keeps raising the bar for the genre. Here’s a full look at everything the Third Edict has in store for us.
Release Date and Free Weekend Access
The Path of Exile 2 Third Edict (version 0.3.0) goes live on August 29, 2025, at 1 PM PDT, and it’s hitting PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on the same day. To celebrate, Grinding Gear is giving us a free weekend from August 29 to September 1. Any player can jump into Path of Exile 2 without paying for Early Access, and any progress you make will carry over if you decide to buy the game later.
Act 4: Nonlinear Exploration in the Karui Archipelago
The Third Edict throws open the gates of Act 4, picking up Doryani’s journey right where Act 3 leaves off. Together, you and the legend walk the blood-soaked shores of the Ngamakanui, racing to unearth an ancient weapon that can put corruption to the blade, not the lip. Unlike the linear paths you may be used to, the Karui Archipelago flings wide eight islands for you to plunge into in whatever order you please.57
Settle into the velvet sand of Whakapanu Island, then recalibrate to the molten fury of the Isle of Kin—each isle holds its own mood, atmosphere, and twelve brand new bosses you probably don’t want to shake hands with. This freedom keeps you in charge of the compass and deliriously rewards you for skipping path, which is the very spirit of Path of Exile 2’s campaign spirit.56
Interlude Acts: Cruel Difficulty Staged Out
The Third Edict doesn’t stop with an open map; it blindsides old comfort. The cruel treadmill is in the rearview, and in its place you’ll find three meaty Interlude Acts that run parallel to the main story: The Curse of Holten, The Stolen Barya, and Doryani’s Contingency. These surprise episodes serve up 19 supplementary areas and nine extra bosses, inviting fresh new pain and fresh new loot right up to the moment you step into the endgame.56
These temporary lore zones will vanish once Acts 5 and 6 launch, but for now they’re a great way to bulk up the Path of Exile 2 campaign and to offer fresh paths to the level 50 endgame.
Rise of the Abyssal League Mechanics
The upcoming patch will also add its first exclusive league, Rise of the Abyssal, part of the Third Edict. Players will spot abyssal fissures gaping open all over Wraeclast, the result of ancient necromantic energy spillover from the age of the Precursor. To contain the rot, they’ll need to tackle corrupted monsters, seal the fissures, and loot the Abyssal Armouries that open afterward. These spots will drop high-value loot when cleared.
The league also brings a brand-new crafting system. Each abyssal monster shatters into bones, and picking these up lets you add hidden Desecrated modifiers to rare items and Waystones. To check what you get, take the bones to the Well of Souls in Act 2. This lets you reveal and pick from three options, making crafting feel more directed and less random from Act 1 all the way to the endgame.
Crafting and Support Gems Revamp in Path of Exile 2
Crafting Demystified in the Third Edict
The Third Edict dramatically reworks PoE 2’s crafting, making it simpler and stronger for all players:
- Tiered Currencies: Currencies now come in Regular, Greater, and Perfect versions. Higher versions deliver modifier bonuses that feel meaningful. 10.
- Predictable Essences: Levelling up essences now resembles Regal Orbas, with four tidy tiers—Lesser, Regular, Greater, Perfect—each stage clearly showing what comes next. 110.
- Exceptional Drops: Base items can loot as Exceptional types that sport extra quality or extra sockets, giving crafters stronger starting pieces. 110.
- Preview and Omen Tools: Hinekora’s Lock lets players see the result before spending, while new Omen currencies promise effects like guaranteed success with the Orb of Chance. 1.
- Sanctified Endgame: An endgame modifier rolls crafting results to 80-120% of the original value, crafting a potential mirror- quality item at the cost of mirrors. 10.
Together, these updates sway players to shape items through crafting instead of endless runs, responding to a longtime ask from the community. 1.
Support Gems for the Modern Player
The Third Edict completely refreshes the support gem system.
- Infinite Support Slots: Gone is the old limit of a single copy of each support. Stack as many as you like, pushing builds in creative, unexpected directions. 710.
Tiered and Lineage Support Gems
- Tiered Support Gems: Support gems now grow along with your character. Leveling these gems unlocks new tiers that deliver cooler effects and better stats once they hit level ten. 10.
- Lineage Support Gems: We’ve added forty fresh support gems that are as flashy and strong as unique items. You can grab these only from certain end-game bosses and they’ll shake up your end-game loot farming plans. 710.
- New Additions: Eleven brand-new support gems let you explore even wilder character builds. Plus, if you’ve ever hated that feeling of losing a skill just because a few attribute points are short, you’ll love our quality-of-life touch that keeps skills mostly working. 7.
This overhaul is a serious boost to build diversity in Path of Exile 2, finally smashing limitations that held creative theory-crafting trapped in a box. 7.
Major Gameplay and Quality-of-Life Improvements
- Sprinting: Need a speed boost out in the wilderness? Hold the dodge button to sprint. You’ll zip around much faster, but watch out: getting hit will stop your speed burst, so keep those dodge rolls timed. 56.
- Async Trading: Always wanted a more in-and-out trading game? Just drop by Ange in Act 4. You can list your items in your hideout shop, and anyone can zap to your shop and buy the item even if you’re offline. Finally, a trading system with zero wasted time. 510.
- Weapon Swap Changes: Flip between your weapon sets instantly now. The annoying swap delay is gone, so feel free to switch and slam any time. 10.
Key Updates and Roadmap Highlights
New Defensive Layers: The all-new Deflect mechanic, linked to Evasion and Dexterity, offers a chance to ignore 40% of damage from incoming hits. Equally important, Armour now provides a fresh way to offset elemental damage via specialized modifiers. These changes boost survivability without throwing off existing build synergy.
Endgame Expansion and Balance Changes: Long-time Path of Exile players can now dive into 25 fresh endgame maps, face new bosses, and explore a reworked Atlas. Accessing a Pinnacle Boss now costs splinters, and the encounter’s challenge scales directly with the number you use, skipping the Atlas Tree route for a more flexible choice. In parallel, the entire roster of ascendancies—Rangers, Warriors, Witches, and Sorceresses—has received a thorough balance pass. Expect stronger poison, cold, and electricity skills for Rangers, boost to shield, totem, and accuracy for Warriors, better melee minions for Witches, and refined elemental systems for Sorceresses.
Development Roadmap Beyond The Third Edict: Although the Third Edict adds a wealth of content, Grinding Gear Games warns that Path of Exile 2 won’t hit its complete 1.0 status until 2025. Key focuses will remain on defending servers against DDoS attempts, perfecting campaign completion, and ongoing balance adjustments.
Act 5 could launch by December 2025, but developers caution that this date might still shift. The steady growth of Path of Exile 2 proves that Grinding Gear Games favors a finish-over-speed strategy: every new zone, item, and mechanic is hand-crafted to provide a satisfying journey rather than just a launch date.
Conclusion: A New Era for Path of Exile 2
The Third Edict is a turning point for Path of Exile 2. It tackles long-standing player requests and still stretches the game in bold new directions. Act 4 is nonlinear, the crafting system is reimagined, support gems get a much-needed reset, and countless small yet impactful quality-of-life features arrive—all proof that the team is all in on the sequel.
The August 29 launch is poised to kick off the most engaging chapter of Path of Exile 2. It pairs the series’ famous depth with clearer, more beginner-friendly features, inviting seasoned Exiles and first-time players to step together into the game’s grim and layered fantasy.
Source: https://gamerant.com/path-of-exile-2-third-edict-update-act-4-august-2025/
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