Path of Exile 2 announces 'Rise of the Abyssal' league — launches Aug 15 with new endgame
Grinding Gear Games revealed Path of Exile 2's next league: Rise of the Abyssal. Launches Aug 15, adds a new Abyss-themed endgame atlas, 12 new unique items, and a new Ascendancy class. Free for all existing POE2 players.
Grinding Gear Games (GGG) revealed Path of Exile 2's next league: Rise of the Abyssal. The league launches Aug 15, 2026 at 22:00 UTC and is free for all existing POE2 players.
What's new
Abyss-themed endgame atlas
The biggest addition is a new endgame atlas focused on the Abyss theme. The Abyss was a fan-favorite league mechanic from the original POE (2017-2018), and GGG is bringing it back with modernized mechanics:
- Abyssal Depths — new map tileset with
vertical-shaft design (descend through Abyssal cracks to find hidden bosses)
- Abyssal Liches — new rare monster type with
exclusive drop tables (12 new unique items)
- Abyssal Troves — chest-like rewards hidden
in Abyssal cracks, similar to the original league
- Abyssal Memories — new atlas passive that
guarantees 1 Abyssal Trove per map
New Ascendancy class: Abyssal Walker
The Abyssal Walker is a new Ascendancy class focused on Abyss mechanics:
- Abyssal Step (1pt) — gain movement speed for
each Abyssal crack you pass through
- Void Harvest (2pt) — kills in Abyssal cracks
have +50% item rarity
- Depth Seeker (4pt) — Abyssal Troves always
drop 2 items instead of 1
- Lich's Bane (8pt) — your character deals
+30% damage to Abyssal Liches
The Abyssal Walker is best-in-slot for the new league but is also viable in the standard endgame atlas for Abyss-focused builds.
12 new unique items
- Abyssal Coil (belt) — +50 to all attributes,
10% increased maximum life
- Voidcaller's Mantle (body armour) — Abyssal
cracks you pass through grant +5% movement speed for 10 seconds (stacks 5x)
- Depthstone Ring (ring) — Abyssal Troves you
open have +25% item quantity
- Lich Hunter (one-hand sword) — +200 damage to
Abyssal Liches
- Crackwalker Boots (boots) — +15% movement
speed, immune to Abyssal slow effects
- Trovekeeper Gloves (gloves) — first Abyssal
Trove opened per map is always a magic item
- Memory Shard (amulet) — +1 to all Abyssal
passive skills
- Shaft Diver (helmet) — +30% movement speed
while in Abyssal Depths maps
- Voidborn Quiver (quiver) — arrows pierce
Abyssal monsters
- Trove Map (map) — opens a portal to a hidden
Abyssal Trove map
- Lich's Crown (ring) — killing an Abyssal
Lich grants a stack of +5% increased damage (stacks 20x)
- Depthkeeper Ward (shield) — +10% chance
to block Abyssal monster attacks
League mechanics
- Duration: 3 months (Aug 15 - Nov 15)
- Free for existing players: Yes
- New players: $30 base game (no F2P option
yet, but GGG has hinted at a free-to-play tier in 2027)
- Challenge league: Standard (the league is
separate from the main economy, characters transfer to standard at league end)
What's NOT in this league
- No new campaign content (the Acts 1-3
campaign is unchanged from the 0.3.0 release)
- No new skill gems (all 200+ gems from 0.3.0
are still active)
- **No new ascendancy classes beyond the
Abyssal Walker** (the existing 12 classes are unchanged)
GGG has been clear that campaign content and skill gems are on a slower release cadence than endgame content. Expect a new gem or campaign expansion in the next league (Nov 2026).
How to prepare for the league
- Stock up on basic currencies (transmute,
augment, alchemy, chaos) — the new league economy will be volatile for the first 2 weeks
- Plan your build — the Abyssal Walker is
best for Abyss-focused builds (Cold DoT, Lightning Strike, or Trapper)
- Read the patch notes — GGG is publishing the
full 0.4.0 patch notes on Aug 14
- Watch streamers — Mathil, ZiggyD, and
Tenkiei are confirmed to launch-day stream the league
Community reaction
The Path of Exile subreddit is cautiously optimistic:
- "Abyss league was my favorite POE 1 league.
Excited to see it return."
- "12 new uniques is on the low end — I was
hoping for 20+."
- "The Abyssal Walker sounds fun, but I'm not
sure if it's strong enough to compete with the meta classes."
The main criticism is that the league adds less new content than expected (GGG hyped it as a "major expansion" but it's a "medium league" in practice).
Sources
- Rise of the Abyssal announcement, pathofexile.com,
Aug 12
- Abyssal Walker reveal, GGG Twitch stream, Aug 11
- 0.4.0 patch notes preview, GGG forums, Aug 10
- POE2 community reaction, r/PathOfExile2, Aug 12
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