Path of Exile 2 developer finally reveals the cost of early access.

Path of Exile 2 is finally coming next month. The long-awaited sequel is set to launch as a paid-for early access game, before eventually switching over to the free-to-play model of the original. The developer Grinding Gear Games is keeping quiet about the launch details, but confirmed yesterday that early access would cost $9.99 on X.

Early access packs will start at $30 USD, unlike our usual tiers for core supporter packs," it wrote. Core supporter packs in PoE start at $60, and include cosmetic items and shop currencies. The studio has halved the price of a key for PoE 2 early-access, just as it did with its recent PoE 1 extensions. We won't find out what else is in the early access packs, until GGG spills the beans on Thursday.

PoE 2 is a separate game. However, all cosmetic items and shop currencies will carry over to PoE 1. This process was so complex that the developer had to delay the release of early access from November to 6 December. In a video announcement of the news, Jonathan Rogers, game director, said that when you migrate databases this old with this much data you find all kinds of strange demons.

The scope of the Early Access build is still a bit of a mystery. We only know that it will have three campaigns and an updated version PoE 1's Endgame Maps, which are randomized dungeons where high-level players can grind to their hearts' content. It's still unclear which of the 12 classes announced you can play, and what other systems are returning.

PoE2 looks like a solid game, especially considering GGG has worked on it for five years. I've been watching the gameplay videos to prepare for it and, to me, it seems pretty far along in comparison to other games that are still in early access.

Blizzard is selling Diablo 4 with its Vessel of Hatred extension for $30. A year ago, if you asked me about Diablo 4, I would have said that it felt like an early-access game. There have been many changes in the run-up to the expansion. If you only have time for one action RPG this holiday season, it might be difficult to choose.

You can read about PoE 2 in the November issue of PC Gamer and then jump into it on December 6.