Path of Exile 2: ExileCon 2026 Stream Dated and Patch 0.5.5e Lands Ahead of the December 11 Launch

GGG has set the ExileCon 2026 livestream for November 6 and shipped patch 0.5.5e. Here's what's coming, what changed and how it fits the road to 1.0 on December 11.

The final stretch of Path of Exile 2's early access is now mapped out. On October 6, Grinding Gear Games confirmed the livestream plans for ExileCon 2026, one day after shipping patch 0.5.5e. With the full 1.0 release locked for December 11, ExileCon is the last big stage GGG has before the launch.

Here's what's been announced, what the latest patches changed and where things stand.

ExileCon 2026: dates and livestream times

ExileCon takes place in Auckland, New Zealand, on November 7 and 8 (NZT). For most of the world, that means the show lands on Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7.

GGG promises "big announcements" during the keynote, alongside developer panels, live podcasts with community content creators and the race finales for both Path of Exile and Path of Exile 2. The studio says new Twitch Drops will be revealed in the coming weeks, with the full schedule due in roughly two weeks. A very limited batch of in-person tickets is still on offer through the official ExileCon page.

What GGG has not said is which game the keynote announcements will focus on. With PoE2's 1.0 release just five weeks after the show, players widely expect launch details, but nothing has been confirmed – and the community is also watching for news about the original Path of Exile.

Patch 0.5.5e (October 5): what changed

The newest patch is a small one, mostly aimed at bugs that were getting in the way of play:

• New Texture Quality setting – designed for systems with low VRAM, giving players on older graphics cards another lever to keep the game stable.
• Ritual fix – killing certain bosses could stop Ritual encounters from starting. That's fixed, which matters a lot in a league built around Rituals.
• Tomb of the Fallen Knight – the area had become inaccessible; it can be entered again.
• Loading – some areas were loading unusually slowly.
• Cosmetics – decorations from The Sovereign Hideout were missing their 2D art.

Patch 0.5.5d (September 27) recap

The previous patch was a bigger list of fixes. The highlights:

• Possessing Azmeri Spirits now split the chance to manifest on release correctly instead of each adding to it.
• On controller, you can now use currency on Strongboxes in the Barren Atoll Expedition, while Cryptic Keys no longer work on Buried Strongboxes.
• Precursor Tablets can no longer be quick-moved into unavailable slots on special maps; unusable tablets are greyed out.
• Delirium progress pauses while you're in the Viridian Wildwood.
• Manifest Weapon can attack again while a Talisman is equipped.
• Ritual reward deferral costs now show the correct values, and several visual issues and a client crash were fixed.

The current event: Forbidden Rites

All of this sits on top of 0.5.5, which launched on September 4 with the Forbidden Rites event. It spreads Ritual encounters across the campaign – enemies guard effigies that you can reactivate to fight defeated foes again – and lets you earn Tribute to spend on rewards. In the endgame, Sacred Blooms can add a Wildwood entrance to a map, where timed Wisps power up monsters in exchange for better loot.

The update also overhauled the Trial of Chaos: runs can be paused between rooms, objectives are simpler, and new Wager Modifiers add risk-and-reward choices. Endgame Trials now run up to 30 rooms, and players who reach the later rooms can collect all three Trialmaster Fragments in one attempt. Eight event challenges unlock four exclusive cosmetics and a commemorative Hideout Statue.

The road to 1.0 on December 11

GGG announced the full release at Gamescom in August. The key facts:

• Release date: December 11, 2026 (PST), ending early access.
• Price: free-to-play, with optional cosmetic and stash-tab purchases.
• Platforms: PC (Steam, Epic Games Store and the standalone client), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
• New class: the Duelist, the game's first sword-wielding class, built for fast sword-and-shield melee.
• Story: the final two acts arrive, completing the campaign.

Pre-launch registrations are also running at pathofexile2.com until December 10 (PST). The community passed one million sign-ups in September, unlocking the Soulflame Weapon Effect for everyone who registered, and more cosmetic rewards – including a pet – are tied to further milestones.

What it means for players

If you're playing Forbidden Rites now, 0.5.5e is worth the download for the Ritual fix alone, and the new texture setting should help anyone fighting VRAM-related stutter. Beyond that, the next big moment is clear: mark November 6 for the ExileCon keynote, then December 11 for launch. If you haven't registered yet, doing it now is the easiest way to secure the free launch cosmetics.

This article was written by AI (Claude) and checked against the sources above. Games are updated regularly, so details may change.