There are lots of updates planned for the Early Access title,Path of Exile 2, including the massive expansion titledDawn of the Hunt. This content drop includes many of the requested features for endgame content, as well as the introduction of a powerful new class that blends melee and range attacks. Though there is no announced date for when the game will launch in its full state, there are many updates to come throughout 2025. Not all of them will offer new classes, asDawn of the Huntdoes, but each will build upon the foundation already provided.
Dawn of the Huntis the first major content update followingPath of Exile 2’sEarly Access release in December 2024, and the developers are not starting small. Withover 100 new Unique items, 20 new Runes, and 100 new Support Gems, the game adds all-new ways to customize a characterto create diverse builds. Responding to player feedback,Dawn of the Huntalso includes dozens of new endgame encounters, new maps, and changes to how Towers work. For so much content, it is all coming much sooner than one would think.
When Path Of Exile 2: Dawn Of The Hunt Releases
Dawn Of The Hunt Will Be Available On August 18, 2025
Dawn of the Huntis the first major update toPath of Exile 2andwill become available for players on June 17, 2025, at 12:00 pm PDT. This expansion will launch simultaneously across PC, Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation, and Xbox.
Due to the amount of changes being brought to the game,developers do recommend that players start with a fresh character. While this is an optional choice and not required, the amount of balance changes to skills, new Ascendancy classes, and even structural changes to the economy and more could make it easier to have a clean start rather than trying to rebuild a current character.
The Huntress Joins The Game As Path Of Exile 2’s Newest Class
Hybrid Of Melee And Ranged Attacks
The Huntress is a powerful warrior whodiffers from the current Monk Classby expertly blending close combat and ranged attack abilities using spears and bucklers. After she was banished from her homeland, she finds herself always in motion. Any foe who is reckless enough to face her will find she is not to be underestimated, and is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.
Her elemental spear attacks can create some of the longest combo chains experienced inPath of Exile 2so far, and her Parry ability can provide smooth ways to counterattack in a fight.
The Huntress introduces spears as a new base item type forPath of Exile 2, which she uses as either a thrown weapon or in melee range. Also added to the game for the Huntress are bucklers, which she uses to stun monsters while parrying them. This provides her with the perfect window to use one of her several counterattacks.
New Ascendancy Classes For Three Classes As Well As Huntress
Warrior, Witch, And Mercenary Each Receive A New Ascendancy
The Huntress has two Ascendancy Classes available, andDawn of the Huntadds new Ascendancy Classes for the Witch, Warrior, and Mercenaryas well. TheseAscend possibilities allow players to expand their buildsto form characters to fit how they wish to play the game, while utilizing impressive powers to take down the enemy.
Description
Ritualist (Huntress)
The Ritualist sacrifices flesh and blood, unleashing corrupted lifeforce upon their foes. She delved into the forbidden depths of Azmeri traditions, wielding blood sacrifice and plague as weapons.
Amazon (Huntress)
A peerless hunter who thrives on precision and elemental fury. The Amazon Ascension forges warriors into elite hunters, sworn to protect Azmeri Elders with lethal precision.
Lich (Witch)
The Lich tears their own soul apart, becoming a master of undeath and chaos. The Lich is a master of Chaos and Curses who can use her own life to enhance her Energy.
Smith of Kitava (Warrior)
The Smith of Kitava forges weapons of destruction in fire and suffering. Embrace sheer power and take Smithing skills to greater heights by resonating with the insatiable one - Kitava.
Tactician (Mercenary)
The Mercenary Tactician brings military-grade brutality to the battlefield. As a former trained Blackguard Elite, the Tactician is able to decimate the monsters of Wraeclast while earning a healthy income at the same time.
Using an Ascendancy is one of the best ways to customize a characterand strengthen them for the least higher-level content inPath of Exile 2. These Ascendancy classes become available in the second act of the game and help to form some of the most powerfully focused builds that are needed to survive into endgame content.
More Endgame Content And Improvements Added
Including Eight New Maps And Over 100 New Unique Items
While the title,Dawn of the Hunt, certainly puts the focus on the new Huntress character class, there is so much more content that is being added or tweaked inPath of Exile 2with this content update.Developers have received a considerable amount of feedback from players about the lack of endgame content, and this is starting to be addressed now.
Path Of Exile 2 Developers Give New Details On Dawn Of The Hunt, Including The New Huntress Class
Path of Exile 2’s Game Director talked with ScreenRant about the upcoming Dawn of the Hunt content update, including the new Huntress class.
Eight new maps offer fresh challenges, such as The Fractured Lake which puts players into a shifting, warped reality where Rare monsters are mirrored into two. Many balance changes are tweaked in the game as well, particularly when it comes to Towers. The amount of Towers has been significantly lowered, but each remaining one is considerably more powerful.
Tablets can affect twice as many areas, or even more, andeach Tower can consume up to three Tablets at a time. These changes should make this aspect of endgame feel less like busy work and create more satisfying gameplay.
Over 100 new Uniques have been added, particularly focusing on Mid and Endgame, allowing for higher-level characters to still feel that thrill when collecting loot. These can be used to craft new builds, alongside the over 100 new Support Gems and 20 Runes which modify skills and gear to further personalize the gameplay of a character for each person.
Future content updates are said to have more specialized socketable mods, with the first wave coming in the content update followingDawn of the Hunt. While this expansion is a large one, with a plethora of changes to explore and discover, it is only the beginning of new content that players will be seeing inPath of Exile 2throughout the year.
