Path of Exile 1 Update Paused for Sequel's Launch, Dev Apologizes

The developer of Path of Exile has apologized to fans of the original game for pausing a new update until a critical patch for Path of Exile 2 is complete.

Grinding Gear Games had assured players it would continue supporting the decade-old action RPG Path of Exile 1, even after Path of Exile 2's early access launch and beyond.

However, Path of Exile 1's 3.26 update, initially scheduled for late October before PoE2's launch and then for mid-February, is now further delayed. The entire team is focused on resolving Path of Exile 2's issues. The last league for Path of Exile 1 was Settlers of Kalguur in July 2024.

In a video message, Path of Exile 2 game director and GGG co-founder Jonathan Rogers explained that the studio moved the Path of Exile 1 team over to polish PoE2's endgame before its December launch, expecting them to return in time to prepare the 3.26 update for February.

This proved impossible due to the numerous challenges facing Path of Exile 2. "We were fooling ourselves," Rogers admitted. Not only was Path of Exile 2 delayed by several weeks, but it also encountered crashes and balance issues requiring immediate attention.

"How could I justify taking some of our most experienced developers off PoE2 when it's on fire?" Rogers said.

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As a result, the Path of Exile 1 team remains dedicated to Path of Exile 2 and will continue until version 0.2.0 is released, likely for a few weeks afterward. "Unfortunately, I just can't promise a date right now," Rogers added. Path of Exile 2 is currently on version 0.1.1.

"I'm really sorry for how this went down," he continued. "Honestly, I should have foreseen that pulling the Path of Exile 1 team would lead to this outcome, and I probably should have resisted doing it. But at every stage, I kept thinking we still had time, until we didn't.

"We still have a lot to learn about managing two games simultaneously. We were overconfident. We need to figure out how to structure our studio to make this work. But we do have a solid plan for what we want to achieve with the 3.26 update."

The long-awaited early access launch for Path of Exile 2 finally arrived on December 6, 2024, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. It was a massive success, becoming the 15th most-played game in Steam's history.

Here's a guide on which class to choose in PoE 2 Early Access, along with early Mercenary and Sorceress build guides to help you begin. Additionally, if you're wondering how to get more Spirit, how to trade, or how to ascend, we have you covered.