During ExileCon 2026, Path of Exile 2 Game Directors Jonathan Rogers and Mark Roberts introduced the development direction for the Templar Monk and Barbarian. These two classes are the last of the originally planned twelve classes yet to appear, and they will not make it in time for the 1.0 version launching on December 11.
Rogers believes that the game has not yet fully realized the "Spellblade" gameplay of simultaneously using attacks and spells. The Druid previously served as a similar attempt, but existing incentives often led players to choose either pure animal forms or pure casting paths. The team hopes the Templar Monk will truly blend both combat styles, and related system adjustments will also be used to improve the Druid.
The Barbarian's development direction is relatively straightforward, centering around axe-type weapons not yet included in the game. The team plans to design unique mechanics for axes that other weapons cannot replace. Rogers stated that he would be dissatisfied if these two classes were not released by the following year, but this statement is not an official schedule commitment.
In terms of story, Act 5 is larger in scale, while Act 6 is shorter and focuses on the rush toward the finale. The 1.0 season mechanic, "Vaal Conquerors," will add a strategic layer involving three factions, stronghold construction, NPC armies, and the contest for 100 endgame castles. Whether this mechanic enters the core game will not be decided in advance; the team will handle it based on player feedback.
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Path of Exile 2 will end its Early Access and officially launch in December, but even then, it won't be truly "complete." The game will add the final two acts of the campaign (Acts 5 and 6), as well as two new classes, the Duelist and the Shadow, but even so, only 10 of the promised 12 classes will be available.
At ExileCon 2026, I conducted a behind-the-scenes roundtable interview with Game Directors Jonathan Rogers and Mark Roberts, discussing GGG's plans for launching the Barbarian and Templar Monk, what experiences Acts 5 and 6 will bring, and the decision to introduce a deep strategic gameplay layer through the brand-new 1.0 league mechanic, "Vaal Conquerors."
The two classes not yet appearing in Path of Exile 2 are very familiar to those who have played the studio's previous title, although that RPG is still in continuous operation. But with Path of Exile 2 placing greater emphasis on distinct class identities, what changes can we expect for these two classes?
Rogers replied, "I don't want to spoil too much," but I think what we haven't truly succeeded in creating yet is the Spellblade—a class that genuinely combines attacks with spells." He pointed out that the Druid had attempted this, but due to insufficient incentives, most players opted for either a pure animal form build or a pure caster build.
Rogers stated, "For the Templar Monk, if we can't truly blend these two aspects, I'll feel like we've failed. Ideally, some changes necessary to achieve this goal will also help the Druid through a ripple effect."
As for the Barbarian, the plan is simpler: "I think the focus is on the weapon type we haven't added yet—axes. The next issue to address is how to make axes stand out: 'What makes this weapon unique, something other weapon types can't do?' This is something we've been considering."
Rogers stated that GGG already has answers, but there haven't been many opportunities to test them extensively in the near term.
Rogers said, "A long time ago, we did some very preliminary testing on all classes, but much of that was done before the WASD control scheme appeared. Honestly, I don't know if it still makes sense to put them into the current game environment, into the content we are currently developing."
Another important question is when we might finally see these two classes.
"If they aren't released by next year, I'll be dissatisfied, but we'll have to wait and see. The original plan was to have them ready before the 1.0 version launch. I do regret not achieving that, as development took longer than expected. But I mean, we're not lacking in classes right now."
A significant amount of development time was invested in polishing the campaign content for the official 1.0 release, namely Acts 5 and 6. However, Rogers believes that the time required to complete these two acts won't be much longer than finishing the existing three "transition acts." GGG will integrate the content of these transition acts into other parts of the campaign and endgame as appropriate.He pointed out:"Act 6 is slightly smaller, more focused on rushing toward the finale, featuring many bosses, but its actual scale isn't particularly massive. Act 5 is larger in scale."
Rogers admitted, "We've always struggled to develop the campaign while simultaneously producing all other live-service content. For our studio, this is indeed very difficult to manage. Therefore, for me, no longer having to bear this extra project constantly running in the background will be a huge relief." Roberts is already eager to return to the four-month seasonal update cycle: "I'm really looking forward to restoring this rhythm and stabilizing both games."
Rogers explained, "Our studio is particularly good at producing content that gets released in short bursts. Honestly, the studio operates best in this mode, which is like, 'Okay, what's next? Let's go, move quickly.' Because I think everyone really enjoys making things that players can see soon. As for these long-term projects... I mean, they're certainly cool, and we can complete them, but they're definitely not as easy." He laughed and said, "So after the campaign launch, it will obviously enter easy mode for us."
Another important new feature is the signature league mechanic for version 1.0, "Vaal Conquerors." It adds a full suite of strategic gameplay on top of the regular game: you will join one of three player factions, build fortresses, assemble an NPC army, and fight alongside them to capture 100 endgame castles. Each castle grants you and your allies access to valuable hunting grounds.
Rogers admitted, "I think we were obviously inspired by Heroes of Might and Magic." He has long been a fan of the series, though he also stated, "Many people in the studio have actually never played Heroes of Might and Magic."
However, what truly embodies the spirit of Path of Exile is fighting alongside your own troops once battle begins. Rogers stated, "It's somewhat like Dynasty Warriors; among these mortals, you are like a god." GGG is testing many related concepts. "We are very concerned that everyone will crowd into the same faction, so to prevent this, if a faction is underpowered, we need to design a mechanism that offers extremely generous rewards to individual players who defect to that faction."
Rogers believes that the faction mechanism "still needs some adjustments," as it is nearly impossible to fully test it without reaching actual player scale. He stated that GGG chose this design focusing more on individual contribution, rather than having all players collectively push a massive war progress value, because the latter approach "makes you feel like you're just throwing things into the void, completely unable to feel that you contributed to anything." Instead, they want players who successfully reclaim castles for their faction to feel special: "You are the hero; it was indeed you who accomplished this." This may limit the number of players who can achieve this glory, but since this content is aimed at players who have already passed the peak boss stages, at that level, players are facing a "smaller community" anyway.
With such a drastic league mechanic launching the 1.0 version, and one that so thoroughly steps outside traditional ARPG boundaries, might the bar be set too high? Rogers replied, "Well, hopefully we can clear that hurdle. The goal of every league is to bring truly exciting, distinct, and fun content. Ideally, players should expect from us the unexpected."
The only concern is that players may quickly become accustomed to some of these features, and once they are removed in the future, they will immediately start missing them.
Rogers pondered, "Looking ahead, I guess what players will most want to keep are features like auto-mapping, so I think we'll need to find some way to implement it sooner or later, whether it ends up being tied to this system or another. Will the answer be simple, such as making the entire 'Conqueror' mechanic part of the core game? We never decide in advance what content will enter the core game; players will make that decision for us."