POE 2 Full Release - "We'll see how things go".

Players eagerly awaiting the full release of Path of Exile 2 this year may need to exercise a bit more patience. In a recent interview with PC Gamer, game director Jonathan Rogers revealed that while Grinding Gear Games still aims to conclude early access in 2025, the process "may take a little bit of extra time."

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The Path of Exile 2 Steam page indicates that early access will last "as long as needed," with an estimated timeline of "at least six months." Given the game's December 2024 release, the earliest possible POE 2 full release would be around June—just three months from now. However, Rogers confirmed that this timeline is not feasible.

"In terms of the overall time, I think we're still broadly on track," Rogers said. "Initially, before we reached the crunch period, we were aiming for six months in early access, which in retrospect was unrealistic. My current feeling is that we might need a year of early access. I want to get it done this year, but we'll see how things go. It might take a little extra time, but I'm hopeful."

The introduction of new classes may also be delayed. Path of Exile 2 launched in early access with six classes, with plans to add six more leading up to the 1.0 release. However, this has proven challenging. Rogers expressed his desire to add a class with every update but acknowledged the difficulties. The upcoming POE2 Dawn of the Hunt update, set for April 4 and the largest POE2 update yet, was "incredibly stressful" due to the necessity of including the Huntress class, which delayed the confirmation of a release date until recently.

"This is sort of an internal, production-specific issue, but it was just a pain," Rogers said. "While I'd love to include a new class with every league update, I can't promise it anymore because it leads to production uncertainty and we can't commit to specific dates."

This situation echoes Grinding Gear's experiences leading up to Path of Exile 2's release, when developers from the original PoE were enlisted to help finalize the new game. This ultimately led to delays in a planned PoE expansion. Rogers admitted in January that the original timeline was overly optimistic, as PoE2 faced numerous issues post-launch that required significant effort to resolve.

"How could we think about making a PoE expansion when we still have hundreds of thousands of people having a bad experience in PoE 2?" Rogers said in January. "There are crashes, there are severe endgame balance problems, how could I justify taking some of the most experienced developers we have off PoE2 when it's on fire?"

Such challenges are common in game development, especially during early access. Scheduling and coordinating complex systems is difficult, and ensuring everything works smoothly is more important than adhering to an initial timeline. As Gabe Newell famously said, "Late is just for a little while. Suck is forever."

As Path of Exile 2 continues its journey through early access, players can expect a meticulously crafted experience, even if it means waiting a bit longer. The dedication of Grinding Gear Games to delivering a polished and enjoyable game is evident in their cautious approach to development timelines. While the wait may be extended, the ultimate goal remains clear: ensuring that Path of Exile 2 meets the high standards set by its predecessor. Fans can look forward to a game that prioritizes quality over rushed releases, with the hope that 2025 will indeed see the POE 2 full release. Until then, players can continue to explore and enjoy the evolving world of Path of Exile 2 as it progresses through early access.