Path of Exile 2 Gamescom 2026: New Class, Act 5, 1.0 Release and Everything to Expect on August 25

Summary

With Gamescom just two weeks away on August 25th at 11:00 AM PST (8:00 PM CEST), the Path of Exile 2 community is buzzing with speculation. GGG has confirmed they'll be on the stream with a live booth, and historically, these events have delivered major reveals. For players who want to be ready for whatever gets announced, it never hurts to buy POE 2 Currency in advance to fast-track your gearing. Let's break down what we might see, what's unlikely, and what it all means for the road to 1.0.

The Gamescom Track Record

GGG has a history of providing playable content at Gamescom:

Druid Playtest: The Druid class was actually playable at Gamescom long before its official launch. Players got hands-on experience, though the class changed drastically between that playtest and its final release.

Boss Kill Events: The last major Gamescom appearance featured a boss kill event where attendees could test their skills against challenging encounters.

Playable New Classes: Previous events have included playable new classes and new content for hands-on testing.

If you're attending Gamescom this year, do the community a favor: playtest everything, record it, and upload it so we can all see what's coming!

Will There Be a New Class?

This is the million-dollar question. The short answer is: possibly, but don't expect a Necromancer.

GGG's Design Philosophy

In Path of Exile 1, your character's archetype was shaped by your ascendancy class choice—it directed your thematic fantasy. In Path of Exile 2, GGG wants ascendancy classes to be more generic. The thematic choice of your character's powers and playstyle should be dictated by skill choices, not ascendancy choices.

The Counterargument: The current passive tree pushes players into specific corners. You can't just play a Mercenary minion build without specific unique items enabling that fantasy. In PoE 1, you could traverse the tree much more easily; in PoE 2, traveling to the opposite side is a massive investment. While GGG has made improvements, enabling off-archetype builds often requires unique items you're unlikely to drop naturally—meaning you have to buy them.

Will They Ever Make a Necromancer? Probably not. The design philosophy suggests they want to avoid class-locked archetypes. Instead, the fantasy should emerge from your skill gem choices, not your ascendancy.

What Class Is Most Likely?

My personal hope is Templar—I really want to see what they do with flails and holy skills. However, the more likely candidates are:

Duelist (sword-focused)

Shadow (dagger-focused)

Look at the "D&T" (Do Not Track) items shown in the last reveal—there were D&T two-handed swords and D&T daggers in the footage. That suggests sword and dagger content is being developed, making a Duelist or Shadow reveal more probable than Templar.

What About the New Acts?

Don't expect Act 5 or Act 6 gameplay at Gamescom. Here's why:

Act 5 is reportedly a very large act.

Act 6 is said to be shorter.

GGG is likely saving everything for the 1.0 launch. Spoiling the campaign experience would negatively impact casual players who care most about the story playthrough. The more they reveal, the less value there is for the massive wave of casual players coming at launch.

Remember: Patch 0.5 introduced a ton of endgame content that many players found overwhelming. Most casual players will never finish all of it. GGG is thinking about the broadest possible audience for 1.0, and that means keeping campaign surprises under wraps.

Will We Get New Classes Before 1.0?

I don't think so. I expect:

0.5.5: Mostly balance changes and polish.

1.0: Everything drops at once—new classes, ascendancies, acts, and content.

Why? The bigger the 1.0 launch, the better the longevity. More massive launch = more players = more content creators = more snowball effect.

Counterargument: Releasing a new class before 1.0 while the game is still paid could generate more beta key sales. That's a fair take! But GGG would have to market it, and if it's "just a new class," it only targets a corner of the player base. The ROI might not justify the marketing spend.

Another Perspective: Streamers and content creators would love new content to work with before 1.0—it generates hype and keeps the community engaged. But from GGG's perspective, dropping everything at once creates a bigger splash and better long-term retention.

The 1.0 Launch Potential

Here's why the 1.0 launch could be absolutely massive:

0.1 Launch: 1.5 million people watching on Twitch. Over a million beta keys sold before launch.

1.0 Launch (Free to Play): I wouldn't be surprised to see 1.5 to 2 million concurrent viewers on Twitch.

Player Count: Multiple millions across all platforms. They might even break a million concurrent players.

The Snowball Effect: The more content creators jump on the bandwagon, the more it snowballs. This happened with PUBG, Palworld, and countless other games. Creators draw viewers, which draws more creators, which draws more players. If PoE 2 can pull that off, it'll be absolutely crazy.

Personal Anecdote: I never had any interest in playing Mega Bong, but then I saw everyone playing it. I gave it a try and ended up sitting at 1,500 viewers playing it. The snowball effect is real. If PoE 2 can capture that same energy, the launch will be historic.

Summary: What to Expect at Gamescom

Final Thoughts

Gamescom on August 25th is going to be exciting, even if we don't get campaign spoilers or a new class drop before 1.0. GGG is playing the long game, and the 1.0 launch is shaping up to be one of the biggest ARPG launches in history.

Will we see a Templar reveal? Probably not, but I'd love to be wrong. More likely, we'll see sword and dagger content—Duelist or Shadow—and possibly a playable test at the booth.

One thing's for sure: the hype is real, and the next few months are going to be incredible for Path of Exile 2 fans.

What do you think? Will we see a new class at Gamescom? Drop your predictions below. And if you're planning to dive into the new content when it drops, having some cheap POE2 Currency on hand from MMOEXP can give you a head start on gearing up for whatever comes next. Good luck, Exiles!