Path of Exile 2 adds a stealthy Shadow class for its free launch on December 11

Path of Exile 2 leaves early access as a free game on December 11, and the full release now brings two new classes instead of one: Grinding Gear Games revealed the Shadow at its ExileCon 2026 keynote, next to the already announced Duelist.

The Shadow is built for ambushes. According to PC Gamer, it fights with daggers and traps and can slip into stealth, so monsters don’t notice it until it gets close. Stealth has a cooldown that resets with every kill, and traps thrown while hidden stay dormant until the Shadow reveals itself. Going stealthy also leaves a shade behind that blinds enemies and repeats the player’s melee attacks, while a new Darkness resource powers up the first strike out of hiding. Eight trap types are planned for launch.

The class can ascend as the returning Assassin or as a new Infiltrator. Daggers arrive with it as a new weapon type with their own skill gems, the same way swords come with the Duelist.

The class is only one part of version 1.0. The studio lists a complete campaign with new Acts 5 and 6, a new endgame storyline, the Conquerors of Wraeclast challenge league and what it calls massive balance changes. That is a lot for a game that early access players have been paying $29.99 for on Steam since December 2024.

Path of Exile 1 gets its own update first: the Covens of Umbra expansion goes live for free on November 13. Anyone who wants the launch cosmetics for the sequel has to register on the official site before December 11, because buying early access does not unlock them.

Reported by Grinding Gear Games, Steam, PC Gamer. Compiled with AI tools.