Path of Exile 2 ‘Conquerors of Wraeclast’ Features Large-Scale Siege Warfare

With the official launch of Path of Exile 2, a brand new league arrives the place gamers can recruit armies, construct strongholds, and conquer territory from different factions. Its identify is ‘Conquerors of Wraeclast’. It contains a mix of conventional combat-focused league content material with troop administration, base constructing, and factional competitors.

Grinding Gear Video games (GGG) revealed the detailed mechanics and endgame content material for the brand new league throughout its keynote at ExileCon 2026 in Auckland, New Zealand, on November 7. At first, gamers lead a small mercenary warband into battle, however as they progress by means of the marketing campaign, they develop their forces and ultimately handle their very own stronghold. In a while the Atlas, gamers can assign mapping duties to commanders or compete with different factions to seize strongholds.

‘Conquerors of Wraeclast’ begins with the rescue of captured mercenaries. After witnessing troopers of a Rely capturing and hauling away mercenaries who betrayed them, rescuing these mercenaries prompts Varek, chief of the mercenary band, to supply his cooperation to the participant. From then on, Varek oversees mercenary recruitment and armed forces administration, guiding gamers by means of the league content material.

Fight within the new league follows a distinct course of from customary monster searching. Earlier than battle begins, gamers should place their out there forces on the battlefield. Every unit sort has particular roles and match-up benefits, and their effectiveness varies relying on the place they’re positioned. For instance, shield-bearing mercenaries resist arrow assaults, making them best for the entrance strains the place ranged assaults are concentrated.

Nonetheless, deploying troops does not imply the battle resolves mechanically. As soon as fight begins, the digicam zooms out to show the general battlefield state of affairs, and the participant costs into the entrance line alongside their military. Gamers should straight assault enemies whereas receiving fireplace help from their troops, intervening in fight conditions as wanted. Recreation Director Jonathan Rogers emphasised that this mode shouldn’t be meant for the military to combat all battles instead of the participant.

Managing mercenaries additionally requires assets. Mercenaries are employed with gold, and conducting expeditions requires securing provides for troop meals and maintenance. Provides are collected by means of provide crates discovered throughout marketing campaign zones. Thus, managing assets to take care of troops and deploy them for upcoming battles is simply as essential as increase a big drive.

The marketing campaign options over 70 factors of curiosity tied to the brand new league. Gamers can recruit new mercenaries or be a part of standalone battles right here, with 23 battles ready for the marketing campaign alone. Gamers can defend villages, assault enemy fortresses, and expertise siege warfare by breaking down citadel gates. Because the league expands, fight escalates from small skirmishes into large-scale sieges.

Bosses seem in league encounters, and defeating them awards keys to a stronghold’s treasury. Whereas treasuries yield gold and loot, the extra important reward comes within the type of new crafting supplies launched on this league. A brand new crafting methodology is launched that enables gamers to pick particular modifiers on present objects to switch.

A primary instance launched is ‘Crimson Iron’. Utilizing this materials lets gamers manually choose which present modifiers on an merchandise they wish to substitute. If gamers possess a number of supplies, they will choose a number of modifiers. Taking the merchandise to a ‘Reforging Bench’ then replaces the chosen modifiers with new random ones.

Nonetheless, there’s a essential distinction from customary modifier rerolling. Modifiers granted by means of Reforging turn out to be fractured/fastened and can’t be modified once more, and performing additional Reforging on that gear can be restricted. Briefly, whereas it gives an opportunity to randomly reroll undesirable modifiers, reversing the end result comes with strict limitations.

Consequently, Reforging is way from a system that may be repeated indefinitely till optimum modifiers seem. Gamers should fastidiously choose which modifiers to maintain and which to swap from present gear, as the end result of Reforging can outline the gear’s remaining development. It may be used to swap out a single modifier on gear that already has a number of good ones, although it carries the danger of accepting a random consequence.

Larger-tier crafting strategies that apply particular modifiers extra straight will seem within the endgame. Utilizing ‘Infused Blood,’ which is tied to the league’s narrative, permits gamers so as to add particular new modifiers as a substitute of random ones. Every sort of blood contains a distinct checklist of modifiers, offering advantages tailor-made to particular builds.

On the occasion, two modifier examples for the Shadow class have been demonstrated. One generates a wave of darkness upon hitting with Chaos expertise, whereas the opposite causes Strike expertise used from Stealth to inflict Corrupted Blood on enemies. As proven, the brand new crafting system goes past merely elevating merchandise stats, serving to empower class-specific fight mechanics.

After creating the mercenary warband by means of the marketing campaign and reaching the endgame, the size of the league expands additional. Gamers achieve the flexibility to ascertain a base of operations for the forces that fought alongside them. Gamers construct their very own stronghold, increasing buildings and amenities to put the operational basis for his or her military.

Strongholds might be constructed by choosing from three faction architectural types: Ezomyte, Maraketh, or Karui. Every gives over 20 constructing varieties and improve choices. Creating the stronghold expands options required to obtain and handle troops. Securing particular amenities and gold permits gamers to provide further forces straight from their stronghold.

On this course of, a brand new system distinct from direct fight is unlocked: Commanders. Gamers can assign troops to an unbiased commander and organize them to finish Atlas maps on their behalf. Within the dwell demonstration, ‘Excessive Justice of the Peace Atella’ was launched as the primary unbiased commander.

Working a commander requires assigning a portion of the reserve troops held on the stronghold. Offering a Waystone for the designated map sends the commander and their troops to clear that map. As soon as the mission is full, gamers can declare the loot, although the commander takes a portion of the earned gold as their payment. In change for offering troops and paying a share of the revenue, gamers save time in any other case spent mapping manually.

Commander map runs don’t end immediately. Actual time is required based mostly on the map’s distance and issue, with tougher maps taking longer to finish. Nonetheless, a number of maps might be queued up. Gamers can assign a number of maps to a commander and return later to gather all accrued loot without delay.

Because the stronghold expands within the endgame, gamers can command as much as three commanders concurrently. This enables gamers to delegate separate maps to commanders whereas exploring the Atlas straight themselves. Nonetheless, whether or not map clearing continues offline after absolutely closing the sport was not explicitly clarified in the course of the presentation.

This method gives a brand new various to Path of Exile 2’s core loop of repetitive map clearing. Whereas acquiring new loot beforehand required opening maps and killing monsters manually, the brand new league lets gamers use their recruited forces and assets to delegate map development. Rising a military and stronghold straight enhances endgame farming effectivity.

One of many final targets in ‘Conquerors of Wraeclast’ is conquering 100 strongholds positioned on the outskirts of the Atlas. GGG described this as a kind of content material by no means tried in earlier leagues. Shifting past particular person participant map clearing, a number of factions compete for possession of strongholds throughout a single shared Atlas.

Strongholds on the shared Atlas might be captured by a selected faction, granting advantages based mostly on possession. The participant who claims a stronghold straight receives a considerable merchandise rarity bonus, whereas different gamers belonging to the identical faction obtain a smaller merchandise rarity bonus. Particular person achievements straight impression the complete faction.

Captured strongholds additionally have an effect on entry to particular farming zones. Devoted maps known as ‘Looking Grounds’ exist round strongholds, accessible to any participant within the faction holding that stronghold. These maps function further reward modifiers, providing extra environment friendly farming alternatives than customary maps.

Moreover, captured strongholds can function new beginning factors for Atlas exploration. Reasonably than touring lengthy distances from the unique base, gamers can discover surrounding areas utilizing their faction’s secured stronghold as a hub. Thus, capturing strongholds not solely grants further rewards, but in addition alters how gamers navigate and entry totally different areas of the Atlas.

Nonetheless, faction territory competitors on the shared Atlas doesn’t essentially suggest direct PvP fight between participant characters. The present particulars state that factions seize strongholds and share advantages, whereas particular mechanics relating to possession switch and defending in opposition to enemy factions require additional clarification.

The brand new league’s narrative unfolds alongside the battle for strongholds. Within the endgame, gamers uncover a plot by factions searching for to resurrect a vampire lord named Severa. The Maraketh try and revive Severa, who promised them immortality, by infusing blood into gems and transporting them to historic strongholds. Nonetheless, the Maraketh are usually not the one ones swayed by Severa; gamers should battle all three factions beneath her sway earlier than launching a remaining assault on her stronghold.

Giant-scale siege engines additionally make their look. Weapons with distinct traits have been showcased, starting from catapults to warfare elephants crewed by goblins and 20-headed chimeras that incinerate their environment. Thus, league fight expands from customary monster clearing into troop deployment, siege engine command, and climactic boss showdowns.

‘Conquerors of Wraeclast’ is designed in order that recruiting and rising a military connects on to character fight, merchandise crafting, and Atlas development. Whereas gamers combat on the entrance strains to command troops within the marketing campaign, the endgame opens strategic choices comparable to managing strongholds and assigning maps to commanders. Mixed with shared Atlas territorial warfare, it provides faction-wide goals to Path of Exile’s conventional individual-focused farming loop.