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It’s no secret that the originalPath of Exileis a phenomenally large game. From its enormous 10-Act-long campaign to its nearly infinite endgame (not to mention replayability through leagues), many players put hundreds, if not thousands, of hours intoPoE. With the release ofEarly Access toPath of Exile 2, not everything is in the game yet, but it’s still a challenging, lengthy, and practically complete experience.
This guide explains how many Acts there currently are inPoE 2, the length ofPath of Exile 2’s main campaign, and some caveats that may make it take longer to beat than average. Ultimately,getting lucky with dropsand learning the game are two things that can drastically decrease the time it takes to beatPath of Exile 2.
How Many Path Of Exile 2 Acts Are There?
As of the release of the Early Access,Path of Exile 2has three Acts, each of which takes place in a different zone somewhere in Wraeclast. However, this is not all the campaign content that is planned. For now, Act 1 through 3 shouldsee players through to Level 45, while the endgame begins at about Level 65.
After you beat Acts 1 through 3 once, you will unlock Cruel Difficulty. Unlocking Cruel Difficulty allows you to go back to the beginning of Act 1 and take on a more challenging version of the first three Acts. This fills in the gap between Level 45 and 65, but later in the Early Access (or perhaps for the full release), three more Acts will be added to continue the story.
When Acts 4 through 6 are added, Cruel difficulty will be removed from the game.
How Long To Beat Path of Exile 2
According to Grinding Gear Games co-founder Jonathan Rogers, Acts 1 through 3 ofPath of Exile 2should take approximately 25 hours to complete. In the developers' Endgame Reveal video, Rogers said that this would roughly double by the full release.
In testing, each Act takes a varying amount of time to complete depending on how much you engage with NPC dialogues, your skill, and your luck.ARPG experience matterstoo, but becausePoE 2plays very differently fromPoE 1, even veterans of the first game are having a hard time adjusting to the new direction.
As such, depending on your ability to clear content quickly, your luck with acquiring upgrades, your willingness to engage in the lore and dialogues, and your experience in the ARPG genre, itcan take anywhere from 8 to 15 hours to beat each Act.
Though developers estimated it would take about 25 hours to beatPoE 2, thetime it takes to beat all three Actscurrently available inPath of Exile 2is realisticallyanywhere from 25 to 50 hoursdepending on these factors.
But that doesn’t include the second half of the campaign available in Early Access –Cruel Difficulty. This sees players go back through Acts 1 through 3 on a higher difficulty in what is essentially a New Game Plus version of the campaign. This is required to progress to the endgame ofPath of Exile 2at around Level 65, and will take a bit less time than the first time around because you will be more efficient.
Considering this, itshould take players around 40 to 60 hours to beat all acts (including the Cruel difficulty Acts 1-3)and unlock endgame content.
But as all ARPG fans know, that’s far from the end of the game. Sure, it will take only a few dozen hours to “beat"PoE 2, but the main campaign is only really the first half. When you unlock the Atlas and begin endgame progression, a whole other side of the game unlocks, allowing nearly infinite progression on an infinitely generated and interconnected map.
Many players put hundreds, if not thousands, of hours into thePath of Exile 1endgame over its lengthy lifespan and dozens of Leagues. If you want to seeeverythingPath of Exile 2has to offer– and get to the greatest heights that your build can reach by getting to Level 100 – be prepared to put a lot of time intoPoE 2’s endgame.
