Grinding Gear Games gave us an early preview of The Fall of Oriath expansion for Path of Exile in February. Now the studio is putting the final touches on the new content, and fans will be able to play the expansion when it comes out on August 4 at 1pm PDT.
The free expansion ushers in the fifth act of the game, which was initially planned as the final chapter. However, the developers created five more acts to continue the story so that Acts I-V will serve as Part 1 and Acts VI-X will be Part 2. Unlike the first four acts of the game, Act V will take you to Oriath where you’ll have to fight more hordes of enemies in massive city squares and residential buildings. Part 2 of the story will then take you back to the exile-filled island of Wraeclast, which is in a different state due to your actions on the island in Part 1. However, the old island will feature new content for you to explore.
The expansion also includes 24 new bosses to kill, 16 of which are called the Old Gods. You’ll meet (and kill) four of these gods in the main campaign, but it’s in your best interest to take out all 16 gods. Killing each god grants you a new power, some of which have additional abilities. Each power helps out in different situations throughout your journey, and the fact that you can swap powers at any time means that you can become an unstoppable force thanks to the Old Gods.
CEO Chris Wilson initially told us that the studio was aiming for a June or July release for the expansion, but the latest trailer reveals that the release date was a bit later than expected (Aug 4). If you want to keep track of the studio’s development progress with the expansion, you can check out the numerous updates on the game’s forum page. Just like the expansion, the game is free to play.
| Name | Path of Exile |
|---|---|
| Type | Action/Adventure, RPG |
| Developer | Grinding Gear Games |
| Publisher | Grinding Gear Games |
| Platforms | PC, Xbox One |
| Where To Buy | Steam |
| Release Date | October 23, 2013 (PC)2017 (Xbox One) |
