Path of Exile 2 developer Grinding Gear Games has fully detailed the first major content update since the action RPG’s early access launch last year.

Dawn of the Hunt goes live at 9pm CET on April 4, and adds the new Huntress class. The Huntress is a Spear and Buckler user specialising in hybrid melee and ranged combat. Elsewhere, there are five new ascension classes: the Ritualist, Amazon, Smith of Kitava, Tactician, and Lich.

Players can also expect dozens of new encounters in the endgame, significant mechanical overhauls, over one hundred new unique items as well as significantly expanded crafting options.

The long wait for the Path of Exile 2 early access launch finally came to an end when it released on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S on December 6, 2024. It saw massive success, securing its place as the 15th most-played game Steam game ever.

But the game ran into issues, both technical and in design. GGG has worked to update the game in the months since, culminating in next month's Dawn of the Hunt release.

At the same time, GGG continues to operate the first Path of Exile game, which still enjoys a healthy playerbase on Steam, as a live service. But this has proved challenging. In January, GGG was forced to apologize to fans of the first game after putting a new update on hold until a crucial update for Path of Exile 2 was released.

Meanwhile, Path of Exile 2 has found itself embroiled in an online dispute that revolves around X / Twitter owner Elon Musk’s admission that he paid someone to boost his account. When contacted by IGN, Grinding Gear Games declined to comment.

Here’s everything you need to know on Path of Exile 2 Dawn of the Hunt:

Obliterate your enemies with the hybrid ranged and melee Huntress

Step into the bloodstained boots of the Huntress, a dexterous and ferocious spear-wielding warrior. Banished from her homeland, she now stalks her prey using both ranged spear throws and close combat attacks. Her brutal arsenal is designed to make combat feel like a relentless pursuit, always in motion, moving into and out of melee range at a moments notice.

The Huntress can also Parry incoming attacks from monsters, stunning them before following up with one of several counterattacks. For example, use Disengage after a Parry to quickly jump back, gaining a Frenzy charge, then follow up with an empowered spear throw.

Stalk your prey with an array of elemental spear attacks that empower the Huntress to use some of the longest combo chains we have created on any class.

Create mayhem with five new ascendancy classes
With five new Ascendancy Classes, Dawn of the Hunt introduces fresh new ways to expand your build options.

• Ritualist (Huntress) - The Ritualist sacrifices flesh and blood, unleashing corrupted lifeforce upon their foes. She delved into the forbidden depths of Azmeri traditions, wielding blood sacrifice and plague as weapons
• Amazon (Huntress) - A peerless hunter who thrives on precision and elemental fury. The Amazon Ascension forges warriors into elite hunters, sworn to protect Azmeri Elders with lethal precision.
• Lich (Witch) - The Lich tears their own soul apart, becoming a master of undeath and chaos. The Lich is a master of Chaos and Curses who can use her own life to enhance her Energy.
• Smith of Kitava (Warrior) - The Smith of Kitava forges weapons of destruction in fire and suffering. Embrace sheer power and take Smithing skills to greater heights by resonating with the insatiable one - Kitava.
• Tactician (Mercenary) - the Mercenary Tactician brings military-grade brutality to the battlefield. As a former trained Blackguard Elite, the Tactician is able to decimate the monsters of Wraeclast while earning a healthy income at the same time.

Sharpen your arsenal with new skill and support gems As well as 20 New Spear Skills designed for the huntress, we have two other much anticipated abilities.

• Raise Spectre - This skill lets you trap and summon the souls of almost any monster in the game. With hundreds of monster variants in Path of Exile 2, expect endless experimentation to find the perfect undead army.
• Summon Rhoa Mount - Call forth a Rhoa to fight by your side or mount it to move at full speed while attacking. But beware, taking too much damage can knock you off, leaving you vulnerable to a brutal fate.

This expansion also brings a massive overhaul to character development by adding over 100 new Support Gems to enhance build diversity. Support gems add a variety of interesting effects to your existing skills, modifying them in game changing ways.

For example, Haemocrystals turn bleed effects into explosive Vaal crystals, and Caltrops allow your existing skills to litter the battlefield with slowing hazards.

Unlock greater potential with Over 100 new Unique Items Dawn of the Hunt brings a stronger focus on Mid and Endgame Unique items, ensuring high-level characters have more thrilling bounty to chase.

Unbridled power awaits with new crafting tools New crafting tools have been introduced as rewards across many areas of the game:

• Over 20 new runes have been added allowing you to craft new mods onto your gear
• Runes now scale with multiple tiers, allowing for stronger mods that remain viable in the endgame.
• We're expanding crafting options further by introducing more specialized socketable mods, with the first wave arriving in the upcoming content update.

Darkness lurks ahead The Azmeri Spirit has made itself present in Wraeclast. When approached, these wisps will flee, and monsters it comes into contact with will be infused by it, making them more powerful. Wisps will also find and possess Rare or Unique monsters, granting them powerful new abilities, and powerful new rewards. There are twelve distinct types of wisp, each with their own mechanics and rewards.

New Maps Dawn of the Hunt adds eight new Maps offering fresh challenges and rewards. Each of them come with interesting new encounters.

Be forced to fight mirrored Rare monsters in a shifting, warped reality in The Fractured Lake, or be thrust into the wild Ezomyte Forests of The Phaaryl Megaliths where rune-carved stones surge with energy. Survive the storm-fueled gauntlet of deadly boss waves, and you’ll earn full boss rewards and exclusive Runes

Unique Strongboxes

Find four new Unique Strongboxes, each with deadly mechanics and valuable rewards.

• Ogham's Legacy features a rune-carved stone and a slain creature that, when activated, revives as a powerful Rare. Each defeat triggers another resurrection with added modifiers making the fight progressively more difficult, but also more rewarding.
• Ixchel’s Torment harnesses ancient Vaal thaumaturgy, unleashing Chaos-empowered guardians to protect a powerful artifact. Victors will be rewarded with a unique item featuring a specific Corrupted outcome.

Corrupted Essences

Essences receive major upgrades, with four new Corrupted Essences - Hysteria, Delirium, Horror, and Insanity - offering new combat mechanics and powerful new crafting outcomes, such as guaranteed double Enchantments when using a Vaal Orb on belts.

Cleanse the Corruption Corruption has continued to spread throughout Wraeclast and has formed into larger and larger zones. In the centre of each one lies a Corrupted Nexus, the home of three new terrifying bosses, amalgamations of Corruption itself.

Upon defeating these bosses, any remaining areas within the zone of Corruption will become cleansed. Cleansed Maps have additional new monsters, a new boss and their own set of Modifiers and rewards.

Duel with Rogue Exiles On your travels you will sometimes encounter Rogue Exiles - others like you who have been exiled and are openly hostile. They will challenge you - a fight to the death. These Exiles have capabilities to Dodge Roll, avoid your abilities with smart pathfinding, smart-targeting, and much more action-packed gameplay. Rogue Exiles use the same skills available to players, and even the same items. They aren't just dressed up in those items, they know how to take advantage of the Uniques they are using.

Of course, if you are able to slay these Exiles, those items will all drop on the ground!

Dynamic improvements to endgame Dawn of the Hunt significantly rebalances the endgame. The number of towers has been drastically reduced but they have been made much more powerful. Tablets now affect twice as many areas and running higher tier Maps in Towers increases this number further still. In addition, each Tower will be able to consume up to three Tablets at once.

These changes significantly reduce the amount of busy work required in endgame while improving your ability to use them. On top of that, Towers can now spawn with all mechanics, and have their own new Bosses!

Prepare for the Hunt Rise as a hunter, or fall as prey on April 4th. The Dawn of the Hunt content update will also be made available in existing Early Access leagues for those wishing to play their existing characters. It is recommended to start anew in a fresh economy to get the full, recommended experience in the Dawn of the Hunt leagues.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.