Path of Exile 2 will open its full release on 11 December with two new classes instead of one. Grinding Gear Games used its ExileCon keynote on 6 November to confirm the Shadow, a dagger fighter built around stealth and traps, which joins the already announced Duelist.
The reveal answers a short teaser clip that appeared on 30 October and showed daggers and coins, which fans had read as a sign of the Shadow’s return from the first Path of Exile. It is the first time the class has been confirmed for the sequel, which has been in early access.
The Shadow can ascend as the Assassin, a returning name, or as the Infiltrator, which is new. Every class in the game is meant to end up with at least three ascendancies, so the Shadow’s third slot is still unknown; candidates are the Saboteur and the Trickster from the first game, or something new.
Like earlier class additions, the Shadow brings a weapon type of its own. The Duelist gets swords at launch, and the Shadow brings the dagger together with a fresh set of skill gems and support gems.
Stealth is the central mechanic. While you are hidden, monsters cannot see you until you are close, and the ability goes on cooldown but resets when you kill something, so a Shadow can pick off enemies, slip away and repeat. Traps, a Shadow staple, now react to it: a trap thrown from stealth stays dormant until you reveal yourself, which makes ambushes possible. There are eight trap types at launch, and they interact with one another.
Entering stealth leaves a shade behind that blinds monsters and pulls their attention, and the shade copies the melee attacks you use, doubling the damage. Shadows also gain a Darkness resource, collected from skills that spread darkness, which boosts the damage they deal as they come out of stealth.
The 1.0 update also brings two new acts, a new league and changes to the endgame. Full release is set for 11 December, when the game leaves early access. The game is listed on Steam.
