PoE2 New League: Factions, 100 Castles and Start Date

The PoE2 new league is Conquerors of Wraeclast, and it starts with Path of Exile 2's full 1.0 release on December 11 (PST). At the ExileCon 2026 keynote, game director Jonathan Rogers showed a league built around a shared map of 100 castles that the factions fight to control. Grinding Gear Games confirmed in a forum post by Natalia_GGG that Path of Exile 2 goes free-to-play that day, bringing new Acts 5 and 6, two new classes, a new endgame storyline, major balance changes, and this challenge league. This piece covers when the league starts, how the faction war works from campaign to endgame, and what GGG has left unanswered.

PoE2 league start: Conquerors of Wraeclast begins December 11

The PoE2 league start date is tied directly to the 1.0 launch. Grinding Gear Games stated in its forum announcement that Path of Exile 2 goes free-to-play on December 11 (PST), with the Conquerors of Wraeclast Challenge League as part of that 1.0 release. GGG has not given a launch hour; the studio's own post only names the date. Players who want exclusive sign-up rewards can register at pathofexile2.com/register, though the announcement post does not list what those rewards are.

According to Output Lag's coverage of the keynote, Jonathan Rogers said, “This is different from any other kind of league mechanic we’ve done before.” The outlet reports that the league ends in a war every player in it shares.

Choosing a faction: Karui, Ezomyte or Maraketh

In the PoE2 next league, the faction choice comes once a player reaches the endgame Atlas, according to Output Lag and Maxroll. Players choose between three factions: Karui, Ezomyte, or Maraketh. That choice sets the type of stronghold a player builds and places them on a team with everyone else who picked the same faction. Each faction offers over 20 buildings and upgrades for its stronghold, and according to Maxroll, the more buildings a castle has, the faster new Troops are produced, provided the player can pay the Gold cost.

GGG has not detailed what distinguishes each stronghold type beyond the faction choice itself, so there is no public breakdown yet of unique bonuses or building trees per faction.

Campaign: recruiting an army and the plot to resurrect Severa

The Path of Exile 2 new season begins in the campaign, before any faction is chosen. Players recruit an army and, according to PCGamesN, ultimately have to contend with a plot to resurrect the vampire lord Severa. The campaign portion of the league includes over 70 points of interest and 23 army battles, as reported by Output Lag.

This campaign work builds toward the endgame castle war, where the faction choice and army-building actually pay off on the shared map.

The castle war: 100 shared castles and the item rarity payoff

The centerpiece of the PoE2 new league is the castle siege system. Outside the Atlas starting area sits a single shared map holding 100 castles, and the factions fight for control of them, per Output Lag's report on Rogers' keynote segment. Capturing a castle is a two-step process: first take the surrounding land, then siege the castle itself with a large army, accepting heavy losses along the way.

Holding a castle grants a significant item rarity bonus to the player holding it and a smaller rarity bonus to their entire faction. It also unlocks that castle's Hunting Grounds maps for the whole faction, and because the map is shared, the random modifiers on those Hunting Grounds are shared too — meaning some castles end up more valuable than others. Losing a castle removes both bonuses, and retaking it resets its Hunting Grounds for a fresh run.

Capturing additional castles gets harder the more territory a faction already controls, which is meant to keep smaller factions worth joining, though GGG gave no specific numbers for how that scaling works. Maxroll notes the castle war draws inspiration from Total War and Heroes of Might and Magic, and that castles belonging to opposing factions fight each other constantly. Separately, Sportskeeda has reported that many of the castles on a player's map will be replicas of castles built by players in other factions, and it calls this a “pseudo-PvP” mode. That is press reporting, not a GGG statement, and none of the coverage cited here describes it as real-time PvP.

Commanders handle mapping while you're away

A notable piece of the PoE2 new league loop is the Commander system. Athela, introduced as a High Justicar, takes troops from a player's castle along with a queue of waystones and clears maps in real time, handing over the resulting loot minus the gold she keeps for herself, according to Output Lag. Commanders aren't limited to standard maps either; they can explore towers or run Breach and Delirium tablets on a player's behalf.

Players can field up to three Commanders in the endgame, though this unlocks relatively late in endgame progression rather than being available from the start of the league.

Crafting with castle treasuries and Reforging

The league also adds its own crafting route, according to Output Lag. Bosses drop keys to castle treasuries that hold crafting materials such as Crimson Iron. These materials are used for a process called Reforging, where selected modifiers on an item are replaced with random fractured mods that cannot be changed again afterward.

What GGG answered in the developer Q&A

The developer Q&A at ExileCon, as reported by Output Lag and Maxroll, filled in several details of the PoE2 new league. Off-screen parts of castle battles use a simpler combat model, which allows up to 1,000 troops per side. Wood and food gathering were in early designs but were cut. In solo self-found, the war involves only SSF players rather than mixing them with the trade league population.

GGG also said it will fix a scenario where a solo player could end up owning all 100 castles in a private league, and confirmed that switching factions carries a cost, with the exact handling of castle ownership on a switch still being balanced. A battle overview screen is something GGG hoped to ship before launch, but this was described as a hope rather than a guarantee.

What GGG has not said yet

GGG's ExileCon posts did not say what happens to Early Access characters at 1.0. Anyone wanting a definitive answer should check the official launch FAQ or the full patch notes once GGG publishes them, rather than assume carryover either way.

GGG also has not given a launch hour for 1.0, difficulty numbers for how castle captures scale, or the number of players in each faction.

Frequently asked questions

When does the PoE2 new league start?

Conquerors of Wraeclast starts on December 11 (PST), the same day Path of Exile 2 goes free-to-play with its 1.0 update. GGG has not specified a launch hour.

How many factions are in the PoE2 next league?

Players choose one of three factions: Karui, Ezomyte, or Maraketh. GGG did not say how many players are in each faction.

What do you get for holding a castle?

Holding a castle gives the holder a significant item rarity bonus and the whole faction a smaller rarity bonus, plus access to that castle's Hunting Grounds maps with shared bonus modifiers.

What happens to Early Access characters in the PoE2 new season?

GGG's ExileCon posts did not address this. Players should check the official launch FAQ or patch notes for a direct answer rather than assume.

Is the castle war real-time PvP?

None of the coverage cited here describes it as real-time PvP. Sportskeeda has reported that many of the castles on a player's map will be replicas of castles built by players in other factions, and it calls this a “pseudo-PvP” mode. That is press reporting, not a GGG statement.

Sources

• Path of Exile 2 1.0 league pits factions against each other for 100 shared castles - Output Lag
• ExileCon 2026 announcements, forum post by Natalia_GGG - Grinding Gear Games