POE 2 free for a limited time only as Path of Exile 2 adds Third Edict content update

Path of Exile 2 has just been given a huge new content update, adding a brand new act in the story, complete with a new area to explore.

Titled The Third Edict, the new story content sees players visit the Ngamakanui archipelago in an attempt to find an ancient weapon. There are eight islands in total, each with their own tribes and bosses. Better yet, you can visit the islands in any order.

Needless to say, the update makes a variety of balance changes, adds various new gems, not to mention new endgame maps, unique items and lots more.

To celebrate the launch of the new content update, Path of Exile 2 developer Grinding Gear Games has made the game available for free until 9pm on September 1 on Steam. Once the free trial comes to an end, POE 2 will be available for £23.99.

As for the update, you can check out a selection of patch notes below.

Path of Exile 2 New Content and Features

• Added a new Strength Skill Gem - Fortifying Cry: Perform a Warcry that grants Guard and causes subsequent Shield Attacks to release an Empowered shockwave when dealing damage. This Skill's cooldown can be bypassed by expending an Endurance Charge.

• Added a new Strength Skill Gem - Forge Hammer: Hurl a fiery hammer that Slams into the ground and lodges there. While the hammer is lodged in the ground, reusing this Skill recalls the hammer and resets the Skill's cooldown. Alternatively, using a Warcry near the lodged hammer causes it to shatter, releasing a number of Molten Fissures in a spiral.

• Added a new Strength Skill Gem - Ancestral Cry: Perform a Warcry using Glory gained by Igniting enemies to turn you into an embodiment of Kaom. While embodying Kaom, your footsteps Trigger Volcanic Steps, Melee Strikes and Slams are Ancestrally Boosted, and your Melee Attack Hits Trigger Volcanic Eruption.

• Added a new Dexterity Skill Gem - Toxic Domain: Create an area of Toxic Bloom on the ground around you. While in the Bloom, you have increased Skill costs, regenerate Life, and your Projectile Attacks attach a Toxic Pustule, which can be Poisoned, Pustules will Detonate after a duration or when enough Poison has been applied, dealing damage and applying Poison in an area around it.

• Added a new Dexterity Skill Gem - Ice-Tipped Arrows: Ready your active Bow or Spear, Empowering your next Barrageable Bow or Projectile Spear Attacks to create Ice Fragments on hit. This Skill's cooldown can be bypassed by expending a Frenzy Charge.

• Added a new Intelligence Skill Gem - Frost Darts: Conjures a number of icy Projectiles that launch towards the target. Projectiles that Hit a Chilled or Frozen target create chunks of ice that deal additional damage on impacting the ground. Consumes a Cold Infusion if possible to cause each Projectile to lodge into the enemy then explode.

• Added a new Strength Persistent Buff Gem - Iron Ward: While active, stores a percentage of the Physical damage that is prevented by your Armour or other sources of damage reduction. Using this Skill releases the stored damage as a nova of spikes.

• Added a new Strength/Dexterity Persistent Buff Gem - Mortar Cannon: Raises a cannon Totem which uses socketed Grenaded Skills, with significantly improved Cooldown Recovery Rate.

• Added a new Dexterity Persistent Buff Gem - Mirage Archer: While active, dodge rolling will create a Mirage that uses socketed ranged Attacks for a short duration, then vanish. You cannot create another Mirage while one exists, or for a short time after one vanishes. Dodge rolling while you are unable to create a new Mirage will restart this timer.

• Added a new Intelligence Persistent Buff Gem - Ravenous Swarm: While active and enemies are nearby, swarms of insects emerge from your body to pursue enemies. The swarms are untargetable Minions that periodically Attack and Poison enemies within the swarm.

• Added a new Intelligence Persistent Buff Gem - Siphon Elements: While active, has a chance to create an Infusion Remnant when you Freeze, Shock or Ignite a target.

• Grim Feast has been completely reworked and re-enabled. Instead of granting energy shield, it now allows you to collect remnants from your dead Reviving Minions, then activate the skill to instantly Revive Minions based on their maximum life.

• Added a new Keystone Passive Skill to the north-west of the Monk starting location: Hollow Palm Technique. This Keystone allows you to use Quarterstaff attacks while unarmed and grants those attacks additional benefits while used unarmed.

• Added a new Keystone Passive Skill to the north-east of the Witch/Sorceress starting location: Ritual Cadence. This Keystone changes your Invocations to trigger skills every 2 seconds instead of all at once, but triggered skills consume less Energy.

• Added a new Keystone Passive Skill to the north-west of the Witch/Sorceress starting location: Blackflame Covenant. This Keystone causes Fire Spells to convert Fire Damage to Chaos Damage, with this damage contributing to ignite chance and magnitude, and ignites inflicted with these spells dealing Chaos Damage.

• Added a new Keystone Passive Skill to the east of the Monk's starting location: Walker of the Wilds. This Keystone causes Mana Leech to recover based on Elemental Damage Types instead of Physical Damage.

• Added the following new Currency Orbs that start dropping from late campaign and Maps: Greater Orb of Transmutation, Perfect Orb of Transmutation, Greater Orb of Augmentation, Perfect Orb of Augmentation, Greater Chaos Orb, Perfect Chaos Orb, Greater Regal Orb, Perfect Regal Orb, Greater Exalted Orb, and Perfect Exalted Orb. These Greater and Perfect Orbs each have their own minimum modifier levels for the modifier they add to an item.

• Added a new type of currency, Hinekora's Lock, which can be used to foresee the result of the next Currency item used on it. Modifying the item in any way removes the ability to foresee.

• Added over 10 new Unique items.

• Added over 50 new base item types.

• Added over 20 new Endgame Maps.

• Added 15 new Omens.

• Continued to incrementally improve the sound, art, effects and environments.