Path of Exile 2 Reveals the Duelist and a Packed 0.5.5 Forbidden Rites Event
Published on: 8/30/2026
Grinding Gear Games has given Path of Exile 2 players their first extensive look at the long-awaited Duelist, while also revealing what players can expect from the upcoming 0.5.5 update and its new Forbidden Rites event.
The Duelist won't arrive until Path of Exile 2's full 1.0 release on December 11, but the new showcase makes it clear that GGG is doing much more than simply bringing the original game's class into the sequel.
The Duelist Brings Swords and Stance-Based Combat
Swords are finally coming to Path of Exile 2 alongside the Duelist, with GGG designing the weapon around fast, flowing combinations.
At the heart of the class is the new Ready Stance. Certain attacks can place the Duelist into this stance, modifying subsequent skills and opening the door to additional Sand and Blood stances.
Sand Stance can transform attacks into sweeping area-clearing abilities, while Blood Stance focuses heavily on bleeding and Blood Loss. Even familiar abilities are getting new interactions, including Whirlwind, which can absorb elemental ground effects and potentially combine blood, sand, fire, lightning, and other effects into a single spinning attack.
GGG also demonstrated two endgame builds, including a setup that fills the battlefield with embedded swords before electrifying and detonating them, and a fire-focused Whirlwind build utilizing Oro's Sacrifice. Perhaps most interestingly, neither showcase used an Ascendancy, suggesting the Duelist still has considerably more power and build variety waiting to be revealed.
Forbidden Rites Arrives September 4
Players won't have to wait until December for new content.
Patch 0.5.5 and the Forbidden Rites event launch September 4 at 1 PM PDT, introducing a fresh economy and Ritual encounters throughout every campaign area. Players will earn Tribute from Rituals and exchange it for leveling gear, currency, and other rewards.
Special Ritual chains will also combine campaign bosses into increasingly dangerous encounters, eventually culminating in battles against four bosses simultaneously.
Endgame Rituals expand further through the Sacred Bloom, which can open entrances to the Wildwood. Players can collect different Wisps inside before releasing them across their map, dramatically increasing both monster difficulty and potential rewards. The event also includes eight challenges and exclusive cosmetic rewards.
Trial of Chaos Is Getting a Major Overhaul
Update 0.5.5 also takes aim at one of Path of Exile 2's more criticized systems: the Trial of Chaos.
Players will finally be able to leave between rooms and return later, encounters have been streamlined, travel time has been reduced, modifiers have been reworked, and new Wager Modifiers allow players to intentionally increase both risk and rewards.
Endgame players can also push beyond the previous limit and continue as far as room 30, with increasingly dangerous encounters and significantly larger rewards along the way.
Combined with new Abyssal Ravines, streamlined Citadel progression, multiplayer Ritual reward improvements, and additional endgame changes, 0.5.5 is looking considerably larger than a simple event patch.
The Duelist may be the headline attraction for Path of Exile 2's December launch, but Forbidden Rites should give players plenty to do while they wait.
