Path of Exile 2 patch 0.5.5 is Forbidden Rites, not the release of the Duelist and swords. The event goes live September 4 at 1 p.m. PDT. Swords and the Duelist class are still locked to the 1.0 full release on December 11.
Zizaran had to say that out loud on August 30 because his chat would not stop asking. "The amount of people in my stream today asking if I’m gonna start swords in 0.5.5 was crazy, so many people believe swords / Champion are coming on september 4th (It’s coming on 1.0 in December)," he posted.
That mix-up is easy to make if you only watched the Gamescom trailer and nothing else. Grinding Gear Games showed the Duelist and sword skills in the same week it dated 0.5.5. The trailer is a 1.0 ad. The September patch is an Early Access event league with a new Ritual loop, Wildwood in maps, a longer Trial of Chaos, and no new weapon class.
GGG has already said 0.5.5 will not include a character balance pass. Starters that work in 0.5 still work on September 4. What changes is the league wrapper. Rituals show up through campaign zones. Endgame gets Viridian Wildwood. Trial of Chaos runs to room 30 instead of stopping at 10. Runes of Aldur goes core. Abyssal Ravines can appear on the Atlas. None of that puts a sword gem in your weapon swap.
The Duelist is Path of Exile 2’s first sword wielding class. Officially they call him a master of sword and shield, Strength and Dexterity, starting on the same lower-middle stretch of the tree as Mercenary. Skills shown so far lean on stance swaps: Ready Stance, Blood Stance, Sand Stance, Perforate, Bloodied Blade, Blade Conduit, and a spin that looks like Cyclone. Ascendancies have not been named. Any class will be able to pick up sword gems later. The class that is built around them still waits until December.
1.0 is also the rest of the campaign. Acts 5 and 6 complete a six-act story. Early Access ends. The game goes free-to-play on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Huntress and Druid already shipped during EA. Swords were the missing melee fantasy people have been saving a character slot for since 2024.
Forbidden Rites still matters if you want a fresh economy before that launch. It runs next to the normal 0.5 league. Eight challenges and event rewards come with it. If you roll a character on September 4 expecting Champion or a two-hander skill that does not exist yet, you will be playing Twister, Whirling Assault, or Spark like everyone else.
December 11 is when you will get to play with swords. September 4 is Rituals, Chaos rooms, and the last big Early Access event before the game stops charging for the campaign.
Are you rolling a Forbidden Rites starter on September 4, or sitting out until Duelist arrives on December 11? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
For those looking for some builds and starters for Patch 0.5.5, here is our list of 10 builds you should try!