Quick answer (TL;DR): Path of Exile 2 leaves Early Access with its 1.0 Full Release on December 11, 2026 (PST), and it launches fully free-to-play — which means a brand-new, fresh economy where every player starts from zero. Currency does not carry over from the current 0.5.x "Runes of Aldur" league, so the divine stockpile you have now is irrelevant on day one of 1.0. On a fresh economy, Exalted Orbs are king early (they're your main crafting and buying currency in the first days) and Divine Orbs only become the "high-value" currency once the economy matures a week or two in — the exact opposite of a settled league where 1 Divine already trades for ~354 Exalted (Aug 27, 0.5.x). Your league-start currency priorities, in order: (1) get through the campaign fast and hit maps, (2) farm Exalted + Chaos from early mapping to fund your first real gear, (3) convert into Divine Orbs only once you have a stable farming loop. If you want to skip the slow, cash-poor opening days entirely, a currency injection, leveling boost, or boss carry on the fresh 1.0 economy is the fastest way to leapfrog the grind. This guide breaks down the plan.
Every Path of Exile league start follows the same brutal rhythm: everyone is poor, everyone is under-geared, and the players who understand currency flow pull ahead within the first 48 hours. The PoE2 1.0 launch on December 11 is the biggest league start the game has ever had — it's the full release, it's free-to-play, and it's pulling in a wave of brand-new players alongside every returning Early Access veteran. This is a guide to the part that actually decides how your league goes: what currency matters at the start, what to farm first, what to buy, and what to ignore. It is not a build guide — it's the money plan that makes any build work.
PoE2 - Divine & Exalted Orbs
Skip the grind — get Divine & Exalted Orbs
When does PoE2 1.0 launch, and why does it reset the economy?
Path of Exile 2 launches its 1.0 Full Release on December 11, 2026 (PST). Grinding Gear Games confirmed it at gamescom Opening Night Live, and the wording leaves no room for doubt — GGG's announcement reads: "Path of Exile 2 launches as a fully free-to-play action RPG on December 11 (PST)!" (pathofexile.com). The game leaves Early Access exactly two years and five days after it entered it on December 6, 2024, and Steam's store page now carries the line "Leaving Early Access: 11 Dec, 2026."
Two things about 1.0 matter for your wallet:
- It's a new league, so it's a new economy. Just like every PoE league, 1.0 begins with a completely fresh economy — nobody has a currency stockpile, prices haven't formed yet, and the market resets to zero. Your currency and items from the current Runes of Aldur (0.5.x) league do not transfer into the 1.0 economy. GGG confirmed at Early Access launch that your existing characters are never deleted, but they also "will never be moved to the standard league" — they stay in a permanent Early Access realm. Translation: you start 1.0 broke, like everyone else.
- It's free-to-play. Per GGG's Steam FAQ: "Once the game is out of Early Access, Path of Exile 2 will be free-to-play." The ~$30 Early Access supporter-pack gate disappears, so the December launch will bring one of the biggest new-player floods the game has seen. More new players means a hungrier early market — demand for cheap gear and currency spikes hard in week one.
That reset is exactly why league-start currency knowledge is worth more than any gear you own right now.
Does 1.0 wipe your currency? How the fresh economy actually works
Yes — functionally, for the new economy, your currency is gone. To be precise: 1.0 does not delete your characters or items, but none of your 0.5.x currency enters the 1.0 economy. Everyone on the December 11 launch starts at the same place: a handful of drops, no orbs of note, and a market with no established prices.
Here's the dynamic that catches returning players out. In a settled economy like today's Runes of Aldur, the Divine Orb is the premium "big note" — 1 Divine ≈ 354 Exalted and ≈ 10.72 Chaos as of August 27, 2026. But that ratio took months to form. On day one of a fresh league, that hierarchy doesn't exist yet:
- Exalted Orbs are the working currency. Early on, Exalts are what you spend to augment gear and what most cheap items are priced in. They are common enough to actually use and valuable enough to matter.
- Divine Orbs are rare and volatile at the start. Barely anyone has one in the first days, and their exalt value swings wildly before the market settles. A Divine is worth more raw Exalts early (because supply is tiny), but you won't see many.
- Chaos and other orbs fill the crafting middle. Prices compress toward the settled ratios only as thousands of players farm and trade over the first week.
The takeaway: at 1.0 league start, don't hoard for a Divine you'll never see on day one. Farm and spend Exalted + Chaos to gear up fast, and only start banking Divine Orbs once you have a repeatable farming loop and the economy has matured.
What currency to farm first (the day-1 to week-1 plan)
Your league-start currency priorities on the December 11 launch, in order:
- Rush the campaign, don't farm it. 1.0 completes the story with Acts 5 and 6 — GGG confirmed "the final two acts will launch with the 1.0 Full Release," making it a six-act campaign. Currency barely drops during the story; your goal is speed. Every hour you shave off the campaign is an hour earlier you reach maps, where the real currency lives.
- Hit the endgame Atlas and start mapping. This is where Exalted, Chaos and higher orbs actually flow. Run maps you can clear reliably rather than the hardest ones you can barely survive — consistent clears beat risky ones for currency-per-hour at the start.
- Farm Exalted + Chaos first, convert to Divine later. Bank the common currency, use it to craft or buy upgrades that increase your clear speed, and only start stacking Divine Orbs once your farming is stable. Speed compounds: better clears → more currency → better gear → better clears.
- Learn one league mechanic well. Whatever new or returning mechanic 1.0 ships with, pick one and farm it deliberately rather than dabbling in all of them. Focused farming is how currency actually accumulates in the opening days.
The mistake that keeps new players poor is treating the campaign like a loot piñata and then spreading themselves thin across every mechanic once they hit maps. Speed to maps + one focused farm = a full wallet.
What to buy first to skip the slow, cash-poor opening
The opening days of any fresh league are the most gear-starved, currency-poor stretch of the entire league — and that's exactly the window where a small head start pays off the most. If you'd rather not spend the first two evenings crawling through a broke early market, three moves fast-forward your start on the 1.0 economy:
Skip the grind on the fresh 1.0 economy — instant, secure, best rate:
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- PoE2 Exalted Orbs — the working currency at league start. A stack of Exalts lets you craft and buy your first real upgrades on day one instead of day four.
- PoE2 Divine Orbs — for the big-ticket gear jump once you're mapping. Grab a few Divines and buy the item that actually unlocks your build.
- PoE2 Currency (all orbs) — Exalted, Chaos, Divine and more, delivered fast so you never stall out waiting on drops.
- PoE2 Leveling & Boss Carries — skip the campaign entirely or get carried through the early pinnacle fights. Pro players, fast turnaround, so you land straight in the money-making part of the league.
On a settled economy those services save you time; on a fresh 1.0 economy they save you the single worst stretch of the league — the poor, gear-locked opening — and drop you straight into the profitable mapping loop while prices are still soft and demand is high.
PoE2 - Items
Skip the grind — get Items
League-start currency priority: quick reference
| Phase | Your focus | Currency that matters | Skip / ignore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campaign (Acts 1–6) | Speed to maps | Almost none — don't farm | Hoarding, crafting, trading |
| First maps (day 1–2) | Reliable clears | Exalted + Chaos | Chasing Divines you don't have |
| Stable farm (day 3–7) | One focused mechanic | Exalted → convert to Divine | Spreading across every mechanic |
| Settled economy (week 2+) | Big upgrades | Divine Orbs as the "big note" | League-start panic buying |
Three hard numbers to anchor your expectations: 1.0 lands December 11, 2026; the current settled ratio of 1 Divine ≈ 354 Exalted is where the 1.0 economy will eventually head but won't start; and PoE2 is now a six-act game, so budget campaign time for two brand-new acts you've never run.
Should you save your 0.5.x currency for 1.0?
Short version: no — you can't. Your Runes of Aldur currency does not enter the 1.0 economy, so "saving for 1.0" isn't a real strategy. What does carry is your account, your cosmetics/microtransactions, and any registration rewards — GGG's pre-launch campaign at pathofexile2.com/register runs until December 10 (PST) and guarantees every registrant at least the Soulflame Crown cosmetic, scaling up to five cosmetics if the community hits the 4-million-registration milestone. Currency, though? Spend it in 0.5.x or leave it behind. It has no value on the fresh economy.
If you're sitting on a big 0.5.x stockpile right now, the smart play is to use it before December 11 — finish your current characters, buy the gear you wanted, or enjoy the endgame — rather than clutching orbs that turn into dead weight the moment 1.0 goes live.
FAQ
| When does PoE2 1.0 release? Path of Exile 2's 1.0 Full Release launches on December 11, 2026 (PST) on PC (Steam and Epic), PS5, and Xbox Series X | S. It leaves Early Access fully free-to-play, adds the final two campaign acts (Acts 5 and 6) and the new sword-wielding Duelist class. |
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Does 1.0 wipe my characters and currency? Your Early Access characters and items are never deleted, but they stay in a permanent Early Access realm and are never moved to the 1.0 league. The 1.0 launch starts a fresh economy where everyone begins with nothing, so none of your current 0.5.x currency carries into it.
What currency should I farm first at 1.0 league start? Rush the campaign, get to maps, then farm Exalted and Chaos Orbs from reliable map clears to fund your first upgrades. Only start banking Divine Orbs once you have a stable farming loop — on a fresh economy Divines are rare and the Exalt-to-Divine ratio hasn't settled yet.
Is Exalted or Divine more valuable at league start? Early in a fresh league, Exalted Orbs are the practical working currency because they're common enough to spend, while Divine Orbs are scarce and volatile in the first days. The familiar "1 Divine ≈ 354 Exalted" ratio only forms after a week or two of trading; it does not exist on day one.
Can I buy currency for the new 1.0 economy? Yes — buying Exalted/Divine Orbs, a leveling boost, or a boss carry on the fresh 1.0 economy is the fastest way to skip the poor, gear-starved opening days and jump straight into the profitable mapping loop while prices are still soft. See PoE2 Currency and PoE2 Leveling & Carries.
Should I keep playing 0.5.x before 1.0? If you enjoy it, yes — and spend your current currency before December 11, because it won't transfer. Also register at pathofexile2.com before December 10 (PST) to lock in the free launch cosmetics.
