Quick answer: The Forbidden Rites event (patch 0.5.5, live Friday, September 4, 2026 at 1:00 PM PDT / 20:00 UTC) ships with 8 event challenges. Completing tiers of them unlocks 4 exclusive, account-bound cosmetics — the Locust Footprints Effect, Locust Swarm Finisher Effect, Wildwood Guardian Pet, and Wildwood Affliction Level-up Effect — plus a commemorative Hideout Statue that visibly grows as you finish more of the set. GGG has confirmed the reward structure and three example challenges (finish campaign Rituals, kill named rares, reach level 90); the full 8-challenge list arrives with the patch notes on launch day. Because the event runs in parallel to Runes of Aldur right up to the 1.0 release on December 11, you have roughly 14 weeks to clear the list — but the fastest route is a strong day-one character.
Every event cosmetic here is time-limited — once the Forbidden Rites event closes at 1.0, these four rewards and the statue are gone from the store forever. That makes the challenge set the one bit of Forbidden Rites content with a hard deadline. This guide breaks down exactly what the rewards are, what we know about the 8 challenges, and the fastest way to knock them out, all fact-checked against the official 0.5.5 reveal.
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What are the Forbidden Rites challenges?
The Forbidden Rites challenges are a set of 8 milestone objectives tied to the 0.5.5 event league. They work like the challenge sets veteran players know from every Path of Exile league: a checklist of tasks that span the campaign and the endgame, with cosmetic microtransactions handed out as you cross completion thresholds rather than for each individual tick.
In GGG's own framing from the September 4 announcement post: "This patch introduces the new event league, Forbidden Rites, featuring 8 new challenges and exclusive rewards, as well as a major Trial of Chaos overhaul and more." The key detail for reward-hunters is that these cosmetics are account-bound and permanent — once earned, they live in your account and can be used in Standard, Hardcore, SSF, and every future league, including 1.0.
One thing to set expectations on: this is a short, casual challenge set, not the 40-challenge grind of a full permanent league. The tasks GGG previewed are the kind you complete simply by playing the event through to a mapping character. As one r/PathOfExile2 player put it after the preview, the challenges look "very similar to Runes — kill these specific bosses, get to level 90, etc." You are not expected to no-life this list; you are expected to play the event.
What rewards do the Forbidden Rites challenges give?
Completing challenge tiers unlocks four exclusive cosmetic effects plus a growing Hideout Statue. Here is the confirmed reward set:
| Reward | Type | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Locust Footprints Effect | Footprint cosmetic | Unlocked at a challenge-completion threshold |
| Locust Swarm Finisher Effect | Kill / finisher effect | Unlocked at a challenge-completion threshold |
| Wildwood Guardian Pet | Hideout / follower pet | Unlocked at a challenge-completion threshold |
| Wildwood Affliction Level-up Effect | Level-up visual effect | Unlocked at a challenge-completion threshold |
| Commemorative Hideout Statue | Hideout decoration | Grows as you complete more of the set |
The exact number of challenges each reward requires isn't public yet — GGG confirms the tasks unlock cosmetics "for milestone progression," with the full breakdown landing in the patch notes on launch day.
The standout is the Hideout Statue. Unlike a static reward, it physically changes as you tick off more challenges — a running visual trophy that tells anyone visiting your hideout how far into the event you got. It is the closest thing Forbidden Rites has to a bragging-rights reward, and it is the one most players will be chasing to full completion.
The theme running through the cosmetics — Locust and Wildwood — ties back to the event's fiction (the Nameless spreading dark rites across Wraeclast) and the returning Viridian Wildwood endgame mechanic. If you want the full picture of the mechanics these rewards are themed around, our Forbidden Rites event overview covers the Ritual takeover and Wildwood in detail.
What are the 8 challenges in Forbidden Rites?
As of the reveal, GGG has not published the full list of 8 — that comes with the patch notes on September 4. What they have confirmed are the example objectives shown in the preview, which tell you exactly what to prepare for:
- Finish the campaign Rituals — the event seeds Ritual sites through every campaign zone, so this is a natural "play the story" objective.
- Kill named (unique) rares — specific boss/rare kills, mirroring the Runes of Aldur challenge structure.
- Reach level 90 — the standard character-progression milestone that gates the higher reward tiers.
Expect the remaining challenges to follow the same pattern the community already recognizes: clear a set number of endgame Rituals, complete the reworked Trial of Chaos (now extended to Room 30), run the new Abyssal Ravines, and open a Viridian Wildwood or two via Sacred Bloom. None of these require a niche build — they reward a character that can comfortably clear yellow-to-red maps.
Heads-up: treat any "all 8 challenges" list you see before launch as speculation. Only the three examples above are GGG-confirmed. We'll update this guide with the verified full list the moment the 0.5.5 patch notes drop.
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How do you complete the Forbidden Rites challenges fast?
The bottleneck on every challenge set is the same: reaching mapping power quickly so the "level 90 / kill named rares / clear endgame Rituals" tiers fall into place. Here is the efficient route.
1. Get to maps fast, then let progression do the work. The campaign-Ritual and leveling challenges complete themselves if you push through the story efficiently instead of over-crafting early gear. Bank every Ritual you pass — you're ticking a challenge and stacking Tribute at the same time. If you want a full day-one plan, our Forbidden Rites league-start guide lays out the first 72 hours.
2. Pick a character that clears comfortably, not one that's "optimal." The community consensus after the preview is blunt: "any build can complete them." You do not need a meta build — you need reliable single-target for the named-rare kills and enough clear speed to grind to level 90 without burning out. A well-geared common league-starter is more than enough.
3. The level-90 tier is the real time sink. Levels 90→92 in PoE2 are a slog, and this is where most players stall on challenge sets. Two levers speed it up: run juiced maps (Wildwood-empowered maps, deep Trial of Chaos runs to Room 30, Abyssal Ravines chains) for denser XP, and make sure your gear isn't the reason you're dying and losing XP. If you'd rather skip the grind entirely, a PoE2 leveling boost or a boss/endgame carry gets a challenge-ready character to 90 while you focus on the parts of the event you enjoy.
4. Fund your gear early so the endgame tiers aren't a wall. The named-rare and endgame-Ritual challenges assume a character that can survive red maps. On a fresh economy, a modest currency injection early — a few Divine Orbs or a bulk currency top-up — buys the resistances and damage that turn "I can't kill this rare" into a clean clear. Check the live rate on our PoE2 currency price checker before you buy so you're not overpaying at launch.
Do you have time to finish? Event timeline & catching up
Yes — comfortably. The Forbidden Rites event runs in parallel to the current Runes of Aldur league, and both continue right up to the 1.0 full release on December 11, 2026. That's roughly a 14-week window to clear an 8-challenge set that most players finish just by playing the event to a mapping character.
There's a bonus for anyone still chipping away at Runes of Aldur challenges: GGG confirmed in the preview that you'll "be able to catch up to the RoA challenges alongside the new ones." The event challenges do not replace or delete your existing RoA progress — the two sets run side by side. If you were saving certain endgame challenges (Atlas tree, pinnacle bosses), you can knock them out on your event character while also earning the new Forbidden Rites cosmetics.
Three numbers to anchor your planning: 8 challenges gate 5 rewards (4 cosmetics + the statue), the hardest common gate is level 90, and you have until December 11 to finish. There is no rush on any single day — but every cosmetic here vanishes at 1.0, so don't leave the statue half-built.
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FAQ
Do we even know what the Forbidden Rites challenges are yet? Only partly. GGG confirmed three example challenges — finish campaign Rituals, kill named rares, and reach level 90 — and stated there are 8 total. The complete list ships with the 0.5.5 patch notes on launch day (September 4). Any full "all 8" list circulating before then is community speculation.
What rewards do you get for the challenges? Four exclusive, account-bound cosmetics — the Locust Footprints Effect, Locust Swarm Finisher Effect, Wildwood Guardian Pet, and Wildwood Affliction Level-up Effect — plus a commemorative Hideout Statue that grows as you complete more of the set. All five are only available during the event and are removed once 1.0 launches.
Are the Forbidden Rites cosmetics permanent, or do they expire? The cosmetics you earn are permanent and account-bound — once unlocked, you keep them forever across Standard, Hardcore, SSF, and every future league. What's time-limited is the chance to earn them: the challenge set closes at the 1.0 release, so you must complete the challenges during the event window.
What's the easiest class or build to complete the challenges? Almost any. The community verdict after the preview is that "any build can complete them" — the tasks are the kind you finish just by playing. Prioritize a character with reliable single-target (for named-rare kills) and enough clear speed to reach level 90 without stalling. A well-geared standard league-starter is plenty; no niche meta build required.
How long do I have to finish the challenges? Until the 1.0 release on December 11, 2026 — about 14 weeks from the September 4 start. The event runs alongside Runes of Aldur, so there's no daily pressure, but the cosmetics disappear at 1.0.
Can I do the Runes of Aldur challenges and the new event challenges at the same time? Yes. GGG confirmed the two challenge sets run in parallel and the new event does not replace your existing RoA progress. You can catch up on unfinished RoA challenges on your event character while earning the Forbidden Rites rewards.
