will there be another league before POE 2?

Like everyone else here, I'm guessing, but if they're doing it properly they'll want at least 3 months for closed beta and associated fixes/late dev, and as long again for open beta/pre-release testing.
Remember, if they're following the insistence on keeping all our old (PoE1) gear, they'll not only be testing the new game but all the myriad interactions of all the legacy gear with all new skills, AND vice versa.

I doubt they'll rush it. A badly scuffed launch will not win new players.

So I'd expect at least two leagues *from the start of beta*. And they may extend these, or even add another interim league.

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gallaghd wrote:

just curious...

The announcement said they would be announcing the beta and 3.22 at Exilecon. That doesn't tell a great story, but I think it's a good bet that 3.22 means another league before POE2 since that will likely be a major release meaning 4.0.

Another assumption people seem to be making is how long the beta will run. That's hard to know. As an example, the original closed beta for POE lasted for quite a while, whereas the 3.0 beta lasted less than a month and released a month after the beta ended.

I would say it's probably longer than the 3.0 beta, but no where near as long as the original closed beta. If I were to personally make a bet on the matter, 3.22 is the last league before 4.0. They will want the release to happen over the holidays to maximize participation/revenue.

All that to say, none of us really know anything until Exilecon. Everything else is just speculation, even my guess above that 3.22 is a predecessor to POE2 (though I feel pretty strongly about that one).

GGG has had all the money they need; all the staff they need and over 3 years of testing concepts. They have had lots of player feedback on those concepts and seen the playtest results in every league.

Exile Con has to be big and the only thing that will make it big enough after years of complaints is a POE2 release date. A spring release is too far away and the only reason to get folks to fly to NZ in winter is to reward them with beta keys and a 2023 release.

Beta August-November; Release before Christmas.

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ChanBalam wrote:

Beta August-November; Release before Christmas.

This sounds like a fairly good estimate in my mind.

The initial Exilecon 'announced' PoE 2 back in 2019. Another Exilecon 4 years later just to say "wait another year" seems fairly underwhelming. I don't think they would've invited people to a new Exilecon without PoE 2 being pretty "imminent".

But for all we know, Exilecon is the start of the major implementation, where they start implementing major PoE 2 machanics/assets into the game, starting with 3.22.

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Phrazz wrote:

"

ChanBalam wrote:

Beta August-November; Release before Christmas.

This sounds like a fairly good estimate in my mind.

The initial Exilecon 'announced' PoE 2 back in 2019. Another Exilecon 4 years later just to say "wait another year" seems fairly underwhelming. I don't think they would've invited people to a new Exilecon without PoE 2 being pretty "imminent".

But for all we know, Exilecon is the start of the major implementation, where they start implementing major PoE 2 machanics/assets into the game, starting with 3.22.

Is it possible PoE2 is ready for full launch in 6 months? Sure I guess. Anything is possible. I cannot fathom the state it will be in, nor the porting to PoE1 and Console versions ready simultaneously.

The public has seen absolutely nothing since the previous Exilecon other than a couple of brief trailers. After experiencing the league to legaue issues GGG has, this multiplicative effort seems daunting without public help.

GGG has had split resources for years now (especially ramping in the last 18-24 months). I can't begin to imagine the amount of bugs and QA that will be necessary on this scale.

This will be a cold launch for the most part, with at best a limited Diablo-esque A1 lvl 20 public beta for a few weeks, in the proposed Xmas launch timeline. Unless they are completely forgoing an entire season and basically soft launching PoE2 early with 3.22, I just cannot see it.

They simply need more time.

To be more clear, I believe all the content, music, art, mtx, are basically done. But I think they need significant time to integrate systems, debug, balance, and test. The scale is too big, and the stakes too high.

I'd be happy to be wrong and we will definitely find out more in around 4 weeks. I just think people should manage their expectations a bit. I think there was a "PoE2 coming in August" video someone posted in another thread. I mean slow down Exiles, for your own sake lol.

That said, I hope this post ages like milk.

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DarthSki44 wrote:

The public has seen absolutely nothing since the previous Exilecon other than a couple of brief trailers.

I wouldn't call the reveal during the Ultimatum live stream "brief". Wasn't it like 20 minutes long, showcasing new skills, areas, some quests and new weapon types?

Anyhow, you may be right, they may not be ready. Maybe they'll just do a "Blizzard", and do an Exilecon just to announce the dates for PoE Mobile. I think they're farther down the line than the skeptics (that's you, BTW :P) think. We'll see. But again, an Exilecon just for the sake of an Exilecon? I just don't see it.

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Phrazz wrote:

I think they're farther down the line than the skeptics (that's you, BTW :P)

Just to reiterate, I think they are done with development for the most part.

I'm very much concerned and skeptical with system integration, balance, testing, and bugs/performance. Not to mention all the mechanical and item changes due to the new socketing systems.

Keep in mind PoE2 has to work with PoE1 system requirements, the PS4, and Xbox. And it's also very costly to patch with Sony/MS, so it needs to be in very good shape right off the bat. (Unless staggered launch with console?)

I think it's very daunting compared to a normal standalone sequel with what they are hoping to achieve.

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DarthSki44 wrote:

"

Phrazz wrote:

I think they're farther down the line than the skeptics (that's you, BTW :P)

Just to reiterate, I think they are done with development for the most part.

I'm very much concerned and skeptical with system integration, balance, testing, and bugs/performance. Not to mention all the mechanical and item changes due to the new socketing systems.

Keep in mind PoE2 has to work with PoE1 system requirements, the PS4, and Xbox. And it's also very costly to patch with Sony/MS, so it needs to be in very good shape right off the bat. (Unless staggered launch with console?)

I think it's very daunting compared to a normal standalone sequel with what they are hoping to achieve.

Staggered console launch seems likely as it always is offset, and with something like this I wouldn't bet against a much longer offset than normal vanilla league launches.

As for the state of the release, we all know that releases are aggressive here and sometimes comes with unbelievable mistakes; but that has never stopped them before. The beta will be shorter than you expect, and the release afterward will be more aggressive than what you would view as reasonable. We're getting a holiday release. I've convinced myself of this.

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DarthSki44 wrote:

"

Phrazz wrote:

I think they're farther down the line than the skeptics (that's you, BTW :P)

Just to reiterate, I think they are done with development for the most part.

I'm very much concerned and skeptical with system integration, balance, testing, and bugs/performance. Not to mention all the mechanical and item changes due to the new socketing systems.

Keep in mind PoE2 has to work with PoE1 system requirements, the PS4, and Xbox. And it's also very costly to patch with Sony/MS, so it needs to be in very good shape right off the bat. (Unless staggered launch with console?)

I think it's very daunting compared to a normal standalone sequel with what they are hoping to achieve.

I don't think they'll have to keep the current system requirements. There have been lots of expansions in the history of expansions that have increased the system requirements of a game. Will they keep them? Probably.

Consoles, on the other hand... I could see the console launch being a few months later than the PC launch. And I don't think we'll see a console beta, at least not a mass test. So, again, PoE 2 beta fairly soon after Exilecon? That's my bet.

There are some hints that we will see poe 2 sooner than expected. I believe there won't be a poe 3.22, Lolcohol has posted a video today explaining this. I believe we'll be playing poe 2 in august.