The beta for the number 1 Diablo competitor Path of Exile 2 was actually supposed to start on June 7th, but as the developers have now announced, nothing will come of it for the time being.
Postponements will still be a thing in 2024. As Grinding Gear Games announced, the beta for Path of Exile 2 will be significantly postponed; the originally planned date of June 7th cannot be met. A new date has not been announced, for now it remains a laconic “later this year”, more precisely towards the end of the year.
A statement on “We will still be conducting alpha testing in June, but we will postpone the beta until later in the year.”
One reason for the shift is probably that the developers changed the entire control scheme after some innovations were incorporated for the Mercenary class. The new system should be much more action-oriented and reminiscent of a top-down shooter, which of course makes sense in the case of the Mercenary with its firearms.
To achieve this, Grinding Gear Games had to rework a large number of game mechanics, add entirely new systems, and readjust enemy behavior and balance to support the changes.
What is reassuring, however, is that Path of Exile 2, like its predecessor, is designed as a free-to-play model that is intended to be financed through strictly optional microtransactions. In addition, they want to design the content of the microtransactions, as far as possible, across the board from the predecessor, so that you don’t have to buy skins or other goodies again.