On this page
- Quick summary
- Historical warning
- What Early Access actually shipped
- Patch family timeline
- Class and ascendancy map at launch
- Campaign and endgame baseline
- Launch volatility: Day-1 vs current
- Endgame and Atlas at launch
- Current applicability (0.5.4e)
- Then vs now
- Returning player checklist
- Community evidence
- Affected content
- FAQ
- Sources and verification
OVERVIEW
Quick summary
Path of Exile 2 launched in Early Access on 6 December 2024 with client version 0.1.0. It opened with six base classes, twelve ascendancies, a three-act campaign and a standalone endgame built around the Atlas of Worlds. For players coming from Path of Exile 1, this was a new game with new systems rather than an extension of the old one.
The launch was deliberately a foundation. Within the first three days the team was already adjusting clearly overtuned skills such as Supercharged Slam, Magnetic Salvo and the Gas Cloud interactions, which set the tone for a launch week full of rapid hotfixes.
This page is the total-entry history for 0.1.0: what shipped at launch, how the first week stabilised, and which parts of 0.1.0 are still recognisable in client 0.5.4e versus what later patches rewrote. Anything we could not confirm against the current client is flagged as unknown rather than guessed.
- Early Access began 2024-12-06 on client 0.1.0
- Six base classes and twelve ascendancies at launch
- Three-act campaign plus a standalone Atlas endgame
- First-week hotfixes already tuned Supercharged Slam, Magnetic Salvo and Gas Cloud
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Historical warning
Path of Exile 2 Early Access — the 0.1.0 era
Current-status claims on this page are measured against client 0.5.4e.
0.1.0 is a historical baseline, not a current玩法 guide. The classes, ascendancies and endgame systems it introduced were the starting point, and several were expanded or replaced within the first year of Early Access.
Reading a Day-1 build video today is misleading: the skill numbers, ascendancy nodes and Atlas rules it shows were changed by launch-week hotfixes and then again by 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5. Treat 0.1.0 footage as a record of the launch state, not as a current tutorial.
- 0.1.0 = system starting point, not final design
- Day-1 build videos are historical records, not current guides
- All current-rule claims below are checked against 0.5.4e
OVERVIEW
What Early Access actually shipped
The launch confirmed the six base classes players still recognise: Sorceress, Warrior, Ranger, Witch, Mercenary and Monk. Each launched with two ascendancies, giving twelve total at 0.1.0 before any later class was added.
The campaign covered three acts and led into a separate endgame. That endgame already had its own Atlas, maps, league mechanics and pinnacle structure, so 0.1.0 was a complete loop rather than a vertical slice.
- Sorceress, Warrior, Ranger, Witch, Mercenary, Monk
- Twelve ascendancies (two per class)
- Three-act campaign into a standalone Atlas endgame
PATCH FAMILY
Patch family timeline
Six classes, twelve ascendancies, three-act campaign, standalone Atlas endgame, original league mechanics and pinnacle路线.
major-updatesearly-accessLowered Gas Grenade and Gas Arrow explosion damage; fixed loading, Atlas Controller Refund, Console Gateway and crashes.
hotfixesbalanceFirst loot and currency rebalance: Regal and Gemcutter's Prism rates up, Chaos and Artificer redistribution, Waystone prefix buff.
balanceeconomyTrigger Gem Energy rework (Monster Power and Ailment Strength), Leech buff, Block and Dodge changes, Trial Key clarity.
balancemechanicsCheckpoint fast travel, Respec cost cut, Honour close-range fix, large skill and support overhaul.
balanceprogressionThe current major line (baseline 0.5.4e) that rewrote large parts of the 0.1.0 foundation.
current-baseline
IMPACT DASHBOARD
Class and ascendancy map at launch
Sorceress -> Stormweaver / Chronomancer
Still current (expanded later)Both 0.1.0 Sorceress ascendancies remain; later classes added new options but did not remove these.
Warrior -> Titan / Warbringer
Still currentThe two Warrior ascendancies from launch are unchanged in identity through 0.5.4e.
Ranger -> Deadeye / Pathfinder
Still currentRanger launched with Deadeye and Pathfinder; bow and poison archetypes trace back here.
Witch -> Blood Mage / Infernalist
Still currentThe Witch ascendancies power the ED Contagion Lich and similar casters still played today.
Mercenary -> Witchhunter / Gemling Legionnaire
Still currentCrossbow and attribute-stacking directions originated with these two Mercenary ascendancies.
Monk -> Invoker / Acolyte of Chayula
Still currentThe Monk ascendancies anchor quarterstaff and chaos/physical melee builds.
DATA TABLE
Campaign and endgame baseline
Note: What 0.1.0 launched with, and whether it still matches client 0.5.4e.
| System | 0.1.0 state | Current status (0.5.4e) | Current in-site entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classes | Six base classes at launch. | Expanded by later classes | lightning-spear-amazon / glacial-lance-ritualist builds |
| Ascendancies | Twelve (two per class). | Same twelve plus later additions | Ascendancy guides |
| Campaign | Three acts. | Longer after Act 4 (0.3.0) | campaign-early-maps-gearing-crafting guide |
| Endgame | Standalone Atlas with maps and pinnacle路线. | Rebuilt repeatedly through 0.5 | early-atlas-progression-waystone-sustain guide |
| Skills / Supports | Launch skill and support set. | Expanded by 0.3 Support Overhaul | twister / tempest-bell skill pages |
BEFORE AFTER
Launch volatility: Day-1 vs current
IMPACT DASHBOARD
Endgame and Atlas at launch
Atlas of Worlds
Rewritten since launchThe 0.1.0 Atlas had Waystones, Towers, Tablets and Citadels in early forms that later patches restructured.
League mechanics
Present at launchBreach, Expedition, Ritual and Delirium entered maps at launch; their current behaviour was tuned in later patches.
Pinnacle bosses
Higher cost thenEarly pinnacle access had a steeper retry cost than later patches introduced recovery for.
Maps and Waystones
Changed repeatedlyWaystone tiering and prefixes were adjusted in 0.1.0c and many times after; old sustain advice is outdated.
CURRENT APPLICABILITY
Current applicability (0.5.4e)
| Mechanic | Status | Current rule (0.5.4e) | Superseded by | Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Six launch classes | Still current | All six 0.1.0 classes are still playable in 0.5.4e, now alongside later additions. | — | Class and build guides |
| Twelve launch ascendancies | Still current | The twelve ascendancies are still selectable and unchanged in identity. | — | Ascendancy guides |
| Three-act campaign | Changed later | The campaign is longer now; Acts beyond the original three arrived in 0.3.0. | 0.3.0 Act 4 and Interludes | campaign-early-maps-gearing-crafting guide |
| 0.1.0 Atlas and Waystone rules | Changed later | Map and Waystone systems were rebuilt through 0.2 to 0.5; launch-era sustain advice no longer applies. | 0.2.0, 0.3.1, 0.5.0 | early-atlas-progression-waystone-sustain guide |
THEN VS NOW
Then vs now
Class roster
At 0.1.0 launch only six classes existed.
In 0.5.4e the roster is larger after the Huntress (0.2.0) and Druid (0.4.0) joined.
Campaign length
Launch campaign ended after three acts.
Act 4 and the Interludes extended the campaign from 0.3.0.
Atlas rules
Launch Waystones, Towers and Tablets worked in their first form.
Repeated 0.2 to 0.5 reworks changed map and Tower behaviour; old videos are outdated.
Balance outliers
Supercharged Slam, Magnetic Salvo and Gas Cloud loops looked dominant on day one.
Launch-week hotfixes and later balance moved those numbers far from their launch state.
RETURNING PLAYER
Returning player checklist
Do not trust Day-1 build videos
0.1.0 launch balance was changed within the first week and again by 0.2 to 0.5. Use current build pages.
Re-learn the Atlas and Waystones
Launch map rules were rebuilt; follow the current early-atlas-progression guide.
Expect a longer campaign
If you left at 0.1.0, Act 4 and the Interludes are new since then.
Check the current class map
Huntress and Druid arrived after 0.1.0; the ascendancy map you knew has grown.
COMMUNITY EVIDENCE
Community evidence
Supercharged Slam and Magnetic Salvo are deleting screens, this cannot be the final balance.
Are these launch build guides still good or did they get nerfed already?
Why does my Atlas look nothing like the 0.1.0 video?
AFFECTED CONTENT
Affected content
| Content | Type | Trigger | Action | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning Spear Amazon build | Build | Class and ascendancy map originated at launch | Verify against 0.5.4e skill numbers and node layout. | Reviewing |
| Glacial Lance Ritualist build | Build | Launch class system | Confirm bleed/ritual node cluster still matches. | Reviewing |
| ED Contagion Lich build | Build | Witch ascendancies from launch | Check DoT and minion node changes from later patches. | Queued |
| Early Atlas progression guide | Guide | Launch Atlas rebuilt through 0.5 | Refresh for current Atlas and Waystone rules. | Reviewing |
| Twister / Tempest Bell skill pages | Skill | Launch skill set, later Support Overhaul | Document current skill behaviour versus launch. | Queued |
Historical video
Official Path of Exile 2
Path of Exile 2 — Official Early Access Announcement
What to watch for: Official reveal of the 0.1.0 class and endgame direction. Read alongside the launch-hotfix notes for what changed in the first week.
Open source ↗QUESTIONS
FAQ
Was 0.1.0 the finished game?
No. 0.1.0 was the Early Access foundation: six classes, twelve ascendancies, a three-act campaign and a standalone endgame. Large content and system expansions followed in 0.2 to 0.5.
Why do my Day-1 build videos feel different now?
Launch-week hotfixes (starting with 0.1.0b) already changed clear outliers, and 0.2 to 0.5 moved the numbers again. Trust current build pages over launch recordings.
Which 0.1.0 systems are still current in 0.5.4e?
The six launch classes and twelve ascendancies are still current. The campaign and Atlas were expanded or rebuilt, so those parts no longer match launch footage.
Why does the site keep historical 0.1.0 pages?
Players still search for what launched and how it evolved. Keeping sourced historical pages helps returning players understand why old videos no longer match the client.
SOURCES
Sources and verification
Official launch communication confirming the six classes, twelve ascendancies and three-act campaign.
Official detail on the launch systems, endgame and progression model.
Official launch notes covering the class, campaign and endgame scope.
Index of all official EA patch and hotfix threads referenced above.
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