Conquerors of Wraeclast is the challenge league of the Path of Exile 2 full release. It starts with the 1.0 launch and puts you in charge of an army: you recruit soldiers in the campaign, build a stronghold in the endgame, join one of three factions, send commanders across the Atlas and finally fight alongside the rest of your faction for over 100 castles. Everything below is based on what GGG had announced as of 9 November 2026; the full release is due on 11 December 2026.
What Conquerors of Wraeclast is and when it starts
Grinding Gear Games (GGG) revealed the league on 6 November 2026 at ExileCon 2026, together with the rest of the full release. Conquerors of Wraeclast is the 1.0 challenge league, so it will run from 11 December 2026 (Pacific time, PST). GGG hadn’t announced a launch hour as of 9 November 2026.
The story: together with Varek and his mercenaries, you set out to conquer Wraeclast. In the endgame, a new storyline called The Blood Lord’s Promise revolves around House Sanguar and the awakening of the Blood Lord.
How leagues work in Path of Exile 2 in general (Standard, Hardcore, SSF and what happens to characters when a league ends) is covered in our PoE2 leagues guide. This article is only about what the new league adds.
The league in the campaign: army, missions and points of interest
Conquerors of Wraeclast doesn’t wait for the endgame. You already recruit soldiers and lead an army during the campaign. GGG promises:
- more than 70 new points of interest in the campaign,
- more than 20 new missions, such as defending villages or assaulting fortresses.
The full release campaign will have six Acts. Exactly how recruiting works and how many soldiers you can have, GGG hadn’t published as of 9 November 2026.
Endgame: your stronghold and three factions
In the endgame you build a stronghold. You choose one of three factions:
- Karui
- Ezomyte
- Marraketh
According to GGG, each faction has its own stronghold style and its own units. Each faction gets more than 20 buildings and upgrades. Which faction is stronger or better value can’t be read from the announcement, and we won’t guess. Pick the one you like.
Commanders on the Atlas
The new league adds a real-time commander system. You can have up to three commanders. You give them soldiers and Waystones, and they run maps on the Atlas for you.
Exactly what commanders bring back from maps and how you manage them, GGG hasn’t described in detail yet.
Conquering castles with your whole faction
After you finish the endgame story, you join every other player in your faction in the conquest of over 100 castles. It’s not a fight for your character alone; the faction as a whole takes the castles.
According to GGG, castles you hold give you:
| What a castle gives | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| Increased item rarity | Better odds of rarer items |
| Special maps | Extra maps; GGG hasn’t detailed them yet |
| A starting point on the Atlas | Where you can begin on the Atlas |
How long a castle stays held, how often castles change hands and how big the bonuses are in numbers, GGG hadn’t said as of 9 November 2026.
New crafting from castle vaults
The vaults of conquered castles hold a new crafting material. It replaces an unwanted modifier on an item with a random fractured modifier, which then stays locked on the item. The announcement doesn’t give the material’s name or how often it drops.
How to join the league
In Path of Exile 2 you join a league by choosing it on the character selection screen and creating a new character there. A challenge league means a new character and a fresh economy, so everyone starts from scratch. Previous Path of Exile 2 challenge leagues have also had Hardcore and Solo Self-Found (SSF) versions.
From 11 December Path of Exile 2 will be free-to-play, so you can join Conquerors of Wraeclast without paying. Until launch you need paid access and play in the current leagues.
Today’s Early Access leagues, Forbidden Rites and Runes of Aldur, will, according to GGG, run until the 1.0 launch and then end. As of 9 November 2026 the official league list still shows them as active, alongside Standard and Hardcore.
If you’re new to Path of Exile 2, start with our beginner’s guide. Alongside the league, 1.0 also adds two new classes, the Shadow and the Duelist. The release date, sign-up and rewards are in our full release guide.
Looking for people to join the same faction? Join our Discord and team up with other PoE2 players before the league starts: GamersTogether Discord.
FAQ
With the Path of Exile 2 1.0 full release, which GGG has announced for 11 December 2026 (PST). GGG hadn’t given a launch hour as of 9 November 2026.
Three: Karui, Ezomyte and Marraketh. Each has its own stronghold style and its own units.
Over 100, according to GGG. All players of a faction conquer them together, and held castles give increased item rarity, special maps and a starting point on the Atlas.
Up to three. With soldiers and Waystones, they run Atlas maps for you.
Yes. A challenge league in Path of Exile 2 means a new character and a fresh economy. You choose the league on the character selection screen.
Information verified on 9 November 2026. More guides are in our PoE2 guides hub.