The expansion adds new maps, bosses, and powerful Shaper and Elder item mods. The player can influence the Shaper's or the Elder's control by clearing a path for them around the Atlas. A new entity called The Elder fights for control over the Shaper's realm, infecting the Atlas with his influence. War for the Atlas (released December 8, 2017) adds more content to the Atlas.

In addition, a new Pantheon system is available that confers swappable passive bonuses for hunting down Wraeclast's enemies and gods. This streamlines the experience and level progression into a single play-through, incorporating the Cruel and Merciless difficulty levels in the process (Cruel begins after Act 5, Merciless after Act 10). Meanwhile, the original gods of Wraeclast are awoken by the death of the Beast and plot to take their vengeance on the mortals who had forgotten them. The Exiles return to Oriath to liberate it from the tyrannical rule of High Templar Avarius, but things take a dark, unexpected turn when the dark god Kitava, freshly reawakened by the death of the Beast, hatches a sinister scheme to consume the souls of all mortal life.

The Fall of Oriath (released August 5, 2017) introduces a massive storyline extension with Act Five situated in the exiles' homeland of Oriath, and Acts 6-10 which revisits the areas of the previous five acts.

Atlas of Worlds (released September 2, 2016) largely improved on the end-game map experience and introduced the titular Atlas of Worlds, which structured progression though the map content and gave it a backstory involving its mysterious creator, the Shaper.

In order to unlock these Ascendencies players must traverse the Lord's Labyrinth, a lengthy dungeon filled with environmental traps that must be cleared without dying.

Ascendancy (released March 4th, 2016) introduced the Ascendencies for all classes, allowing them to further specialize their abilities.

The Awakening (released July 10, 2015) extended the main story with a long-awaited Act 4, where exiles travelled to the heart of Wraeclast to stop an impending cataclysm of Nightmare.

The Masters offer quests as players travel through the world, and grant access to in-game housing and crafting options.

Forsaken Masters (released August 22, 2014) introduced the titular Forsaken Masters, seven NPCs who were also exiled to Wraeclast but have carved a place for themselves with their unique skills.

This expansion also introduced PvP modes and seasonal Challenge Leagues, temporary game realms allowing players to start characters within a fresh economy alongside new gameplay content. Sacrifice of the Vaal (released March 5, 2014) explored the history of the first civilization on Wraeclast, including special Vaal dungeons that pop up randomly throughout the game levels which provides the player specialized loot related to the Vaal, and access to their former Queen as a Bonus Boss.

When does path of exile 2 come out