PoE 2 1.0 Prep: Economy Reset, Transfer and Launch Timeline

Table of Contents

1. The Timeline: From 0.5.0 to ExileCon to 1.0
2. What 1.0 Actually Changes
3. The Economy Reset: What Carries Over and What Doesn’t
4. Stash Tab Investment: Buy Now or Wait for 1.0?
5. Build Strategy: Using 0.5.0 as Your Testing Ground
6. Your 7-Month Prep Checklist
7. PoE 2 1.0 Final Verdict: What Matters and What Doesn’t

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The Timeline: From 0.5.0 to ExileCon to 1.0

Let me save you the cross-referencing I had to do across six different articles. Here’s the exact timeline as of May 8, 2026, based on confirmed GGG announcements and historical release patterns.

May 29, 2026 — Patch 0.5.0 “Return of the Ancients.” This is the final major Early Access content update. GGG’s Jonathan Rogers confirmed it during the media roundtable: “The next update we do will actually be 1.0.” That means no 0.6.0. What you get in 0.5.0 is what carries through to the launch window.

November 6-8, 2026 — ExileCon 2026. This is where GGG will drop the exact 1.0 date. Every ExileCon in the past has aligned with major launch announcements. The November timing strongly points to a December release roughly 3-4 weeks after the convention.

December 4-6, 2026 (estimated) — 1.0 full release. I’m calling this window based on three factors: ExileCon dates, GGG’s historical December release preference (PoE 2 EA itself launched December 6, 2024), and the standard “one month after announcement” marketing cycle. EA started December 6, 2024. Two years to the day is exactly the kind of symmetry GGG likes.

*Return of the Ancients key art - the final EA patch before 1.0. *

That’s roughly 7 months from today. Here’s what that means in practical terms: you have 21 days until 0.5.0 drops, then about 6 months of the 0.5.0 league before everything resets for 1.0.

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What 1.0 Actually Changes

GGG has been deliberately vague about the full 1.0 feature list, but between the ExileCon announcements, Jonathan Rogers’ interviews, and the 0.5.0 previews, we can piece together a solid picture.

Acts 5 and 6 (Completing the Campaign)

Currently, PoE 2 has Acts 1 through 4 plus an interlude section. When you finish Act 4 the game kicks you into Cruel difficulty (repeated Acts 1-3) before you reach the endgame. 1.0 will add Acts 5 and 6, completing the campaign so you go straight from Act 6 to maps without repeating content.

I’ve run the current campaign eight times across different EA patches. The Act 3-4 interlude grind is where most people burn out. A clean 6-act run eliminates that repetition entirely.

New Base Classes: Duelist (Swords) and Marauder (Axes)

The Duelist is the strongest bet for 1.0 launch. It brings swords into the game, which means hundreds of new unique swords, new sword-specific passive nodes (Parry Chance +10% on Sword Hit type affixes), and a full melee balance pass. Community consensus puts the Duelist at late 2026, which lines up with the 1.0 window.

The Marauder is more speculative. It’s the simplest class mechanically (pure Strength, axes, tanky builds) and GGG has said they want as many classes as possible in at 1.0. If the Marauder launches, the entire bottom portion of the passive tree gets reworked to add life + EV and Armor/EV hybrid nodes.

Classes that probably won’t make 1.0: Templar and Shadow. GGG hasn’t even shown early concept art for these. Expect them in post-launch leagues.

Free-to-Play Transition

The $30 early access fee disappears at 1.0. Anyone who paid for EA keeps everything they bought. New players join for free. This is confirmed.

Controller/Keyboard Instant Switching

Jonathan Rogers has been promising this “for the next patch” since 2024. He admitted in the FRVR interview that they keep missing it. He swore it’s in 1.0. I’ll believe it when I see it, but the commitment is there.

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The Economy Reset: What Carries Over and What Doesn’t

This is the single most important thing to understand before 1.0, and the part where I see the most confusion in the community.

What Does NOT Carry Over

This is the short list, but it hurts:

• Characters — all of them. Every EA character stays in the EA Standard realm forever
• Currency — every Orb of Exalted, every Alchemy, every Regal. Gone from the main economy
• Items — all gear, all uniques, all equipment. Stays in EA realm
• Waystones/Map progress — your entire Atlas progress resets

What DOES Carry Over

• Purchased stash tabs — every tab you bought in the shop transfers to 1.0
• MTX and cosmetics — all microtransactions, skins, effects, and pets transfer
• Achievements — likely, based on how PoE 1 handled account-wide progression
• Hideout unlocks — these are account-bound, not character-bound
• Friend list and guild membership — obvious, but worth stating

The “EA Standard” Server Explained

GGG confirmed this explicitly: EA characters aren’t getting deleted. They get their own server called EA Standard (or similar). You can log in there any time and play your old characters. They just can’t interact with the main Standard economy.

I’ve seen people compare this to Diablo 3’s “Eternal Realm” separation. It’s similar, but cleaner. In Diablo, seasonal characters roll into the main eternal realm. Here, EA characters are walled off from day one of 1.0. No post-season migration.

GGG’s livestream covering the 0.5.0 endgame overhaul and future 1.0 plans.

Why This Reset Matters

This isn’t a punishment. It’s the entire reason PoE 2’s economy works. If 18 months of EA currency, duped items, and bug-exploited gear carried into Standard, the economy would be broken on day one. New players joining for free would walk into a market where everything costs mirrors because the EA whales hoarded everything.

A fresh economy means everyone starts equal on launch day. First time player and 10,000-hour veteran both have an empty stash. That’s the moment PoE 2 becomes a real game.

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Stash Tab Investment: Buy Now or Wait for 1.0?

Here’s the math problem nobody else has laid out clearly.

A stash tab bought during EA costs the same as one bought after 1.0. But a stash tab bought during EA does three things the 1.0-tab doesn’t:

1. Works for 7 months of EA gameplay — you organize your currency, maps, and gear now
2. Transfers to 1.0 Standard — it’s there on day one
3. Locks in current pricing — if GGG adjusts the shop for 1.0 (which they’ve done before with supporter packs), you’re protected

What to Buy First

Tab Type	Priority	Why
Currency Tab	Essential	Without it, your inventory is a nightmare by level 20. Organizes all orbs, fragments, and essences in one page.
Premium Stash Tab (at least 1)	Essential	Required for item trading. You cannot list items for sale without a premium tab.
Stash Tab Bundle (6 tabs)	High	Best value per slot. Covers general storage for gear, gems, and crafting bases.
Gem Tab	Medium	Useful if you experiment with multiple builds. Uncut gems pile up fast.
Unique Collection Tab	Low	Nice-to-have if you’re a completionist, but build-enabling uniques are better off in premium tabs for trading.
Map/Waystone Tab	Wait	Not confirmed for PoE 2 yet. If it drops in 0.5.0, buy immediately. If not, it’ll come at 1.0.

The Real Cost

A basic Currency Tab costs 75 points ($7.50 USD). Premium Tabs are 30 points ($3.00 USD) each. The First Blood Bundle ($20 USD) gives you 200 points plus a weapon skin — that’s the single best entry point.

Buy the First Blood Bundle, grab a Currency Tab (75), one Premium Tab (30), and stash the remaining 95 points for the eventual Waystone Tab. That setup will carry you through EA and into 1.0 without buying anything twice.

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Build Strategy: Using 0.5.0 as Your Testing Ground

0.5.0 isn’t just “one more patch before 1.0.” It’s the single biggest content update PoE 2 has ever received. Over 50 hours of new endgame content. A completely rebuilt Atlas with 300+ passive tree nodes. Five new endgame storylines. 15 new bosses, including 4 Pinnacle encounters.

And critically: the endgame meta established in 0.5.0 is likely the meta that launches with 1.0.

What to Test Now

After 0.5.0 drops on May 29, you have roughly 6 months to answer three questions:

1. Which ascendancy handles the new Atlas mechanics best? The Atlas tree rework changes how you path through endgame. Some builds that dominated in 0.4.0 are going to fall off hard.
2. Can your build clear 15+ boss encounters without swapping gear? 1.0 will launch with even more bosses. If your build struggles against the four new Pinnacle bosses in 0.5.0, it won’t survive the 1.0 boss roster.
3. Is the build SSF-viable or trade-dependent? Trade at 1.0 launch will be chaotic. If your build requires a specific unique to function, you might be stuck farming for weeks.

Builds Likely to Survive the Reset

From what I’ve seen across the 0.5.0 preview data and the Atlas rework direction, builds with these characteristics will age well into 1.0:

• Self-sufficient recovery — leech or regen-based healing over potion-dependent
• Flexible damage type — physical conversion or elemental mixing beats pure single-type
• Low unique requirement — rare gear with good rolls scales better in a fresh economy
• Good map clear — the Atlas rework emphasizes speed over bossing in early endgame

Builds that might struggle: anything that relied on 0.4.0-specific broken interactions (you know the ones) and builds that need 6+ linked sockets to function.

*Path of Exile 2 1.0 is expected to launch after ExileCon in late 2026. *

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Your 7-Month Prep Checklist

I’ve broken this down by month so you don’t have to figure out the pacing yourself.

Now - May 29 (21 days)

• Read the 0.5.0 patch notes when they drop (expected May 21)
• Wrap up any EA goals you care about (league challenges, build experiments)
• Check your current stash tab setup and buy what you need before the patch economy resets

May 29 - August (0.5.0 Early League)

• Roll 2-3 different build archetypes to test in the new endgame
• Focus on learning the new Atlas mechanics rather than maximizing currency
• Note which builds feel strong in the reworked endgame map layouts
• If GGG adds a Waystone/Map tab during this patch cycle, buy it immediately

August - ExileCon (Mid-to-Late League)

• Pick your 1.0 starter build based on 0.5.0 performance data
• Grind hideout decorations and MTX unlocks that will transfer to 1.0
• If new classes are shown at Gamescom or similar events, pivot your testing plan

ExileCon - November

• Watch every presentation. The exact 1.0 date and final class roster will be here
• Finalize your starter build choice
• Clear out EA stash you dont need (sell what you can, give away the rest)
• Prepare mentally: you are about to lose everything you earned, and that is the whole point

Launch Week (estimated December)

• Take launch day off work if you can. The queue will be long, but the first 48 hours of a fresh economy are the most fun you will have in this game
• Have your build ready. Don’t theorycraft on launch day unless you enjoy being stuck in Act 1 while everyone else is mapping
• Join a fresh league. Don’t play Standard. The league economy is where the game lives

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PoE 2 1.0 Final Verdict: What Matters and What Doesn’t

After spending the last week digging through every interview, preview, and community discussion about 1.0, here is my honest take.

The economy reset is the best thing that can happen to this game. I know it stings to lose characters you have invested hundreds of hours into. I have a level 97 Deadeye sitting in EA that I will never touch again. But a fresh economy with no barrier to entry, where a new player and a veteran start with the same empty stash, is the only way this game reaches its potential.

What you should do with the next 7 months: treat 0.5.0 as an extended demo. Test builds. Learn the new Atlas. Buy your stash tabs now so they are waiting for you on day one. Do not try to accumulate wealth that disappears in December.

What you should not do: stress about optimizing your EA character. Stop buying currency from third-party sites. Everything you earn between now and December is temporary. Spend your time learning, not grinding.

If you want my single piece of advice for the entire article: start 0.5.0 with three different build ideas, play each to yellow maps, and pick the one that feels best for your 1.0 launch character. You have 6 months of a completely rebuilt endgame to figure out what works. Use it.

I will update this guide after ExileCon with confirmed 1.0 dates and any last-minute changes to the transfer rules. If GGG announces a Map/Waystone tab between now and launch, that changes the stash tab priority list significantly.