the very first closed beta test of Path of Exile 2 begins today. A very small group of people were selected to participate in this test, and they are under NDA, so whatever they are experiencing, we will not know about until long after they've experienced it. However, that doesn't mean we can't speculate about what they will be testing and what Grinding Gear Games is definitely looking for in this closed beta test. But first, let's talk about what they're definitely not testing, and that is consoles. I know that there are a lot of console players out there who are very excited about Path of Exile 2 and that it is being built with consoles in mind. That's great. POE1 was not built from the ground up with consoles in mind, but POE2 is. I don't think that there are any console tests going on right now, but between now, August, and when POE2 is slated to go into Early Access for all platforms, November or December of this year, there will be some sort of closed

beta test for consoles. They want to make sure that the experience goes well for people on consoles, and they will ensure that that happens well before they go into Early Access. They don't want a bug like what would happen with peee W this league where people couldn't even create characters because of a minor bug on consoles. Consoles are not in this test. That's the only thing that is definitely confirmed to not be happening. Now let's talk about what might be in the closed beta test. I'm going to go with a hot take here. I think it's going to just be act one and act two, and there will be almost no new content. I know that's an absolutely wild take, and lots of people are saying, Oh, well, why would they put out an NDA if there's nothing new in the game? Well, there are a few reasons why. I think number one, the possibility of major bugs occurring and those bugs being showcased to the larger community. This is the first time people outside of content creators and people at g and very early testers are getting

access to pu2 something wildly bad could happen, and they don't want that to be the first thing new players see about pe2 in quite some time. Number two, it's mostly a hardware test. So, what if the hardware just doesn't go well? What if there's something they didn't expect happening with certain pieces of hardware? Like we talked about before, it looks like lots of high-end graphics card users were not selected for this test. Thank you all for leaving comments on my last video. It seems like lots of people with lower-end PCs were tested, and you know, the medium spectrum as well, high-end left out. They've probably tested that very thoroughly and know it will perform on 409s, 7800s, and the like. So, this is for lower-end systems. They want to make sure, okay, we're saying this is the minimum requirement, and everything in between the minimum and the maximum should work, right? And they're going to test it with probably thousands and thousands of people. Okay, so those are the things that they're

probably testing, right? They don't need to test new classes like the dualist, the Templar, the marauder, or yeah, the shadow in this beta test. If they were to do that with a group of people under NDA, there is still a possibility that they leak out some of this information, everybody. And even though lots of people are going to avoid the leaks, the leaks will likely spread like wildfire. Unfortunately, they want controlled burns when it comes to this sort of stuff. They don't want the first time people are exposed to endgame maps in Path of Exile 2 to be through a leak from a tester in the very first close beta test. They don't want the first time people see the awesomeness of ascendancies in pee2 to be from some blurry image that someone screenshotted from the leaked beta test. They want that to be in somewhere grander, somewhere where they can really flex their muscles and showcase how awesome Path of Exile 2 is to the greater gaming community. They don't want

that stuff showcased via, like I said, a blurry screenshot on X or on YouTube or on a Twitch live stream that's up for 3 and a half minutes. They don't want that, so I posit to all of you, my fellow Exiles, they will be revealing some huge in just a few days from now, about 5 days from when the closed beta test goes live tonight at Gamescom 2024. Now, they are confirmed to be at Gamescom with a booth. P2 will be playable, but there's also something happening on August 20th. It's called Opening Night Live, and this is where millions and millions of people are watching the live streams on YouTube, Twitch, and various other platforms, as well as being in person. Huge games are going to be showcased during Opening Night Live, and while Grinding Your Games is going to be at Gamescom, there's no confirmation of whether or not there will be a trailer or a reveal during Opening Night Live from G I. I pause it. There will be, and later this week we are

going to talk about exactly what I think will be in this trailer. When I have a little bit more time right now, I got to get to work. If you like the video, make sure to hit the like button, and if you'd like to see more pee1 and pe2 content, make sure to subscribe to Talk of Try for all of that. Thank you so much for watching. I will see you in the next one, Talaka, my fellow exiles.

PATH of EXILE 2: First Closed Beta Test, What's In It, What's Not, and More!

Path of Exile's most positive and unhinged content creator.