PoE 2 Duelist Guide: Gamescom 2026 and the 11 December 1.0 date

Natalia_GGG posted on 25 August 2026: Early Access ends 11 December for Path of Exile 2 1.0 on PC and consoles. The Gamescom Opening Night Live trailer in Cologne showed the Duelist class and many sword skills. The class page prints Strength and Dexterity as the attribute pair.

The 27 August Duelist Deep Dive repeats that date. Forbidden Rites (0.5.5) launched 4 September 2026 at 1 PM PDT. The 30 August Forbidden Rites FAQ is the lock: Duelist is not in 0.5.5. The class arrives when 1.0 fully launches.

GGG has not posted a numbered Duelist ascendancy kit.

ExileCon is 7 to 8 November 2026 in Auckland. That sits before the 11 December launch. Runes of Aldur characters keep playing on the 0.5 realm until 1.0. Forbidden Rites is a fresh event economy on the same 0.5 line.

This guide explains what the Duelist is.

There is no Duelist row on the Runes of Aldur ladder or the Forbidden Rites ladder. A live build guide for this class cannot exist until 11 December. Campaign length for 1.0 lives on PoE 2 campaign: Early Access is 4 acts plus 3 interludes; 1.0 is 6 acts with no interludes.

Play this week on PoE 2 builds. Ice Shot Deadeye and Martial Artist are the last-measured S-tier starters on that board. Need the acts finished before December? Leveling opens from here. Currency for a later Duelist stash lives on Divine Orbs.

2 honest paths. Both are fine.

• Wait for 11 December if you want swords on day 1 of 1.0. Keep this page. The kit numbers will land here when GGG prints them.
• Start Deadeye or Martial Artist this week if you want atlas practice now. Both are S tier for a league start on the PoE 2 tier list. Those shells are live on the 0.5.5 line. A later Duelist reroll can use the same campaign account.
• All 8 live classes and 22 ascendancies
• Divine Orb rate for a Duelist stash later. Runes of Aldur printed about 9.4 Chaos per Divine on 20 September 2026.
• Custom build once a live kit exists.

Ask LFCarry the wait-or-start call. Free.