In the ever-volatile world of live-service games and online action RPGs, maintaining momentum without a major content drop can feel like fighting a boss without your best gear. That’s exactly the situation Grinding Gear Games (GGG) finds itself in this summer with Path of Exile 2 (POE 2 Orbs) still in early access and no groundbreaking new features scheduled—yet. So, what does a studio do when there’s no patch to roll out or expansion to announce? If you're GGG, you get creative. You flood the calendar with community-centric events, throw out challenges like candy at a parade, and make sure fans stay engaged through spectacle and competition.

This summer, both Path of Exile (the original) and Path of Exile 2 are shifting their focus to a series of high-energy events that serve two purposes: keep the player base entertained and ensure the game remains visible and exciting in an industry overflowing with distractions. It’s a bold but necessary tactic—and it's working.

The State of PoE2: Early Access and Expectation

While Path of Exile 2 continues to simmer in early access, the game is still evolving and hasn't yet made the full leap into a standalone title. Fans who have tasted what’s to come are eagerly waiting for more substantial content updates and systems refinements. But GGG is playing the long game. Instead of rushing out incomplete features or prematurely launching endgame content, they’re deliberately pacing development—an approach that prioritizes polish over pressure.

Yet, the danger of this method is obvious: in a world of short attention spans and a glut of games, a quiet season can easily lead to disengagement. To counter that, GGG has decided to go loud—not through patches, but through events.

PoE1: Still Alive and Kicking With the Secrets of the Atlas

Before diving into what’s happening with PoE2, it's worth noting that the original Path of Exile is far from being forgotten. Despite the looming shadow of its successor, PoE1 still boasts a highly engaged player base and a robust seasonal league system. This summer, the marquee event for PoE1 is the Secrets of the Atlas boss kill challenge.

This isn’t just another league. It's a brutal solo hardcore challenge that pits players against the three “incarnation” bosses. These are no joke—each one demands not only mechanical skill and intimate game knowledge, but a capacity to survive some of the most unforgiving encounters GGG has ever designed. It’s high stakes and high reward, a perfect recipe for Twitch streamers, competitive racers, and masochistic players looking for bragging rights.

Adding to the chaos, a class gauntlet event is also set to go live on Thursday, July 31st. This custom event league will throw players into a race laced with deadly modifiers, pushing the boundaries of both build creativity and mechanical endurance. It's not just about who can finish—it's about who can survive.

These events are not only fun distractions; they serve as stress tests for the game’s systems and as experimental grounds for potential new mechanics. GGG is essentially letting its player base double as playtesters—willingly, even enthusiastically.

PoE2 Goes on Tour: Gamescom and PAX West

While the original Path of Exile keeps veteran players challenged at home, PoE2 is taking a more outward-facing approach. Rather than confining itself to online-only interactions this summer, GGG is hitting the summer convention circuit, taking PoE2 to Gamescom and PAX West with a Boss Rush event that doubles as a hands-on showcase.

This is a smart play. Conventions offer a unique opportunity to attract new players, generate buzz, and give journalists, influencers, and fans a taste of what’s to come. The Boss Rush format—fast, intense, and easily digestible—is perfect for show floors where attention spans are short and excitement runs high.

The Boss Rush itself is exactly what it sounds like: a gauntlet of some of the game’s most intimidating bosses, scaled for rapid consumption and maximum impact. It’s a microcosm of what makes PoE2 so compelling—tight combat, varied builds, and relentless pressure—all packed into a compact format. It’s also a subtle bit of market research, letting GGG observe what players gravitate toward and where design refinements might be needed.

A Glimpse of the Future: August 29th Update

While the summer is largely dominated by events, GGG hasn’t left PoE2 fans entirely without hope. Buried in the announcement details is a glimmer of upcoming content: a new content update arriving on the weekend of August 29th. There’s no word yet on what this update will contain, but just having a date on the calendar is enough to reignite speculation and anticipation.

Whether it's a new act, revamped systems, fresh classes, or balance changes, this update represents the first meaningful injection of content since the early access debut. And if GGG’s track record is anything to go by, it will likely be packed with high-quality features that have been tested to death behind the scenes.

In the meantime, the events are serving another purpose—buying time. They allow the developers breathing room to finalize this upcoming patch while keeping players engaged enough not to wander off to other games.

The Strategy Behind the Chaos

It might seem like GGG is throwing events around like confetti, but there's a method to the madness. Each event serves a unique demographic:

The Secrets of the Atlas appeals to veterans and completionists.

The class gauntlet attracts competitive and community-focused players.

The Boss Rush at conventions targets new audiences and serves as a marketing push.

The August 29th update promises to lure back those waiting for something “meatier.”

In doing this, GGG ensures that nearly every segment of its player base—current, lapsed, and potential—feels seen and catered to. That’s not easy in a fragmented industry where many studios focus only on future releases at the cost of their present communities.

Holding the Line in a Crowded Market

It’s worth noting that this event-centric strategy also plays defense in an industry bursting at the seams with other action RPGs. With Diablo IV, Last Epoch, and other ARPGs vying for player time and attention, PoE2 must constantly remind fans why it's worth the wait.

By going hands-on at conventions, GGG wins over fence-sitters. By launching competitive community events, they keep hardcore players locked in. By teasing new content with precise dates, they keep anticipation alive. It’s a playbook that combines community engagement, strategic pacing, and smart PR—and it shows that GGG understands the modern game-as-a-service economy better than most.

Final Thoughts: All Eyes on August

This summer might not be Path of Exile 2’s most content-rich period, but it is undoubtedly one of its most strategically critical. With no major releases ready to go, GGG has chosen to double down on community, competition, and convention presence to sustain interest buy Path of Exile 2 Orbs.

Whether you're a diehard exile grinding through the Secrets of the Atlas, a competitor preparing for the gauntlet, a curious newcomer eyeing PoE2 for the first time at Gamescom, or a patient fan waiting for the August 29th update—there’s something for everyone.

And maybe that’s the lesson here: you don’t always need to launch something new to keep your audience. Sometimes, you just need to keep them playing.