The Acts

Path of Exile 2 opens with a story campaign made of several acts, and that campaign is the spine everything else hangs on. You pick a class, work through the acts killing monsters and completing quests, and come out the other side ready for the Atlas endgame. This page covers the regions the current Early Access build confirms and flags where the game is still changing. The version described is Content Update 0.5.x “Return of the Ancients,” live since May 29, 2026. Region and zone names change between patches, so treat specific names as version-sensitive.

How many acts there are right now

In the current Early Access build the playable campaign is 4 acts plus interlude content, not the full 6. Grinding Gear Games has stated the finished 1.0 game will have 6 acts and no repeated “Cruel” campaign run. The interludes in 0.5 replaced what used to be a second, harder playthrough of the early acts. Some older overview sources still say “complete the campaign through Cruel difficulty,” which reflects the older structure and is outdated.

Treat the act count as version-sensitive. The current build is described as 4 acts followed by interlude content, and the precise, current name and order of every Act 4 zone in 0.5 is unconfirmed because that content is partial and changing.

Act 1: forest and coast

Act 1 opens near a shipwreck and coastal forest. It includes a river area, The Riverbank, and a town hub, themed around dark forest with drowned and undead enemies. This is where you learn the core loop: killing monsters, completing quests, slotting your first skill and support gems, and spending your first passive points. It ends at a major act boss on the coastal and forest path.

Act 2: desert and mines

Act 2 moves into desert and arid regions. Confirmed areas include the Vastiri Outskirts, mining areas such as Mawdun Mine, passages like the Traitor’s Passage, and gate zones like the Halani Gates. This act matters for progression beyond its story: it is where the Trial of the Sekhemas first becomes accessible, which is how you unlock your Ascendancy and its first two points. Plan to run that Trial here rather than pushing on without it.

Act 3: jungle and wetlands

Act 3 shifts to jungle and wetland regions, themed around jungle ruins, corruption, and thaumaturgy. Confirmed areas include Jungle Ruins and the Chimeral Wetlands, and the act ends in Doryani’s domain. In 0.5, Act 3 also introduces the “Fate of the Vaal” content: a series of 6 Ancient Beacons that you energize to open a portal to the Vaal Ruins. The Trial of Chaos is available around this point, granting your third and fourth Ascendancy points.

Act 4, the later acts, and the interludes

Act 4 is playable in the current build, but its zones are still being added and changed, so their final names and layout are unconfirmed. Acts 5 and 6 are planned to complete the story at full 1.0 release and are not yet in the game. What bridges the acts to the endgame is interlude content: in 0.5 the game is described as 4 acts followed by 3 interludes. These interludes replaced the old second run on Cruel difficulty and lead you toward the Ziggurat Refuge and the Atlas.

From the acts to the Atlas

The campaign is not the destination. After the acts and interludes you reach the Ziggurat Refuge, the endgame hub that holds the Map Device. From there you open randomized Maps with Waystones and enter the Atlas of Worlds, the map based endgame with its own passive tree and pinnacle bosses. The regions below summarize the confirmed campaign path.

Act	Region theme	Key milestone
Act 1	Coastal forest and town	Ends at a major act boss
Act 2	Vastiri desert and mines	Trial of the Sekhemas unlocks Ascendancy
Act 3	Jungle and wetlands	Ends at Doryani; Trial of Chaos available
Interludes	Bridge content	Leads to the Ziggurat Refuge and the Atlas

Next: the bosses you fight along this path in Act and Pinnacle Bosses. For the whole spine on one page, see Campaign to Maps.