Rise of the Abyssals was Path of Exile 2’s seasonal league introduced with update 0.3.0, The Third Edict. It ran from August 29 to December 8, 2025; the Abyss mechanic later entered the core game in update 0.4.0. The league itself is over, so it should not be confused with current seasonal access.
What was Rise of the Abyssals?
Rise of the Abyssals was a Path of Exile 2 league built around fissures opening across Wraeclast. Grinding Gear Games described the Abyssals as a necromantic race emerging from those cracks. Nearby monsters were drained by the fissures; killing them drew out Abyssals empowered by the power they had absorbed. Defeating the enemies closed the Abyss. Encounters increased in size, strength, and variety as players progressed. Grinding Gear Games’ 0.3.0 update notes explain the league’s design and systems.
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How did an Abyss encounter work?
- Find a fissure. Abyssal cracks appeared in areas across Wraeclast.
- Fight the drained monsters. The fissure sapped life from nearby enemies; killing them triggered the Abyssals.
- Defeat the Abyssals. These enemies used necromantic abilities gained from the power drained by the fissure.
- Close the Abyss and claim its outcome. A closed encounter could reveal a trove, ancient bones, or an underground route into more Abyss content.
The encounters were more than a sequence of fights. Troves could contain valuable items, while ancient bones enabled players to add hidden Abyssal modifiers to items. Some routes led below ground to further encounters.
What other systems did the league add?
The Well of Souls
In Act Two, the Well of Souls revealed a Desecrated modifier and offered three transformation options. It formed part of the league’s crafting progression, alongside benefits for campaign play and modifiers for endgame Waystones.
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Deeper Abyss content
The league also included Abyssal Depths, an Ancient Spire, and Abyssal commanders. These systems extended the fissure encounters into more involved endgame content. The 0.3.0 notes describe them, but do not establish their exact state after later updates.
When did the league run, and what happened to its characters?
The Third Edict launched on August 29, 2025. At launch, Rise of the Abyssals offered a fresh economy and required players to create a new character for that league; existing Early Access characters remained playable in their existing leagues. It had Standard, Hardcore, and Solo Self-Found variations, as well as private-league versions. These were league-era options, not a statement of what is currently available. The official Third Edict FAQ sets out those launch conditions.
Grinding Gear Games announced that Rise of the Abyssal would end on December 8, 2025. Characters and items from the league were to migrate to Standard or Hardcore Early Access. See the studio’s league-end announcement for those transition details.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Did Abyss become part of the core game?
Yes. The official 0.4.0 notes say Abyss was added to the core game, with encounters appearing in specific campaign areas starting in Act Two and in the Endgame. That is a change from the league’s original, seasonal access: Rise of the Abyssals ran as a fresh-economy league, while Abyss became a core mechanic after its end. The 0.4.0 update notes establish that transition.
Those notes do not establish every change to Abyss in later 2026 updates. For current encounter details, reward values, or build decisions, consult patch notes newer than 0.4.0 rather than assuming the original league rules still apply.
Is Rise of the Abyssal a different game or event?
The title is sometimes written in the singular, but this article concerns Path of Exile 2’s Rise of the Abyssals league. A separate 2021 KeyForge announcement mentions “Rise of the Keyraken” and “The Abyssal Conspiracy”; those are not the Path of Exile 2 league. Fantasy Flight Games’ announcement provides that separate context.
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