PoE 3.29 Expansion Arrives July 24: Special Event, Livestream Schedule and Future League Plans Revealed

For Path of Exile players, long-awaited good news has finally arrived. The official POE team has confirmed that Path of Exile 3.29 Expansion launch on July 24 at 1 PM PDT. Before the official announcement, many players were skeptical about whether it would launch on time.

Over the past year, the update schedule for PoE 1 has been significantly affected by PoE 2. Because of the significant development resources invested in PoE 2 project, the update cycles for several PoE 1 Leagues were lengthened, and PoE 2 Patch 0.5.0 was delayed by about a month. The official PoE team's lack of response regarding the delays caused considerable concern among players.

Therefore, a common speculation emerged in the community: since PoE 2 was delayed, PoE 3.29 would likely also be affected. However, based on the currently released information, this concern has not materialized. According to the official announcement, the release date has actually been set for quite some time, so you can wait with peace of mind and don't need to worry about delays.

Livestreams and Special Events

With 3.29 release date finally confirmed, you can finally look forward to the upcoming livestreams, special events, and new content. For POE 1 players who have endured a long wait, this is undoubtedly one of the most exciting news recently.

Before the official launch of Path of Exile 3.29, an official livestream event will be held, scheduled for 8 days prior to launch. This arrangement returns to the usual practice, unlike Path of Exile 2 0.5.0, where the livestream event was held a full 22 days in advance. This time, it restores the usual pace of POE, where you'll only get the latest information and exciting previews closer to 3.29 Expansion.

POE will also be hosting a special event. In previous years, special events have mostly targeted highly active players, especially those who can quickly reach level 90 or higher and complete most of the progress within a short period after the league starts.

Special events often provide a completely different gaming experience. Compared to regular leagues, the biggest characteristic of special events is their more aggressive rules. POE officials typically compress a large amount of game content into a shorter event period. For example, all players may need to start from scratch, and sometimes additional difficulty bonuses are added.

Currently, the specific gameplay mode, whether exclusive rewards will be offered, and the event duration are still pending further announcement. However, for players who have already completed most of Mirage League, this special event will undoubtedly be one of the most anticipated events before POE 3.29 Expansion.

Mirage

Path of Exile Mirage will end on July 20th at 3 PM Pacific Time. You still have a few weeks to complete the remaining challenges, earn rewards, and Path Of Exile 1 Currency. Mirage League is considered a highlight of POE 1, introducing a brand-new map system while many classic elements returned in alternative forms, providing a lot of fun.

POE officials have an even grander vision for 3.29 Expansion than Mirage League and hope the extra development time will help them realize it.

Future Updates

With 3.29 Expansion confirmed for release on July 24th, some players are starting to look further ahead and discuss the future timeline for POE.

The community believes that the official release of PoE 2 1.0 will probably be before Christmas to capitalize on market hype. However, if 3.29 Expansion follows the typical 4-5 month League release schedule, then PoE 13.30 will probably be released between November and December, conflicting with the release date of PoE 2 1.0.

Many players believe that PoE developers are unlikely to release two major updates simultaneously, PoE 2 1.0 and PoE 1 3.30, as this would directly divide the player base. For many players who play both games, choosing between two major updates would be difficult, and PoE developers clearly don't want the two projects competing for player online time.

Therefore, two main speculations have emerged in the community. The first, relatively optimistic view suggests that 3.29 Expansion might only last about three months, allowing 3.30 to potentially launch at the end of October, providing sufficient time for the official release of POE 2 at the end of the year. While the timeline is tight, this at least ensures POE 1 maintains its normal update schedule.

The second view is more pessimistic. Some players worry that 3.29 will be significantly extended, like some past POE 1 Leagues, lasting around six months. This means 3.30 might not launch until the end of January or even the beginning of February 2027.

If this is the case, POE team will need to arrange a limited-time event league between the end of October and November as transitional content for players waiting for the official League update. For long-time POE 1 supporters, the biggest concern isn't the league's size, but experiencing another content gap of six months or more.

The launch of Path of Exile 3.29 Expansion signifies the imminent arrival of a golden age for ARPGs. Over a decade ago, high-quality ARPGs were scarce, and players were eager for them. The situation is completely different now. From Path of Exile to Diablo IV, and various emerging ARPGs, major leagues, expansions, or updates are released almost every few months.

For players who enjoy loot hunting, build systems, and character development, now is definitely the best time to jump into Path of Exile and fully enjoy the game.