Forbidden Rites is Path of Exile 2’s first event league, and it brings more to the table than a typical filler patch between major releases. Grinding Gear Games packed a full Ritual takeover of the campaign, a Trial of Chaos rework, and a fresh economy into patch 0.5.5, landing right as a lot of players were settling into Runes of Aldur. Here’s what actually changed, whether it’s worth restarting, and what to expect on day one.
Quick answer: Forbidden Rites launches September 4, 2026 with a fresh, independent economy, a guaranteed Ritual encounter in every campaign zone, and a reworked Trial of Chaos. There are no balance changes in this patch, so every build from the current meta carries over unchanged. The event runs alongside Runes of Aldur until Path of Exile 2’s full 1.0 release on December 11, 2026.
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What Is Forbidden Rites, Exactly?
Forbidden Rites is Path of Exile 2’s first event league. Unlike a normal challenge league, it doesn’t come with a new mechanic built from scratch or a balance pass. Instead, it takes the Ritual system, the one where you clear waves of monsters around a central effigy, and pushes it into every zone of the campaign. It’s built on patch 0.5.5, and it runs as its own separate, independent economy from the existing Runes of Aldur league. Everyone who opts in starts from zero currency, same as any fresh league launch.
In the story, a villain called the King in the Mists and his followers have spread these rituals across Wraeclast, and mechanically that just means you’ll run into a guaranteed Ritual encounter in basically every main campaign area instead of finding them occasionally like in a normal league.
When Does Forbidden Rites Start?
The event goes live Friday, September 4, 2026. Here’s the launch time broken down so you don’t have to do the math yourself:
| Region | Local Start Time |
|---|---|
| Pacific (PDT) | 1:00 PM |
| Eastern (EDT) | 4:00 PM |
| UK (BST) | 9:00 PM |
| Central Europe (CEST) | 10:00 PM |
| UTC | 20:00 |
Patch notes weren’t fully published at the time of writing, GGG said they’d release them the week of launch, so treat anything not covered here as unconfirmed until then.
How the Ritual Mechanic Actually Works
Each Ritual site works the same basic way it always has. You clear the monsters guarding an effigy, then activate it to resurrect and refight those same enemies while extra hazards threaten the altar. Every kill generates Tribute, which you spend in a Ritual shop for rewards. During the campaign, these are mostly Rare items rather than Uniques, which keeps early power creep in check.
The bigger addition is what GGG is calling empowered Ritual clusters. Twice per act, and once during each of the three interludes that carry you from Act Four into the endgame, you’ll find clusters of these rituals marked on the map. They’re guaranteed to spawn on a boss arena, and here’s the twist: every boss you beat gets folded into the next Ritual in that cluster. By the end, you could be fighting three or four bosses stacked into a single fight. It’s a genuinely different rhythm than the campaign’s usual pacing, and it’s the closest thing to a “new mechanic” this event actually has.
If you’re playing in a group, everyone gets a shot at buying from the Ritual shop, though only the party host can reroll it, so solo players aren’t at a disadvantage compared to full parties.
Should You Start Fresh or Stick With Runes of Aldur?
This is genuinely the most common question I’ve seen floating around, and the honest answer is: it depends on where you already are. Forbidden Rites is not a forced migration. Your Runes of Aldur characters, currency, and progress aren’t touched. You can keep playing exactly where you left off, and nothing about Forbidden Rites changes that.
Where it gets messy is timing. Runes of Aldur has been running for roughly three months at this point, and a lot of players have already cleared its challenges and settled into an established economy. If that’s you, a fresh start resets the playing field, everyone begins from zero, which is honestly the best window all year to build wealth from scratch if you enjoy that part of the game. If you’re still deep in Runes of Aldur progression or haven’t finished its challenges, there’s no pressure to leave, since that league isn’t ending.
The Fresh Economy Controversy, Explained
I want to flag this because a few competing guides gloss over it: there was real confusion around how long Forbidden Rites would actually last. GGG originally described 0.5.5 as introducing a temporary, roughly month-long event, similar to how Legacy of Phrecia worked. Community manager Natalia_GGG later clarified on Reddit that Forbidden Rites will actually run all the way until the 1.0 full release on December 11, not just a month. That’s a meaningful difference if you were planning around a short-term event, and it’s understandably annoyed part of the playerbase who felt the messaging shifted after the fact. If you’re deciding whether to commit to a fresh character, know that you’re signing up for roughly fourteen weeks, not four.
Trial of Chaos Got a Real Rework
Trial of Chaos has been one of PoE 2’s more divisive endgame modes, and 0.5.5 actually addresses the complaints instead of just tweaking numbers. The standout change: you can now pause a run between rooms and come back to it later without losing progress. Encounter objectives are also being streamlined so most rooms lean toward straightforward “kill everything” fights, with the more fiddly objectives like escorting a statue or implanting Soul Cores showing up far less often. If Trial of Chaos was a mode you avoided, this is worth revisiting.
What Else Changed: Wildwood, Expedition, and Abyssal Ravines
A few smaller but genuinely useful changes are riding along with this patch:
- Viridian Wildwood returns as an endgame mechanic.
- Expedition, previously tied to the Runes of Aldur league mechanic, is moving into the core game permanently. From Act Four onward, you’ll run into Expedition content whether you’re in Standard, a seasonal league, or Forbidden Rites itself. New Expedition Tablets also let you spread that content across the rest of the Atlas.
- Abyssal Ravines are new endgame zones, described as glowing green ravines torn through the earth, packed with Abyss monsters.
- Endgame progression overall has been sped up, so you’ll reach the open Atlas earlier than you would in a standard league launch.
No, and this is actually good news if you already have a build you like. GGG confirmed there are no balance changes shipping with 0.5.5. They said there wasn’t enough development time to land a satisfying pass, so anything planned is being pushed to the 1.0 release in December. That means the entire current 0.5 meta carries straight over into Forbidden Rites unchanged.
If you’re starting fresh and want something proven rather than experimental, a few archetypes have consistently held up as safe, cheap starters this patch: Ice Shot Deadeye for ranged clear with built-in freeze utility, Whirling Assault Martial Artist or Monk for fast melee that transitions well into bossing, and Essence Drain/Contagion Lich if you want something low-investment and forgiving early on. None of these need much currency to start performing, which matters more than usual in a fresh economy where nobody has money yet.
The 8 Forbidden Rites Challenges and Rewards
The event ships with eight new challenges, separate from Runes of Aldur’s challenge list. Objectives span completing Ritual encounters during the campaign, defeating specific rare monsters, and reaching character level 90. Finishing them unlocks four cosmetic rewards plus a commemorative Hideout Statue that grows more elaborate as you check off more of the list. GGG hasn’t published the exact challenge wording yet, so exact requirements may shift slightly once patch notes go live.
Is the Duelist Part of Forbidden Rites?
No, and this is worth clearing up because it’s getting conflated across a few outlets. The Duelist class and its new sword weapon type were shown in the same preview video GGG used to reveal Forbidden Rites, but the Duelist itself is launching with the full 1.0 release on December 11, not with patch 0.5.5. Forbidden Rites and the Duelist just happened to share a spotlight, they’re not shipping together.
Forbidden Rites vs Runes of Aldur
| Forbidden Rites | Runes of Aldur | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | New, launches Sept 4 | Already running, continues in parallel |
| Economy | Fresh, separate, starts at zero | Established, roughly 3 months in |
| Core mechanic | Ritual in every campaign zone | Expedition-based league mechanic |
| Duration | Runs until 1.0 (Dec 11) | No forced end date announced |
| Best for | Players who want a level economic playing field | Players deep into progression who don’t want to restart |
Conclusion
Forbidden Rites launches September 4, 2026 as Path of Exile 2’s first event league — a fresh, zero-currency economy running alongside (not replacing) Runes of Aldur until 1.0 arrives on December 11. With zero balance changes, your current build carries over unchanged, and the reworked Ritual system plus pausable Trial of Chaos make this patch worth trying even if you’re not restarting from scratch.
The bottom line: if you’re chasing a level economic playing field, this is your best window all year; if you’re still deep in Runes of Aldur, there’s no rush since that league isn’t going anywhere.
Want more of what’s coming across the games we cover? Check out our latest gaming guides and updates before you head into the new league.
FAQs
Is Forbidden Rites a wipe of my current character?
No. Your Runes of Aldur character, currency, and progress stay exactly as they are. Forbidden Rites is an optional, separate economy you can choose to start in addition to your existing character.
How long does Forbidden Rites actually last?
It runs until Path of Exile 2’s full 1.0 release on December 11, 2026, not the one-month duration originally implied when the patch was first described.
Do I need to relearn my build for this patch?
No. GGG confirmed 0.5.5 ships with zero balance changes, so every build that was strong before Forbidden Rites is equally strong in it.
What happens to Runes of Aldur when Forbidden Rites launches?
It keeps running. The two leagues exist side by side with completely separate economies until 1.0 arrives.
Is the new Duelist class playable in Forbidden Rites?
No. The Duelist and its sword weapon type are tied to the December 11 full release, not this event patch.
What rewards do I get from Forbidden Rites challenges?
Completing the eight event challenges unlocks four cosmetic rewards and a Hideout Statue that becomes more detailed as you finish more of the list.