Path of Exile 2 1.0 Teaser: Perandus and the Shadow Character

Grinding Gear Games' new teaser for Path of Exile 2 1.0 points to two things: the Perandus family and a dagger-wielding Shadow. A gold coin marked "PERANDVS" gets stabbed by a dagger, shadow smoke bursts out, and a voice warns you to "beware what lurks in your shadow." GGG hasn't confirmed the Shadow for 1.0 yet. The full 1.0 reveal comes at ExileCon on November 6 (PST), and the game fully launches, free-to-play, on December 11, 2026.

The teaser is called "Become the Darkness" and went up on GGG's official YouTube channel on October 29 (US time; already October 30 in New Zealand, Australia and East Asia) (YouTube). We pulled 62 stills from all 31 seconds (two per second) and transcribed the voice line.

Key Takeaways

• The teaser shows a coin marked "PERANDVS", a dagger, and shadow smoke. Its title is "Become the Darkness."
• The voice line: "A Perandus knows fate can twist at a price, and to beware what lurks in your shadow."
• Confirmed by GGG: free-to-play full release on December 11, 2026, the Duelist with swords, and the final two acts.
• Not confirmed: the Shadow class. It's strongly teased, but GGG hasn't announced it.
• ExileCon's broadcast starts Friday, November 6 at 12:30 PM PST, and GGG's schedule lists the keynote at 1:00 PM PST (Saturday 10:00 AM in New Zealand).

What's in the "Become the Darkness" Teaser?

The teaser is 31 seconds long and has six scenes. Here's what happens, scene by scene:

GGG's post for the teaser on X adds the tagline "Everything has a price… even fate." It also lists the two big dates: ExileCon on November 6 at 12:30 PM PST, and the full release on December 11 PST (X).

What Does the Voice Line Say?

The teaser has one spoken line. We transcribed it with a speech-to-text tool and checked it against the video:

"A Perandus knows fate can twist at a price, and to beware what lurks in your shadow."

The timing matters. "A Perandus knows fate can twist at a price" plays over the spinning coin. "Beware what lurks in your shadow" plays exactly as the shadow smoke bursts from the dagger strike.

To our ears, the voice sounds like the Shadow from Path of Exile 1. That's our own impression, not something GGG has said, and a speech-to-text tool can't identify a voice actor. Treat it as one more clue, not proof.

Is the Shadow Class Coming in PoE 2 1.0?

The dagger pins the PERANDVS coin to the wall (about 0:09). Video: Grinding Gear Games on X, frame shown unedited.

Probably, but GGG hasn't confirmed it. GGG's forum post for the ExileCon broadcast, published alongside the teaser, doesn't name the Shadow or any class (GGG forum). Here's the evidence so far:

• The title is "Become the Darkness."
• The dagger is the classic Shadow weapon. In PoE 1, the Shadow is a Dexterity and Intelligence class that uses daggers and claws, traps, mines and spells. Its ascendancies are Assassin, Saboteur and Trickster (poedb).
• The voice line ends with "beware what lurks in your shadow."
• ExileCon schedule: GGG's Saturday schedule includes a talk called "Path of Exile 2: Developing New Classes" (ExileCon schedule). The title names no class, but "Classes" is plural, which hints at more than just the Duelist.
• Game data: poe2db's homepage lists the Duelist and the Shadow under a "1.0Release" section, and its Shadow entry shows a dagger (poe2db, Shadow entry). That's datamined data, not an announcement.

Some sites already list the Shadow as a playable 1.0 class. That goes further than GGG has. Wait for ExileCon on November 6 for the official answer.

Who Are the Perandus?

The PERANDVS coin from the official teaser

The Perandus are a wealthy merchant family from Path of Exile 1. They gave their name to the Perandus league, which ran from March 4 to May 30, 2016, alongside the Ascendancy expansion (poedb):

• Players found hidden caches of Perandus treasure, guarded by monsters.
• Cadiro Perandus, a traveling merchant, sold items for Perandus Coins.
• The family "controlled much of the Eternal Empire's wealth."

The family already has a link to PoE 2. The unique quiver Cadiro's Gambit, added in the Dawn of the Hunt update, quotes Cadiro Perandus: "One can never fully eliminate Chance, but with the right machinations, all the outcomes may be turned in your favour..." (poe2db). That fits the teaser's "fate can twist at a price" and the tagline "Everything has a price… even fate." This connection is our reading. GGG hasn't said whether Cadiro or the Perandus play a role in 1.0.

What Has GGG Confirmed for 1.0?

GGG's official 1.0 key art, featuring the Duelist. Art: Grinding Gear Games, shown unedited.

GGG revealed the 1.0 date at gamescom Opening Night Live on August 25, 2026 (GGG forum). Here's everything it has officially confirmed:

In an August 2026 interview at gamescom, game director Jonathan Rogers told PCGamesN, "We're finishing the campaign, it's more than one act, but we're being a bit coy about exactly what everything there is" (PCGamesN). GGG hasn't announced a launch hour yet.

Don't miss the free rewards. Existing Early Access players need to sign up at pathofexile2.com/register too. GGG says "You will need to sign up even if you are already an existing player" and "You have until December 11th to sign up." Buying Early Access doesn't grant these rewards automatically (GGG).

Which Classes Will PoE 2 Have at 1.0?

Path of Exile 2 gameplay

Early Access has 8 classes today: Warrior, Ranger, Huntress, Witch, Sorceress, Mercenary, Druid and Monk (poe2db). The Duelist joins them at 1.0. Besides the Duelist, three more of PoE 1's original classes are still missing from PoE 2: the Marauder, Shadow and Templar. PCGamesN listed all four as missing in December 2025, before the Duelist was announced (PCGamesN).

Some sites claim 1.0 will have 12 classes and 36 ascendancies. GGG hasn't said that. In fact, in a December 2025 interview, Jonathan Rogers said "it's likely we won't have all of them" at launch, and that "the game could survive with ten classes as opposed to 12" (PCGamesN). So 10 classes at launch would fit what he said: the 8 we have, plus the Duelist, plus one more, which the teaser hints is the Shadow.

When and Where Is ExileCon 2026?

ExileCon 2026 in Auckland, New Zealand

ExileCon 2026 runs November 7–8 at the Aotea Centre in Auckland, New Zealand (pathofexile2.com). It also marks Grinding Gear Games' 20th anniversary. Some sites list "November 6" and others "November 7." Both are right, because New Zealand is a day ahead of the US.

The keynote "will bring unannounced updates from Path of Exile Game Directors Jonathan Rogers and Mark Roberts." It streams on twitch.tv/pathofexile and youtube.com/@playpathofexile:

GGG's Saturday schedule lists a pre-show at 9:30 AM NZDT and the Keynote Presentation at 10:00 AM NZDT (ExileCon schedule). That's Friday 1:00 PM PST, 4:00 PM EST, 9:00 PM GMT and 10:00 PM CET. Later that day, Kevin Readen and James Woodmansey give a talk called "Path of Exile 2: Developing New Classes."

We converted these ourselves. The US leaves daylight saving on November 1, and Europe left it on October 25, so the usual offsets have changed.

Can you go? Tickets have sold out, and ExileCon is an English-only event. Everyone else can watch online on GGG's Twitch and YouTube channels. At the venue, attendees get demos of unreleased content, an exclusive ExileCon card game, streamer meet-and-greets, and race finals on both days (pathofexile2.com).

The full main-stage schedule. GGG's official schedule lists these main-stage sessions (ExileCon schedule). The New Zealand times are read from GGG's schedule images, so treat them as approximate. The US Pacific column is our conversion: New Zealand is 21 hours ahead, so each session falls on the previous day in the US.

Saturday, November 7 (New Zealand):

The streamer stage runs alongside the main stage on Saturday. Highlights include a pre-show at 9:30 AM, a post-show at noon, two Path of Exile 2 gameplay showcases from 1:30 PM (ZiggyD with Jonathan Rogers, then DarthMicrotransaction with Mark "Neon" Roberts), a Path of Exile 1 gameplay showcase at 3:00 PM (DatModz and Octavian), and a streamer roundtable at about 3:45 PM.

Sunday, November 8 (New Zealand):

Early on Sunday, the streamer stage replays "Path of Exile 2: Developing New Classes" for anyone who missed it.

GGG's official Sunday schedule (NZDT). Image: Grinding Gear Games, shown unedited.

PoE 1 players get news too, including a dedicated developer Q&A on Sunday. GGG says its next PoE 1 expansion releases on November 13 (PST), "with full details to be revealed at ExileCon 2026" (GGG).

What Happens to Early Access Characters?

Path of Exile 2 gameplay

GGG hasn't explained the 1.0 transition in detail yet. Its original Early Access FAQ said there would be no wipe. Early Access characters "will just go to a league called Early Access (so they will never be in Standard)," and "after launch the 'Early Access' characters will still exist" (GGG FAQ).

The current event league, Forbidden Rites (patch 0.5.5), "will run until the 1.0 full release and will end alongside Runes of Aldur" (the Early Access league that started with patch 0.5.0) (GGG FAQ). Expect more details at ExileCon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Shadow class confirmed for Path of Exile 2 1.0? No. The "Become the Darkness" teaser strongly hints at it with a dagger, shadow smoke and the voice line, but GGG hasn't announced it. Watch ExileCon on November 6.

When does Path of Exile 2 fully release? December 11, 2026 (PST), on PC, PlayStation and Xbox. GGG hasn't announced the launch hour yet.

Is Path of Exile 2 free at 1.0? Yes. GGG says it "goes fully free-to-play on December 11 PST."

Will my Early Access characters stay? GGG's Early Access FAQ says there's no wipe and that Early Access characters move to an "Early Access" league and still exist after launch. GGG hasn't given 1.0-specific details yet.

What does "Perandus" mean in the teaser? The coin reads "PERANDVS", Latin style for Perandus, a rich merchant family from PoE 1. The voice line starts with "A Perandus knows…" GGG hasn't explained the link yet.

How We Checked This Guide

The Insanebuild team researched this guide on October 30, 2026, before ExileCon. We extracted 62 frames from GGG's official teaser and transcribed its voice line with a speech-to-text tool. All 1.0 facts come from GGG's own announcements. Anything GGG hasn't confirmed, like the Shadow, is labeled as a clue or speculation. We'll update this post after ExileCon. Insanebuild doesn't sell items, boosts or accounts, and this post has no sponsored or affiliate links.

Sources:

• GGG: "Become the Darkness" teaser (YouTube)
• GGG on X: teaser post
• GGG forum: teaser and ExileCon broadcast post
• GGG: Path of Exile 2 Fully Releases on December 11
• GGG: 1.0 press release
• GGG: gamescom reveal announcement
• GGG: Forbidden Rites FAQ
• GGG: registration rewards update
• GGG: Early Access FAQ
• GGG: PoE 1 expansion date
• pathofexile2.com: ExileCon 2026
• PCGamesN: Jonathan Rogers on the final acts
• PCGamesN: classes missing at launch
• poe2db: Shadow entry, Cadiro's Gambit, class list
• poedb: Shadow (PoE 1), Perandus league
• Images: teaser stills, key art, ExileCon art and class art from Grinding Gear Games, shown unedited. Cadiro's Gambit icon via poe2db, shown unedited. All game art © Grinding Gear Games. Layouts and infographics by Insanebuild