Path of Exile

Path of Exile (PoE 1) is the original series, maintaining its own league cycle even after PoE 2 released. It is defined by a vast build ecosystem built over more than a decade and an independent league economy.

Leagues run on a three-month cycle, each introducing a unique mechanic. After a league ends, characters and items transfer to the permanent Standard and Hardcore leagues. Solo Self-Found (SSF) leagues also run in parallel.

Weekday inference works well here. Of the 41 leagues we track, 36 — 87.8% — opened on a Friday, and the median cycle is 98 days. Add 98 days to the last league start, look to the nearest Friday, and you will usually land close. Know the one large exception, though: after Settlers of Kalguur in 2024, the next league took 322 days to arrive. That is among the longest gaps anywhere in our catalog, and it coincides with the studio concentrating resources on Path of Exile 2. This game is regular in ordinary times and slips hard when its sibling title needs attention.

Since its first league in 2013, we have logged 41 leagues, with a median league length of roughly 98 days — about fourteen weeks. The most recently completed run, Keepers of the Flame, stretched to 126 days. Even allowing that many end dates are inferred, that points to a cadence a touch longer than a calendar quarter, sustained for well over a decade.

If you are ready to dig into an ecosystem carrying a decade of accumulated build knowledge, few games rival PoE 1. It rewards players who enjoy an independent league economy and trading, or who prefer self-imposed challenges like Solo Self-Found.