For its latest mechanic, Path of Exile 2 is doing Dark Souls Invaders

For its imminent update, Dawn of The Hunt, Path of Exile 2 is toying with the idea of player-versus-player — or a simulated version of it, at least. Rogue Exiles, a mechanic from the first game, is now coming to the sequel. Interestingly enough, it should work much better with Path of Exile 2's more engaging action. Between dodges, skill-spams, and specifically fine-tuned AI, Rogue Exiles are the closest thing we are getting to a Dark Souls Invader experience in an ARPG.

One could even argue that the Rogue Exiles mechanic fits far better in Path of Exile 2 than in the first game.

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Path of Exile 2 is adding PvP without adding PvP

There are a dozen Rogue Exiles coming with this first batch (Image via GGG)

Rogue Exiles is not a fresh invention in the Path of Exile series. The first game (now dragging a dilapidated season for over seven months) came up with the idea over a decade ago, in the Archery League.

The concept has been implemented in PoE2 almost one-to-one, except the developers have spiced up the AI to take advantage of the new game's unique mechanical edge. Much like your real Exile, these invaders can dodge-roll, sidestep your projectiles, and be about as unpredictable as it gets. As the official Dawn of The Hunt update page explains:

"These Exiles have capabilities to Dodge Roll, avoid your abilities with smart pathfinding, smart-targeting, and much more action-packed gameplay. Rogue Exiles use the same skills available to players, and even the same items. They aren't just dressed up in those items, they know how to take advantage of the Uniques they are using."

Much like Invaders in the Soulsborne games, these are named NPCs with unique sets of gear, Skills, and even personalities. The rogue types will slander you, the honor-and-glory types will commend your efforts, and the plump sort (if any) will probably roll around for emphasis.

All in all, there are twelve unique Rogue Exiles coming to Path of Exile 2 with its Dawn of The Hunt update. The Rogue Exiles system in the first game, by comparison, has almost three times as many.

Yet, the concept of a player-like NPC throwing your Skillbook back at you is more on-brand for PoE2. The first game has a series of buildcrafting treadmills to run through, but it's not mechanically demanding. GGG's departure from it with the sequel precisely attempts to expand in the direction of making the game's combat more engaging.

PoE2's combat tends to have many more nail-biting, tense moments and punishes you far more for tactless gameplay (if you play Warrior, that is). The dozen Rogue Exiles will blend perfectly into this environment. The rewards are also worth it, as they drop a smorgasbord of loot, including the Uniques that they actually use in combat.

To sweeten the deal, GGG is even adding a Buckler off-hand with a parry mechanic. There are no Mimic-Tear shenanginans, though — at least none that we're aware of.

Not many details are known about what specific ways Path of Exile 2 will be parading its Dark Souls Invaders other than juiced-up AI. The best way to find out is to try it ourselves, which we'll get to do when the update goes live on April 4, 2025.

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In the meantime, check out our other guides on the game:

• PoE2 Huntress class: Overview, Skills, and Ascendancies
• All new Crafting options in Path of Exile 2 Dawn of The Hunt
• All new Ascendancies in Path of Exile 2 Dawn of the Hunt
• Every new League mechanic in Path of Exile 2 Dawn of the Hunt (0.2.0)