Path of Exile 2: Standard vs Challenge League, explained 

One thing that makes Path of Exile 2 exciting is the Challenge Leagues, which differ from the Standard experience. These will vary throughout the seasons and years but always offer something exciting and game-changing for the players who actively come back each time. Not everyone wants to do something like this, though, and that’s perfectly fine. For those who don’t want to shake things up, the Standard Ladder will never change, other than the various game updates the developers cook up.

While several mechanics from past Leagues are coming back to become mainstays in Path of Exile 2, Challenge Leagues will always offer something special and unique for players looking for something new and intense.

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What’s the difference between Standard and Challenge League in Path of Exile 2?

The Standard League in Path of Exile 2 is exactly what you’d expect it to be. You play through the main campaign as one of the offered classes and approach the game the same as always. Though there are new features and differences between it and PoE 1, the experience is still similar. You play through a series of acts, defeating bosses, and picking up skills, gear, and levels.

Every few months, players can look forward to something special (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

During our preview session, we did not get to see a new League, and it’s unknown if we will see something new at launch. However, it is likely we will see Hardcore League as one of the options for players who don’t want to tackle the Standard gameplay experience.

Hardcore is similar to what you’d find in WoW Classic or Diablo 4 — it’s permadeath. If you mess up, get caught out by lag, or simply get too greedy, your run could be over in an instant. This will send that player to the Standard League — at least, that’s what happened in PoE 1.

Likely, we’ll also see Solo-Self-Found as an option, where players cannot trade or accrue any items or skills, other than what they find themselves. It just adds a little bit of extra challenge to the game. In general, though, what are Challenge Leagues in Path of Exile 2?

We only had access to the Standard option, but others will be available later (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

Challenge Leagues offer players a specific, new ruleset to play over the course of several months. The current one on PoE 1 is Settlers of Kalguur, which recently had a reset hit that ladder. This current League was focused more on building and running a city than it was on combat, which was interesting.

You can always expect unique challenges in the Challenge League that you won’t find anywhere else in the game. For that reason, it’s a separate ladder, and Standard/Challenge League characters won’t interact.

If the standard gameplay choices are boring for you, wait around for a Challenge League to pop up — those promise to be different, with new mechanics, challenges, and experiences coming with them.

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Check out our other Path of Exile 2 guides and features:

• All Path of Exile 2 Keystone Passives (known so far)
• Is Path of Exile 2 on Xbox Game Pass?
• How long will Path of Exile 2 campaign take to beat?