Path of Exile 2 devs didn't make it. New class and league are ready, but big endgame changes will have to wait

Grinding Gear Games has officially revealed the content of update 0.4.0 for Path of Exile 2, titled The Last of the Druids. As expected from the New Zealand studio, there are quite a few changes and new features, but to the disappointment of players, the devs were unable to prepare everything they planned in time.

1. Update The Last of the Druids will be available on December 12 at 11:00 am PT on all platforms.
2. The first weekend with the new version will be free. You can play Path of Exile 2 for free until December 15th at 11 am PT.

Welcome, Druid

In PoE 2, we're finally getting the druid class, which game director Jonathan Rogers called "one of the toughest classes to design." Its main stats are strength and intelligence, and it primarily uses canes in combat. But the coolest thing about the druid is that you can now change forms using a new weapon type called a talisman.

1. The first form is the wolf—a fast and agile beast capable of freezing enemies and summoning a pack for assistance.
2. The second is the bear—a slow and powerful animal that leaves devastation in its wake. By killing enemies, it gathers rage, which enhances its attacks and roars.
3. The last form is the wyvern—a flying creature that attacks enemies up close with its claws and lightning explosions, and from a distance, breathes a stream of fire.

Grinding Gear Games

All transformations look incredibly smooth and will certainly provide a range of new possibilities in gameplay. Due to the nature of Path of Exile, nothing will prevent other classes from also using shape-shifting. The same goes for new skills—there will be 21 active skills and over 30 support skills.

The Druid will start with two Ascendancy classes—The Shaman and The Oracle. The first harnesses the wrath of nature to improve its elemental spells. The second uses the power of foresight to get an edge in battle, like unlocking over 130 extra notes on the passive skill tree.

New league mechanic

The new update also marks the start of a new league with a fresh economy, and with it, a completely new mechanic. Compared to the relatively simple Abyss from version 0.3.0, Fate of the Vaal appears to be something much more complex. You can watch the league trailer below.

During gameplay, we will encounter ancient Vaal structures that affect nearby creatures. We're aiming to beat them, which will power up the mechanism and let us into the ancient temple that fans of the first part of Queen Atziri will recognize.

Each time we reach it, we will receive six out of several types of rooms to use on a special device. We'll set up the building layout we want with them, and then we'll have to navigate through it, taking down enemies along the way. Moreover, putting your favorite rooms next to each other will level them up, bringing in new challenges and better rewards.

Grinding Gear Games

In the temple, we will also encounter a large number of devices that allow us to modify items (and more) in completely new, interesting ways. For example, the Corruption Altar allows you to add a second enhancement to an item with a corrupted status, and by using the Transcension Device, you can replace your own limbs with improved mechanical implants.

While exploring the temple, at some point, we'll run into the Royal Architect. Once we beat him, we'll not only snag some awesome rewards but also get a chance to have a "truly royal audience" with Atziri. She is the ultimate boss of this league.

Other changes and new features

Besides these two major additions, the update will also introduce a number of smaller features and changes. Below are the most important ones.

1. Abyss will become part of the core mechanics and will work similarly to Delirium or Breach. It means we'll randomly come across it while playing through the endgame. It will also receive its own tablet equivalent and a place on the Atlas tree.
2. Speaking of tablets – from the new version, we will be able to upgrade them to a rare level with four or even five modifiers.
3. The fog density during active Delirium has been significantly reduced, improving the game's clarity.
4. Game performance has been improved, which should result in approximately a 25% increase in frames per second. This change will be particularly noticeable on consoles, and the developer mentioned in an interview that 25% is the minimum increase – in reality, it should be even greater.
5. The density of monsters on higher-level maps has been reduced in exchange for increasing their health, the number of items dropped, and the experience gained.
6. Eleven new unique items have been added, and many of those that were previously useless have been reworked.
7. A major issue with version 0.3 was character balance. As a result, the devs have made changes to almost all Ascendancy classes and 90 active skills. Furthermore, over 250 new points have been added to the skill tree.

Grinding Gear Games has already shared a detailed list of changes, so if you're planning to play with a specific build, it's a good idea to check it out to make sure it hasn't been nerfed too much.

Endgame issues and release date for version 1.0

If you've been following the news about Path of Exile 2, you surely remember that version 0.4.0 was supposed to introduce big changes to the endgame. Unfortunately, the devs have announced that they didn't manage to make them on time, so they have been postponed to version 0.5.0. It's no surprise that some people think version 0.4.0 is a bit underwhelming, and there were some disappointed reactions to yesterday's stream.

Jonathan Rogers spoke about the release date of version 1.0 in an interview with The Escapist. It seems that the developers still plan to release the full game next year. This is a bold statement considering how many things are still missing from it.

Path of Exile 2

December 6, 2024

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