BIGGEST PATCH EVER!!! | Path of Exile 2: Return of the Ancients
Summary
- Introduction of the Runes of Eldur league mechanic and the return of Kingsmarch.
- Extensive new crafting systems including Rune-forging, Alloys, and the ability to add jewel sockets to gear.
- Significant overhauls to Delirium and Breach endgame content, including new pinnacle bosses and reward trees.
- Reveal of two new Ascendancy classes: the Martial Artist (Monk) and the Spiritwalker (Witch/Beastmaster).
- Addition of iconic and new Uniques such as Mageblood, Voices, Raven’s Flock, and Brutus’ Lead Sprinkler.
- Implementation of a comprehensive in-game Build Planner for importing and exporting character guides.
Runes of Eldur League Mechanic
The new league mechanic features an NPC named Faro, a seeker of runes from the eastern Ezomye region. Players will uncover markings that reveal a forgotten bond between Ezomye traditions and the forbidden crafts of the Kalguurans. This involves returning to and rebuilding a fallen version of Kingsmarch.
New Crafting Materials and Modifiers
The league introduces several new crafting items that provide unique modifier pools:
- Utred’s Sideras: Allows boots to roll with Chronomancy modifiers, primarily focused on freezing enemies.
- Archaic Rune of Discovery: Grants a 20% chance to create an additional remnant (useful for Bloodmages).
- Archaic Runic Rune of Control: Increases immobilization buildup by 25%.
- Swift Alloys: A new crafting material used to apply specific elements to gear, such as making attack speed easily craftable on rings.
Rune Crafting and Defensive Layers
A major addition is the ability to generate Auxiliary Ward on top of existing armor and health pools. This acts as a significant buffer for survivability, especially when paired with mechanics like Unwavering Stance; ward can remain active even when health is depleted, allowing players to survive massive hits and then recover.
- Hollow Shell: A new skill/support gem that sacrifices runic ward to send out an energy pulse, granting nearby allies Guard.
- Warding Rune of Protection: Grants Guard equal to 20% of maximum runic ward for two seconds every four seconds.
- Rune-forging: Allows players to empower items or enhance low-level uniques to make them viable for endgame use, though often with specific trade-offs or penalties.
Endgame Content: Delirium and Breach
Both Delirium and Breach have been significantly overhauled for Path of Exile 2.
Delirium
- Includes a new pinnacle boss and specific jewel augmentation.
- Jewel Crafting: New items like Diluted Liquid Ire and Liquid Paranoia allow players to target-craft stats like attack speed or defense onto jewels by removing a random modifier.
- Voices Jewel: Returns with the potential to provide up to four additional jewel sockets for the price of one.
- New Notables: Players can anoint key notables found in endgame content, such as Storm’s Rebuke (enemies with broken armor take increased cold and lightning damage) and Kaom’s Blessing (fire spells cast after a warcry are “ancestrally boosted”).
Breach
- Features a robust reward tree similar to Path of Exile 1 but more extensive.
- Players farm blood to “feed” the tree for various drops.
- New Items:
- Absent Amulet: Grants a free aura (e.g., Eternal Rage).
- Forking Belt: Provides implicit lightning damage to attacks.
- Socketed Amulets: Allow for additional jewels or idols.
- The 60-Ring Recipe: The vendor recipe for the Grasping Mail returns, requiring 60 rings to exchange for a unique piece of armor.
New Ascendancy Classes
- The Spiritwalker: Focused on spirit animals and summons. It features the “Azmeri Wolf” skill and various companion-based synergies.
- The Martial Artist: A monk-style ascendancy centered on the “Hollow Palm” technique, emphasizing high-damage melee combat and clones.
New Unique Items
- Mageblood: Confirmed for Path of Exile 2. It will likely allow between one and three charms to remain active constantly.
- Raven’s Flock: A level 84 staff that functions similarly to “Righteous Fire,” creating a circle of ravens that deals continuous damage around the player.
- Ordained Grand Spear: Provides the Righteous Descent skill (a slamming leap) and generates “fragments of divinity” to boost damage.
- Brutus’ Lead Sprinkler: The iconic strength-stacking mace returns, providing added fire damage per 25 strength.
- Twisted Empyrean: Grants cold damage based on a percentage of mana and converts fire damage to mace skills.
- Sylven’s Effigy: Focuses on companion damage and grants the Azmeri Wolf skill.
- Eventide Petals Veridical Chain: Provides massive crit chance (up to 42%) and maximum runic ward.
General Changes and Quality of Life
- Build Planner: A new in-game tool allows players to build, import, and export character guides. Creators can share files that players can load directly into their client to see every requirement for a build.
- Content Expansion: 30 new maps, new challenges, and additional campaign content designed to better direct player progression.
- Jewel Sockets: Kardigan’s Epiphany allows players to destroy an augment socket on an item to replace it with a jewel socket, potentially allowing for up to 120% increased damage through gear-based jewel stacking.