PoE Sanity

Path of Exile 2 Devs ACTUALLY Allowing Totem Gameplay in 0.5

By Talkative TriWatch videoDuration: PT1M4S

Summary

  • The “Return of the Ancients” (Patch 0.5) introduces major changes to the Ancestral Bond keystone, making totem builds significantly more viable.
  • Totem placement no longer requires charges or costs when using the updated Ancestral Bond.
  • Spell Totem has received quality-of-life updates, including the ability to cast while moving.
  • These updates enable a playstyle more reminiscent of Path of Exile 1 while maintaining modern Path of Exile 2 mechanics.

Ancestral Bond Keystone Rework

The Ancestral Bond keystone passive skill has been redesigned in the brand-new patch notes for version 0.5. Previously, charge management was a primary concern for totem sustain; however, the new iteration of the keystone shifts the focus toward spirit management.

The specific changes to Ancestral Bond are as follows:

  1. No Placement Cost: Placing totems no longer has a specific resource cost.
  2. Charge Requirement Removed: You no longer need to consume charges to place totems.
  3. Spirit Reservation: Each totem still reserves 75 Spirit.
  4. Totem Limit: Instead of removing the totem limit completely, the keystone now doubles your totem limit.

Spell Totem Enhancements

Beyond the keystone changes, the Spell Totem support gem has received functional and aesthetic improvements to improve the flow of combat:

  • Mobile Casting: Spell Totem can now be used while moving, allowing for much higher mobility during encounters.
  • Updated Animation: The skill has received a new animation to match the updated casting mechanics.

Gameplay Impact and Sustainability

The core issue for many players in Path of Exile 2 was figuring out how to sustain the charges needed to keep totems active on the ground. By removing the charge requirement via the Ancestral Bond keystone, this bottleneck is eliminated.

This rework supports two distinct playstyles:

  • The charge-generation style native to Path of Exile 2 mechanics.
  • The classic totem playstyle favored by many players in Path of Exile 1.

These changes collectively suggest that totem-focused builds are fully back in play for the 0.5 update.

Key References