POE 2 Teasers Days 22 - Essences Gutted In Stealth Patch Note Change - Path of Exile 2
Summary
- Early Access Update: The early access supporter pack price is being reduced to $15 USD (includes 150 points) for two weeks to lower the barrier to entry.
- New Player Promotion: A new promotional event offers in-game rewards (a portal effect) for reaching the first town and defeating the Act 1 boss, Count Geonor.
- Mechanic Overhauls: Several Expedition mechanics and currencies are being removed. Ritual and Delirium mechanics are being refined, with “Twisted Amulets” introduced as rare, non-adjustable items with two pre-installed anointments.
- Deterministic Crafting Nerf: A significant, albeit ambiguous, patch note states that items can now have only one “crafted modifier” at a time. The community interprets this as a major nerf to deterministic crafting methods, particularly those involving “Perfect Essences,” which would significantly lower the ceiling for item power.
- Skill & Item Balancing: Numerous adjustments have been made to unique items (e.g., Unborn Lich buffs, Collapsing Horizon changes) and skill gems (e.g., Culling Strike adjustments for party play, Ice Nova, Primal Strikes).
- Bug Fixes: Various fixes address issues with support gems, monster behaviors in trials, and display errors for melee strike range.
Promotional Content and Events
- Free Weekend: Grinding Gear Games (GGG) is hosting another free weekend. While popular for attracting new players, there are concerns regarding server stability, particularly for data centers in the European Union.
- Early Access Pricing: The early access supporter pack is being reduced to $15 USD for 150 store points. This adjustment reflects the shorter duration of early access remaining before the game’s full release.
- MTX Promotion: Players who reach the first town and defeat the Act 1 boss, Count Geonor, will receive a cosmetic portal effect during the launch weekend.
Mechanics and Content Changes
Expedition and Currency
- Most Expedition-related items are being removed from the currency exchange, including:
- Black Scythe, Broken Circle, Order, and Sun artifacts.
- Exotic Coinage, Petition Splinters, and Runic Splinters.
- Existing expedition NPCs (Rog, Gwennen, Dannig, and Tujen) in hideouts are being converted to non-interactable decorations.
- Specific “Omen” items (Omen of Corruption, Omen of Homogenizing Coronation/Exaltation) are being moved to legacy status or removed.
Ritual and Delirium
- Delirium encounters may now feature a red mirror, leading to an encounter similar to the “Infinite Hunger” boss fight.
- Twisted Amulets: These items are obtained through specific Delirium content. They come with two fixed anointments that cannot be changed, functioning essentially as “lottery” items.
Waystone and Global Modifiers
- Waystone modifiers that add monster damage, penetration, or reduce player resistance have been nerfed.
- The “extra projectiles” Waystone modifier has been disabled.
- Shrine base duration is now 45 seconds.
- The “Contains identified items” strongbox modifier has been removed.
Balancing and Technical Updates
Gem and Skill Adjustments
- Culling Strike: Thresholds for unique monsters remain lowered based on party size, but this no longer applies to non-unique monsters in party play.
- Primal Strikes: Access to this skill is being delayed during the campaign (swapped with Tame Beast).
- Ice Nova: Can no longer originate from Frostbolt while it is cascading sideways.
- Spell Cascade: No longer limited to supporting only spells used directly by the player.
Unique Item Changes
- The Collapsing Horizon: Now grants +100% increased elemental damage (no longer restricted to attacks).
- Idol of Uldurn: Increased spirit grant, but with a nerf to presence area of effect.
- Road Warrior: No longer obtainable.
- Unborn Lich: Received substantial buffs across all its associated skills (e.g., zero mana costs, reduced cooldowns, increased duration/impale magnitude).
Crafting Nerf
A late addition to the patch notes states: “All crafted modifiers are now guaranteed, but items can have only one crafted modifier at a time.”
- Impact: This is widely interpreted as a target against deterministic crafting, specifically “Perfect Essences.”
- Consequence: If this interpretation holds, the quality of craftable gear—especially attack weapons—will be significantly lower, potentially widening the power gap between average traded items and high-end mirror-tier gear.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed issues where support gems (e.g., Diala’s Desire, Unearth) functioned incorrectly or were incorrectly applied to minions/clones.
- Fixed a bug where certain monsters in the Trials of the Sehkemas failed to activate.
- Corrected the display of melee strike range; it is now displayed in meters instead of decimeters (a non-functional, visual-only change).