The Biggest WINNERS & LOSERS of Patch 0.5 | Path of Exile 2: Return of the Ancients
Summary
- Energy Shield Recovery: Significant nerfs to passive tree modifiers and gear options, forcing a re-evaluation of pure Energy Shield setups.
- Ghost Shrouds: Changed from instant recovery to regeneration over four seconds, and tied to cooldown recovery rate instead of duration.
- Pathfinder: Major nerfs to the “Overwhelming Toxicity” node (doubling poison duration penalty) and “Running Assault” node (reduced movement speed penalty mitigation).
- Expedition: The mechanic is restricted, forcing players to clear monsters per explosion rather than waiting to clear them all at once.
- Totems: Major buffs to the “Ancestral Bond” keystone, removal of hidden delays on ancestral warrior totems, and the ability to place spell totems while moving.
- Resistance Swapping: Introduction of “flux” currency via the Aulder remnant crafting system allows players to swap elemental resistance modifiers on gear.
- Campaign Improvements: QoL changes in Acts 2 and 3 streamline progression, including reduced zone counts and simplified mechanics (e.g., pressure plates).
Energy Shield and Ghost Shroud Nerfs
The primary adjustments to Energy Shield (ES) aim to position it as a distinct defensive barrier rather than a life-pool competitor.
- Recharge Mechanics: Baseline recharge remains at 12.5% per second after a 4-second delay. However, passive tree nodes providing recharge rate and faster start modifiers have been largely removed or halved.
- Gear Restrictions: Modifiers for “faster start of ES recharge” are no longer obtainable on body armors, foci, or jewelry.
- Ghost Shrouds:
- Previously provided instant recovery based on evasion upon being hit.
- Now provides regeneration over a 4-second period after being hit.
- The window to gain stacks is no longer tied to duration modifiers, meaning it cannot be reduced via conventional means. Instead, it is governed by cooldown recovery rate, which is harder to scale significantly.
Pathfinder Ascendancy Changes
Pathfinder receives notable nerfs to limit its dominance in poison and movement-based builds.
- Overwhelming Toxicity: The “less poison duration” penalty is increased from 35% to 50%. This forces players to invest more heavily in poison application speed or duration to maintain maximum stacks.
- Running Assault: The movement speed penalty mitigation from using skills while moving is reduced from 50% to 30%. While the immunity to heavy stuns while sprinting remains, the ascendancy is effectively slower and less defensive.
Expedition Changes
- The Expedition encounter mechanics are altered to force sequential clearing. Explosives now wait to trigger until most monsters from the previous explosion are defeated, removing the ability to strategize by setting all charges at once.
Totem Improvements
Totems receive significant buffs, making pure totem builds more viable.
- Ancestral Bond Rework:
- No longer requires charges to place spell totems or ancestral warrior totems.
- No longer removes the totem limit; instead, it doubles the existing limit.
- Maintains a reservation cost of 75 spirit per totem.
- Scaling: Players can use reservation efficiency (e.g., “Efficient Inscriptions”) and spirit stacking to manage totem count and costs.
- Targeted Buffs:
- Ancestral Warrior Totems: Hidden delay removed; now uses a delay based on the attack time of the socketed skill (scales with attack speed).
- Spell Totems: Can now be summoned while moving.
Resistance Swapping
- A highly requested feature, resistance swapping allows players to convert resistance modifiers from one element to another.
- This is achieved using new “flux” currency items, which are crafted using the Runes of Aulder remnant mechanic. This is particularly beneficial for Solo Self-Found (SSF) players.
Campaign Improvements
Quality-of-life updates have been implemented to reduce friction during the campaign:
- Act 2:
- Dreadnought zone reduced to a single instance.
- Removal of the mandatory visit to Hilani gates; players can proceed to the Trader’s Passage immediately after freeing Rizzu.
- Act 3:
- Waterway zone now uses pressure plates instead of levers to improve flow.
- General adjustments to area order and zone lengths to improve pacing.