Path of Exile 2 has enjoyed great popularity since its release in December 2024. Now the developers are working on the big update 0.2.0, which should bring a new league, classes, and items in the patch at release. Buy POE2 Currency now to get ahead in the upcoming league and enhance your gameplay experience!
What is Dawn of the Hunt? The new and first season of Path of Exile 2 in Early Access is called Dawn of the Hunt. This is a major game expansion that is intended to provide a fresh start to the game.
When will the Dawn of the Hunt update be released? Dawn of the Hunt will be released on April 4, 2025 at 9:00 p.m. The big patch that is supposed to add the update to Path of Exile 2 is patch 0.2.0.
Which classes are to come? With Dawn of the Hunt, the new class of the Huntress comes into play. She fights in both melee and ranged combat and is armed with a spear and a shield.
In addition, three new expansion classes, so-called Ascendancy classes, will be released:
- The Tactician for as an expansion class of mercenary
- The Blacksmith of Kitava as the Warrior’s Expansion Class
- The Lich as an extension class of the Witch
The Huntress starts the game with two expansion classes.
What weapons will be added? The spear will be available to different classes, just like previous weapons. With it, 25 new skills come into play, some of which can also be used by other classes.
What is happening in terms of balance? The balance of Path of Exile 2 is to be fundamentally changed, according to game director Jonathan Rogers. Old stats and builds will be changed and supplemented by over 100 new support skills and over 100 new unique items in the game.
Is there anything happening with the skill tree? Yes, there will be changes to the Atlas Passive Skill Tree. The developers want to add new choices and adjust the skill tree.
What changes in the endgame? In the endgame, the tower maps are now changing. From now on, all kinds of content will be available here, but the towers will also have the same requirements for completion as the normal maps. Bonuses that transfer from the towers to other maps now affect other towers as well. There will also be fewer towers, but they will have a higher range.
Also new is a smoother entry into the endgame. Maps with a low difficulty level will receive a number of respawns, so the change from the campaign to the endgame should be less abrupt. On top of that, new endgame mechanics and new maps will be added.
New content for Path of Exile 2
What new support gems will there be? Above all, the melee classes and abilities, which previously had few support gem options, are in the foreground of the new gems. You can find a presented selection of the developers here, but there are supposed to be over 100 new support gems in total.
- Battershout Gem explodes enemies with destroyed armor, providing additional AOE damage based on your character’s Strength value.
- Perfection gem gives you up to 15% more damage, but you have to attack at the right moment. This support gem is mainly aimed at skills that you charge briefly.
- Derange Gem increases the damage your skills do, depending on your intelligence. However, the skills drain your energy shield.
- Volcanic Eruption Gem causes your melee attacks to trigger an eruption when they burn on hit.
- Embitter Gem always converts the damage type that is additionally dealt by a skill to cold damage when a certain damage type is involved.
Which items are new to the ARPG? The developers want to have more uniques in Path of Exile 2, which is why they are adding over 100 new unique items to the game with Dawn of the Hunt. You can find a featured selection of the developers here:
- The Bringer of Rain: This gladiator helmet can be worn from level 52 and not only offers strong stats, but also has a special feature: If you put it on, you can no longer put on chest armor. In return, however, it allows you to wield two-handed weapons one-handed.
- The Hammer of Faith: This powerful two-handed hammer supports you in both attack and defense. In addition to its high damage, it gives you additional protection against elemental attacks. The highlight: Every 10 seconds you receive a random shrine buff.
- The Prism Guardian: A shield that grants both energy shield and armor. In addition, it gives resistance to the elements, dexterity, and more Will per health your character has.
- The Deepest Tower: This helmet massively increases your armor and energy shield, and it also makes all enemies in the area look like they have little health, which in combination allows for many new builds. On top of that, there are additional health points and resistance to chaos.
What other feature is worth mentioning? It is interesting that PoE2 adds a mount to the game for the first time. With a skill, you can call an ostrich-like bird after the patch, which you can ride and fight on. If it takes too much damage, it discards the character. Your character will be incapacitated for a short time.
Improved Features, Graphics, and Audio
What is improving in the game in general? The developers of Path of Exile 2 continue to work on Early Access. This includes improvements to the overall quality of play. Patch 0.2.0 will bring improved graphics, light and shadow effects, and audio.
What about quality-of-life features? Path of Exile 2 should be even more pleasant for players to play. In the new update 0.2.0, the developers therefore allow you to use your weapon and your off-hand item in both weapon sets.
This makes it easier to switch between weapon sets for certain skills. For example, players can now build a weapon and skillset for boss fights and one for killing the normal monsters without using different weapons.
In an interview with iGV, game director Jonathan Rogers also mentioned that the team is working on bookmarks and notes for the atlas, but this is unlikely to make it to version 0.2.0.
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