Summary
- Path of Exile 2's Dawn of the Hunt update nerfs best builds, items, and skills, creating a fresh gameplay experience.
- Archmage Spark and attribute-stacking builds have been gutted, along with popular combos like Herald of Ice and Thunder.
- Some classes like Warbringer may benefit from buffs, offering new build possibilities despite the extensive nerfs.
April 4 is going to be a big day for Path of Exile 2 fans, as the game will finally release the first major patch and economy reset since early access in December of 2024, marking a big shift in content and other gameplay elements. The Dawn of the Hunt patch notes came out recently, just ahead of the update's launch, and they may paint a bleak picture for many fans who have been playing the game thus far. This is because Path of Exile 2's new 0.2.0 patch is nerfing virtually all the best builds, items, and skills available, essentially creating a blank slate.
Path of Exile 2's new Huntress and its Ascendancies are most likely about to see a lot of use, if nothing else due to the novelty factor and the fact that it was one of the most hyped classes among the missing ones. The addition of Huntress, five new Ascendancies, over 100 Unique Items and Support Gems, and the many nerfs and changes from the patch notes are a lot to take in, but one thing is almost guaranteed - nothing will truly stay the same when Dawn of the Hunt is released.
Path of Exile 2's Spear Skills Risk Being Dead in the Water
Path of Exile 2 is soon launching its Dawn of the Hunt update, and the Huntress' spear skills may drop the ball with their design philosophy.
Path f oExile 2 is Aggressively Nerfing Its Best Builds, Items, and Skills
It is quite common for action RPGs to make massive changes to the sandbox when releasing a new big update, and the same holds true for the likes of Diablo 4 or the hidden gem that is Last Epoch. Path of Exile 2's Dawn of the Hunt update overhauls the endgame loop enough that it may feel like a new game, and given the massive nerfs in the patch notes, players will most likely experience it with new builds or different spins on old ones. This can be a healthy thing for the game, especially after a rather stale meta where many builds used the same Ascendancies, items, and skills.
Builds like Archmage Spark with Path of Exile 2's Stormweaver and attribute-stacking with the Gemling Legionnaire have been mostly gutted, massively nerfing Mana on gear and the passive tree for the former and ways to stack more attributes for the latter. Even some of their core items have been massively nerfed, such as the chase Unique belt Ingenuity or Pillar of the Caged God. Archamage itself took a big hit, now granting much less damage while also increasing Mana costs of all non-channeling skills by a lot.
Even the very popular combo of Herald of Ice and Thunder in Path of Exile 2 has been nerfed, making the powerful Monk and Mercenary builds with staves less effective, as well as ranged builds clearing the whole screen with the likes of Lightning Arrow. Rarity of Items Found has also been reduced across the board, making it less likely to stack it to great numbers in order to drop rare items and currency more easily.
There is a Silver Lining to Path of Exile 2's Many Nerfs
Despite all the nerfs, which are very much in line with what GGG has done over the years with its previous title, there are some classes in Path of Exile 2 that may benefit quite a lot from the new update. For example, the Warbringer, one of the least-used Ascendancies in the game, is getting some much-needed buffs to its nodes, and maybe some indirect buffs too, considering the changes to Stun and other skills and items.
Path of Exile 2's Grim Feast Gem is being disabled, possibly making now a good time to run something other than Energy Shield, offering new build ideas and avenues to players. It's too early to say what the meta will look like at this stage, especially since details regarding spear skills are still unknown. However, players will mostly be looking at an entirely new meta, for better or for worse.
Path of Exile II
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 100%
- Released
- December 6, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Nudity, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Language, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)
- Developer(s)
- Grinding Gear Games
- Publisher(s)
- Grinding Gear Games
WHERE TO PLAY
Path of Exile 2 takes place in the land of Wraeclast, a dark continent populated by unique cultures, ancient secrets, and monstrous dangers. A sinister threat, long thought destroyed, has begun creeping back on the edge of civilisation, driving people mad and sickening the land with Corruption.
Path of Exile 2 features a brand new campaign with six acts, 100 distinct environments, 600 monsters and 100 bosses.
Path of Exile 2 features twelve character classes, 240 Skill Gems, hundreds of equipment base types, a six-act campaign, more than a hundred unique boss fights, a deep endgame system and so much more.
Play with your friends without losing any progress with couch co-op, cross-play and cross-progression.
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash, MMORPG
