If you need something to tide you over until the full release of Path of Exile 2, developer Grinding Gear Games has your back. While the 1.0 launch isn’t until December 11, we’re getting a new ‘mini-season’ next week, complete with an economy reset, for anyone that fancies a fresh start. GGG has never been one for half measures, however, so Path of Exile 2 patch 0.5.5 is actually a hefty upgrade that reworks or improves multiple core mechanics across the loot-filled action RPG, and even adds more to the endgame.
The new Path of Exile 2 league is dubbed ‘Forbidden Rites,’ and as the name suggests, it’s built around the Ritual mechanic (that’s the one where you summon waves of enemies around a central effigy). You’ll encounter one of these in each zone of the campaign, and it’s also been bolstered to make it more worthwhile in co-op. Everyone in the group will get a chance to buy some rewards, although only the host can reroll their shop, to keep the balance in check against single-player.
The bigger change is that twice per act, and once in each of the three interludes that currently carries you from Act Four through to the endgame, you’ll encounter clusters of empowered Rituals marked on the world map. These are guaranteed to spawn on an area’s boss arena, and with each one you defeat the boss will be added to the rest of the Rituals in that cluster, eventually stacking up to you fighting three or four of them in a single round. Complete these to get your hands on a selection of powerful unique items.
In the endgame, the Favour shops that spawn at the end of each Ritual encounter will gain the chance to offer you a Sacred Bloom. This can be applied to another map of your choosing across the Atlas, and will spawn a Viridian Wildwood in that zone. Borrowing from PoE 1’s Affliction league, this dark zone stays open for just a limited time, and is packed with Azmerian Wisps that you can set free across the rest of the region, buffing monsters they touch to boost their strength and rewards.
GGG has finally given the Trial of Chaos the overhaul it’s long needed. One of the two ways to earn your Ascendancies, Game Director Mark Roberts admits “It was just obvious that it wasn’t good enough.” Most of the modifiers have been redesigned; they’ll be easier when attempting the trial at a lower level than before, and more of the per-round challenges are focused on monster smashing instead of escort or collection missions.
The downtime between rooms has been shortened, elevators are faster, and the ‘time stop’ effect only happens once. You can even leave midway through a run and come back to it later. Alongside this, GGG has redesigned the arena for the Uxmal boss battle, and there’s a new ‘wager’ modifier type designed to offer extreme risk and reward. In the endgame, you’ll have the option to push through all the way to room 30, earning massive rewards and instant access to the Trialmaster fight in one go if you pull it off.
Speaking of endgame, the Fortress introduced in 0.5, which now forms the base of your first several hours on the Atlas, has been given a shortcut to complete it. Once the initial questline is done, you’ll find a key to challenge an upgraded Arbiter of Divinity, and if you’re able to overcome this fight then you’ll instantly unlock the entirety of the rest of the Fortress.
Abyss gets some endgame love as well, with ravines that can show up on the Atlas map. Completing maps that run along these will gradually ramp up the rewards as you push back the Abyssal legions, with a guaranteed boss encounter for the final one.
While the Runes of Aldur event from the 0.5 league is no longer in every zone, it’s being brought into the core game. Whether you’re playing in a standard league or a seasonal one from now on, you’ll encounter Expeditions from Act Four onwards that will incorporate the mechanic. In the endgame, Expedition Tablets have been introduced so that you can spread Runes of Aldur content across the rest of the Atlas.
Path of Exile 2 update 0.5.5 and the Forbidden Rites league launch on Friday September 4 at 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9pm BST / 10pm CEST. There will be a new set of eight challenges to complete, and you’ll earn four cosmetic rewards and a statue for your hideout that gradually grows more impressive as you finish checking off the list.
It’s also worth noting that, because this is a bonus event, the current Runes of Aldur league will continue to run in the background. If you’re still enjoying playing there and would prefer to just keep blasting your characters through GGG’s massive endgame redesign from patch 0.5, you’re free to do so. For those who’d like to start fresh, however, this is a great option to keep the PoE 2 flame burning until that 1.0 launch arrives.