Path of Exile 2's pre-holiday patch is set to make sweeping changes for Trials, Skill Gems, characters, and the endgame
Grinding Gear Games, the developer behind Path of Exile 2, has shared a new plan for a future patch aimed at addressing certain issues in the game. This patch will target the pain points in the Trial of the Sekhemas, address concerns regarding gear items and ailment effects, and streamline the Skill Gems and multiple endgame systems to smoothen the player's character progression.
Path of Exile 2 is currently in early access, which means that many aspects of the title are being ironed out and polished. As a result, the live stress test has already produced many issues with the game's current state, such as dodge rolls and 'Unlucky drops', which have since been fixed.
Addressing the feedback since the last patch, Grinding Gear Games has outlined several goals of the future patch note which should arrive soon before the studio takes a holiday break.
What are the changes coming with Path of Exile 2's pre-holiday patch?
According to the official blog post, the upcoming patch is split into five sections, aimed at different gameplay mechanics and design philosophies. These are:
General gameplay systems
Grinding Gear Games states that the previously announced changes to the checkpoint system are still in place and will arrive with the future patch. After the patch drops, checkpoints in acts will be traversable via teleportion. Furthermore, additional checkpoints will be added to entrances and exits of areas to hasten exploration.
Passive points will now have a gentler curve for respeccing near the endgame. Currently, the cost to respec into different nodes or even a different build is astronomically high, one which has been apparent after the nerf to Sorceress' Meta Gems. After the patch, the respec cost has been reduced by 40-50% from the current state, especially during the move from cruel acts to early endgame.
Trial of the Sekhemas
Next is the Trial of the Sekhemas, which will be much more survivable and easier to understand. Players will now take less Honour Damage from enemies based on their proximity. For instance, they will take 35% less Honour Damage from enemies in close range. Many enemy abilities, such as the Serpent Clan's ambush attack, are now better telegraphed and balanced for aggro ranges.
Rattlecage, The Earthbreaker from the first floor of the Trial has been rebalanced, or at least one of its more annoying abilities has been. The Fissure Slam attack will still create volcanoes but these will last half as long.
Damage over time effects in Trials have been confirmed to be bugged and have been readjusted to do one-third damage compared to before. Furthermore, Honour Resistance has been readjusted to apply its full effects.
Character balances
Charms have been rebalanced and readjusted. Belts will now roll additional charm slots much earlier in the game. The "of Symbolism" and the "of Inscription" affix which gives +1 and +2 charm slots, respectively, will start showing up as early as levels 23 and 64, respectively.
In addition to that, The Hunter's Talisman Notable now adds a +1 charm slot by default. However, this Notable will not change the maximum limit on charms, which will always be three.
Also read: Path of Exile 2: Skill Gems and Gemcutting guide
More changes to the passive skill tree are inbound, notably related to the ailment effects. Electrocution has been readjusted and is now harder to build up. A new cluster related to lightning damage and electrocution is being added to the passive skill tree.
Furthermore, the Electrocute Support Gem will no longer have the downside of making the active skill deal 40% less damage. Freeze is also getting a significant change, as bosses will be resistant to the ailment after the first application wears off.
Skill balances
The developers have indicated that many underperforming and overachieving skills will be rebalanced accordingly in this future patch. While the minutia of these changes have not yet been discussed, the patch will aim to rebalance Warrior's Rolling Smash and Shield-based skills.
Beyond that, Bow skills, especially those related to generating Frenzy Charges are being readjusted for better performance. Some Crossbow skills on the higher end of progression are also getting rebalanced. Furthermore, Monks are receiving buffs for some of their Quarterstaff skills.
Also read: Path of Exile 2: Best class combos for co-op
This patch will be interesting for Witch players, as this highly popular class will see both nerfs and buffs. Getting the bad part out of the way first, the Skeletal Arsonist is on the chopping block, as this minion costs less spirit in the current patch. The upcoming patch will readjust the spirit value of these firebomb-chucking minions, which means players could summon less of these.
However, the Osteomancy and Chaos DoT builds, which are underperforming, will be rebalanced accordingly. The patch will add two new support gems, titled Tremors and Bidding. The Bidding Support will now increase the damage of Command skills of minions, such as the Gas Arrow from Skeletal Snipers.
The Tremors Support will imbue additional aftershocks into skills but at the cost of damage. The Fire, Cold, and Lightning Exposure Support Gems will each have their damage reduction removed but incur a greater mana cost multiplier of 120% over the base value.
Magnetic Salvo is also on the chopping block with only player-inflicted Lightning Arrows being detonated by the missiles. So, no more party-play shenanigans (Lighting Rod survives for now).
Last but not least, Vine Arrows and Tornado are also under fire, and so is Gemling Legionaire as an extension. Vine Arrow currently deals an absurd amount of damage with high Skill Gem levels, obliterating endgame bosses in seconds.
In comparison, at Gem Level 40, Vine Arrow deals close to 760,000 damage per second, which is magnitudes higher than the hardest-hitting spell skill in the game. This value will be tuned down in the upcoming patch.
Endgame changes
Path of Exile 2's endgame is also becoming more accessible with this patch, with changes to enemy difficulty, telegraphed attacks, and resistance changes.
First and foremost, the resistance penalties inherently incurred in Tier 6 and Tier 11 maps are no longer in place and will be consistent across every Waystone Tier. Chaos damage inflicted by enemies is also being changed, with the overall pressure being reduced.
The tracking chaos missiles launched by the Volatile Plants modifier will deal reduced damage, while the Volatile Crystal rare modifier has been removed entirely until the developers can fix it.
Critical strikes from enemies will now deal around 40% less damage than before. The Siphon mod on rare monsters has been rebalanced to inflict 10 times less damage to the player's flask charges.
This is only a preview of the changes slated to arrive in the next patch. Although no concrete numbers have been provided, it can be assumed that there will be some shifts in the meta before the holiday season begins.
Check out our other Path of Exile 2 features and guides:
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- Path of Exile 2: All Permanent stat bonuses you can get from the campaign
- Path of Exile 2 Attributes guide: Should you take Strength, Dex, or Int?
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