The new Path of Exile 2 patch notes are so massive they could crush a man. I needed a certified PoE degenerate (shoutout to PCG’s Russell Adderson) to help translate the chaos. The verdict? Everything got nerfed.
Normally, you’d see a wall of patch notes, mutter "Ain’t nobody got time for that," and close the tab. But not me—I had to summarize the carnage. So I summoned Russell, who dove into the notes like a man possessed, occasionally resurfacing to DM me gems like:
"HAHAHAHAHA… They couldn’t fix Grim Feast, so they just DELETED it."
RIP, Grim Feast. Pour one out.
The Biggest Changes (and Meltdowns)
- Chronomancer got tweaked, but Russell’s verdict? "Still unplayable. F in the chat for my most-hyped ascendancy."
- Portals are back (mostly)! Early maps give you the full six, scaling down in endgame. "WE HAVE OUR PORTALS BACK, BABY!"
- Corruption areas no longer auto-scale +1 level but now roll juicier modifiers. "Interesting… Did they shift where perfect Jeweler’s Orbs drop?"
- Logout cheese? Patched. "RIP hardcore players."
- Ailment threshold halved. "Ooooooof."
- Shields might finally be viable. "GGG really wants us to block instead of dodge."
- Heavy stuns now last 3 seconds. (Cue the 😬 emoji.)
- Conversion math changes? "RIP Everlasting Gaze ammy."
Skill Nerfs: The Bloodbath
- Invoker got lightly tapped but "should still slap—unless ES got dumpstered."
- Stormweaver got wrecked. "Losing the 4% mana nodes? ROOOOOOUGH."
- Mana costs for attacks dropped. "Maybe now I can max Ice Strike without bricking my build."
- Jewel sockets removed from the passive tree. "HAHAHAHAHA, NO MORE ADORNED ABUSE. GOTTEM."
- Blink is now a travel skill. "SIX WORDS FOR THIS CHANGE?! I HAVE QUESTIONS."
- Hexblast? "HAMMERED."
- Lightning Conduit lost 80% damage—but "it’s probably still good, lol."
- Freeze mechanics overhauled. "This is HUGE."
- Detonate Dead, Spark, Raging Spirits, Tempest Bell? "All nerfed into the ground."
- Mana Tempest finally fixed. "I KNEW it was broken! I wasn’t crazy!" (You’re not, Russell.)
Quality-of-Life Wins
- Raging Spirits might not melt your PC anymore.
- Spark got "squashed like a bug," so Sorceress leveling just got harder.
- Herald skills can’t trigger on-kill effects from other Herald kills. "This change is so big it’s hard to explain."
- Chase uniques got obliterated: Astramentis, Howa, Everlasting Gaze—"all hammered."
- Rune tiers added, but "GIVE US A STASH TAB FOR THEM, COWARDS."
- Crossbows got buffed. "Maybe someone will actually shoot one now instead of using it as a grenade stat stick."
Endgame & Progression Tweaks
- Drop rates improved, especially early-game.
- Pinnacle boss unlocks cut in half. "Huge change—no more grinding for Breachstones/Simulacra."
- Dodge roll tweaked so mobs can’t corner-lock you as easily.
- Checkpoints expanded, fixing sloggy missions (like Act 2’s Dreadnought). "Haha, they nerfed Dreadnought XP. RIP speedrunners."
The Big Picture
GGG is cracking down on PoE2’s endgame becoming too much like PoE1—where broken builds trivialized fights. As Russell puts it:
"The campaign felt tense—I had to learn mechanics, struggle, adapt. But by T15s? I was just facerolling maps at mach speed."
This patch is GGG’s statement: PoE2’s endgame should be hard. And now? It will be.