As one of the four qualifier leading to the in-person ExileCon Grand Finals, Path of Exile 1 Qualifier 3 kicks off on September 17 at 14:00 PDT. The winner of the qualifier secures not only the prize for the specific match but, more importantly, a spot in the live Race Finale at ExileCon 2026.

For speedrunners, this means their online performance can translate into a chance to take the main stage at ExileCon. This round marks the penultimate opportunity to claim a seat in the finals. As the qualifiers progress, the intensity of the competition is sure to draw increasing attention.

Format Breakdown

Qualifier 3 continues to utilize Standard Solo Self-Found (SSF) fixed seed environment. Participants must progress through the campaign from scratch and defeat Kitava - Act 5 boss - as quickly as possible. This format places immense demands on a speedrunner's overall skillset.

Solo Self-Found

SSF means players cannot trade or party with others; all gear and resources must be obtained independently. This eliminates variables introduced by teamwork or economic trading, focusing the competition purely on the individual's understanding of game mechanics and mechanical skill.

Fixed Seed

The defining feature of a fixed seed is that map randomness is standardized. Since all participants face the same zone layouts, they can study routes beforehand and navigate familiar paths during the actual race.

This makes map knowledge a crucial component of competitive ability. A seemingly minor routing choice can accumulate into a significant time difference across multiple zones; when skill levels are close, minimizing wasted movement and quickly locating key areas can be the deciding factor in the final rankings.

Death Penalty

The death penalty is another major factor influencing race strategy. While players are not permanently disqualified upon death, a one-minute immobilization penalty is enough to alter the course of the race.

In a standard campaign run, a death might simply mean backtracking or losing some time; in a race, however, competitors must factor every risk into their overall route planning. Deciding whether to engage in high-risk combat to save a few seconds - and potentially face the time penalty of death - is a judgment call players must make in the heat of the moment.

Viewing Guide and Twitch Drops

Qualifier 3 will be broadcast live in its entirety on the official Twitch channel, featuring commentary from renowned streamers ZiggyD and RaizQT. Both commentators are highly popular within Path of Exile community, and their expert analysis and entertaining style promise to make the event a compelling watch.

Generous Twitch Drops await viewers as well. By watching the official channel -or any Path of Exile 1 stream - for at least 30 minutes, viewers can earn Darkshard Helmet Attachment cosmetic item. The Twitch Drops campaign runs for 24 hours starting from the event's commencement, concluding at 2:00 PM PDT on September 18.

Regarding participants, all players in Qualifier 3 are required to link their Path of Exile accounts to their Twitch accounts and stream their gameplay throughout the event. Failure to provide a viewable stream to officials will result in disqualification from prize eligibility. This rule ensures the competition remains transparent and open to oversight.

Participants and the Significance of the Event

While Path of Exile speedrunning community may be small in size, the competition within it is fierce. Even before the start of ExileCon 2026 qualifiers, community forums were abuzz with predictions about potential contenders. Top names mentioned include renowned speedrunners such as Izaroth, Tie23he, Allexpleblord, and ImExile, while players like SargeTwo, Tytykiller, Balaar, and Havoc are also considered strong contenders for the championship.

It is worth noting that the four winners of ExileCon 2023 qualifiers were ImExile, Tytykiller, Havoc616, and Tie23he. These players possess extensive experience and outstanding track records in Path of Exile speedrunning scene; their participation undoubtedly adds significant excitement to the 2026 qualifiers.

Speedrunning events place immense demands on a player's build-planning capabilities. In this environment, competitors must precisely calculate acquisition paths for essential skill gems, gear-farming efficiency, the acquisition and expenditure of POE currency, and damage windows during boss encounters. Every decision can impact the final completion time.

For the average player not participating in the qualifiers, the race offers more than just the spectacle of competitors vying for the title. Since all participants must progress through the storyline from scratch, the strategies and techniques demonstrated during the race are directly applicable to the typical player's own playthrough.

Aspects such as early-game skill selection, timing for gear upgrades, areas where time can be saved, and risk management during boss encounters all serve as valuable references for the audience.

Of course, the routes taken by elite speedrunners may not be suitable for every player to replicate exactly. While the race prioritizes maximum efficiency, the average player often balances speed with exploration, gear collection, and the overall gaming experience. Nevertheless, observing how top players manage resources and time provides valuable insight into the process of progressing through PoE storyline.

The countdown to Qualifier 3 is underway. We look forward to seeing who - under Standard Solo Self-Found fixed seed rules - can turn every detail into a time advantage and secure a coveted qualifying spot.

Path of Exile 3.29 league has been live for nearly a month and a half, and you may have already completed most of the challenges. Your goal might now be shifting toward finding a top-tier build capable of reliably and efficiently destroying Uber Bosses.

To help you achieve this quickly, we are introducing a build based on Pearl of Tsoatha ring, a specific item added in 3.29 league, and the transfigured spell Lightning Spire Trap of Overloading.

By leveraging unique mechanical synergies, this build can easily dish out massive damage in the endgame. If you're interested, don't miss the crafting guide below!

Leveraging specific gear for core functionality

The core crafting philosophy of this build lies in stacking three elements: the massive base damage gained from high skill levels, extreme critical strike multipliers, and seamless area-of-effect coverage.

To this end, gear selection is crucial; beyond Pearl of Tsoatha (which we'll cover shortly), Crest of Desire Fluted Bascinet is indispensable.

This helmet has long been a game-changer for spell-based builds, offering innate properties such as +8 to the level of socketed gems, +50% to the quality of socketed gems, and a chance to deal double damage.

Typically, the fatal flaw of Crest of Desire is that it has only a single socket and cannot directly link to support gems; essentially, you trade the benefits of multiple support gem multipliers for exceptionally high base stats on a single skill.

If you primarily use spells that scale heavily with skill level, this trade-off is highly worthwhile. However, for trap skills that rely on multiple support gems, this limitation often creates significant mechanical drawbacks.

Pearl of Tsoatha, introduced in PoE 3.29, effectively solves this problem. It allows you to apply the effects of additional support gems directly to skills socketed in your helmet, gloves, boots, or even those on your passive skill tree.

This enables you to indirectly infuse Lightning Spire Trap of Overloading (socketed in Crest of Desire) with extra support gem effects, all without compromising the helmet's single-socket constraint.

Consequently, Crest of Desire retains its powerful innate properties while effectively gaining top-tier support bonuses equivalent to a 5-link or even 6-link setup, shattering the helmet's inherent limitations in one fell swoop.

Gear options for other slots

Beyond the two key items mentioned above, if you want a more streamlined path to completing this Path of Exile 3.29 build, consider slotting Marylene's Fallacy into your amulet slot. When enhanced with high-quality catalysts, it provides a massive boost to critical strike multiplier.

For the body armor slot, adding Carcass Jack grants increased AoE and essential elemental resistances.

As for the weapon, you can start with a staff base that has +2 to Level of all Spell Skill Gems and then craft an additional +4 to Level of Lightning Spells modifier onto it.

To achieve this, repeatedly re-roll your weapon base using Deafening Essence of Wrath until you hit the + Level of Lightning Spells modifier.

Next, use the crafting bench to lock the prefix and block unwanted suffixes, roll for the final modifier, and then craft the specific suffix you desire.

Note that this process requires a significant amount of various currencies; if you run low on supplies, be sure to buy PoE currency promptly to avoid stalling your crafting progress.

Skill setup centered on Lightning Spire Trap of Overloading

Among the many spells in PoE, Lightning Spire Trap of Overloading stands out as the ideal vehicle for this mechanic, thanks to its unique stat profile.

As a transfigured version of Lightning Spire Trap, it boasts a long 10-second base cooldown but compensates with massive single-hit damage and a 100% base critical strike chance.

To fully capitalize on this rare base critical strike chance, it is best paired with Bifurcate passive skill from Assassin Ascendancy class.

Bifurcate causes your critical strike damage to be calculated twice if both checks result in a critical hit, though it comes at the cost of a 30% reduction in critical strike chance.

However, even with the critical strike chance penalties from Bifurcate and your gear, Lightning Spire Trap of Overloading can still reach the critical strike chance cap.

Further increasing the skill's quality will also add more waves to the attack. If you socket a gem into the blue slot of Crest of Desire, you can even increase the number of waves from 8 to 16, effectively doubling the damage output once again.

To maximize the shotgunning effect of Lightning Spire Trap of Overloading, where multiple projectiles or waves strike the same target simultaneously, you also need to invest in increased AoE.

Increasing AoE expands the coverage area of each individual wave without altering the spacing between them. Consequently, with a sufficiently large radius, you can virtually guarantee that every wave connects with a single target.

Additional mechanics to leverage

Beyond the core items and skills mentioned above, you can further enhance this build's performance against single-target bosses by incorporating other Path of Exile mechanics.

For instance, linking Lightning Spire Trap of Overloading with Advanced Traps Support helps mitigate its lengthy 10-second cooldown, resulting in a smoother, more responsive playstyle.

To push your damage output even higher, you can stack various buffs and debuffs before the boss fight begins. A great example is using Stormblast Mines linked with Arrogance Support, combined with the appropriate passive skills to extend mine duration, to set the stage.

You can deploy up to 20 mines simultaneously; bolstered by aura effects, these mines can increase the damage taken by nearby enemies by 140%.

If you have the currency to spare, you can also utilize specific flasks for additional advantages. Bottled Faith, for example, further amplifies the damage enemies take, while Vessel of Vinktar provides increased lightning penetration.

Whether you want to breeze through Uber boss challenges in the mid-to-late game of Path of Exile 3.29 or simply experience the thrill of instantly obliterating high-difficulty content, this build is not to be missed! Give it a try if you're interested!

September is here, and Path of Exile 1 ExileCon qualifiers, eagerly awaited by countless Exiles, are finally about to begin! This race is not only the only path to New Zealand ExileCon finals, but also the perfect stage to test your competitive skills.

The development team has released the complete schedule, rules, and rewards. Whether you're a player planning to compete in the qualifiers or a viewer cheering on your team in front of the livestream, this guide will help you grab all the key information.

Schedule

This PoE 1 ExileCon qualifier will consist of four separate events, scheduled for the same time slot on four consecutive Fridays.

The specific times are as follows:

• Qualifier One - September 4, 2 PM PDT
• Qualifier Two - September 11, 2 PM PDT
• Qualifier Three - September 18, 2 PM PDT
• Qualifier Four - September 25, 2 PM PDT

Please make sure to convert the time zone according to your location and log in to your game account in advance, as the event page will display the corresponding local clock based on the time zone set in your account, so that you can confirm the start time of the event.

Additionally, all participants are advised to enter PoE character selection screen and click the Join button in advance. Once in the game, your character will remain stationary until the countdown reaches zero, at which point the match officially begins.

Preparing in advance can help you avoid network congestion or operational errors closer to the start time, ensuring you don't lose at the starting line.

How to participate?

Participating in PoE 1 ExileCon qualifiers is completely free, so any player with a PoE account can join. However, there's a strict prerequisite: you must link your game account to your Twitch account and stream the entire qualifier through that linked Twitch channel.

This is to ensure that the event supervisors can view your game footage in real time, and it is also a necessary condition for everyone to be eligible to win.

Linking your account is very simple: after logging into your account on the official website, simply click the corresponding link on the account linking page.

Once you successfully join a qualifier, the system will prompt you to create a character. All players use the same fixed-seed environment, meaning the map layout and monster distribution are completely identical for everyone.

However, PoE currency and equipment drops retain their randomness; the competition is purely about route planning, skill level, and on-the-spot decision-making.

Players should note that this ExileCon qualifier is only open to PC players; console access is not yet available.

Race Rules

The goal for players in each qualifier is highly specific: to be the first to defeat Kitava, the final boss of Act 5, in Standard Solo Self-Found mode.

While this qualifier is not a Hardcore event and character death is not permanent, the development team has introduced a special penalty mechanism - after each death, your character will be forcibly locked in place, unable to move for one minute.

This one minute is enough for the leader to create a decisive gap, so survival strategy is often more important than recklessness.

After the race, the system will rank players based on their time to defeat Kitava, and only the first-place player in each qualifier will directly advance to the final.

It's important to note that if you win a qualifier, you will be disqualified from participating in subsequent qualifiers to provide more opportunities for other players.

Furthermore, all participants must abide by the game and Twitch's terms of service. Any behavior that violates the spirit of competition (such as maliciously interfering with others, exploiting bugs, etc.) may result in disqualification!

Champion Rewards

The champion of each qualifying round will receive an incredibly generous prize package, including airfare to Auckland, New Zealand, local accommodation during ExileCon weekend, an Ultra VIP ExileCon ticket, and direct entry to ExileCon Path of Exile 1 Grand Final.

In addition, the champion can choose one of four collectible Body Armor designs:

• Thunderstruck Body Armor
• Engineer's Body Armor
• Crystallized Body Armor
• Demonic Stygian Armor

If a winner cannot travel to New Zealand, their airfare, accommodation, and Grand Final spot will be awarded to the runner-up in all qualifying rounds (regardless of the number of rounds), and the winner will retain their chosen Body Armor reward.

The development team has also specifically noted that current or former employees of the company are not eligible to receive rewards to ensure fairness.

How to watch the competition?

For players who don't plan to participate or fail to qualify, the official team will stream every qualifier live on their Twitch channel. They also welcome any streamers to co-stream; you can share your race perspective on your own channel and experience the tension of Path of Exile with your fans.

Additionally, new Twitch drop rewards will be available during each stream, allowing you to not only learn from top players' strategies but also have a chance to win in-game rewards - a win-win situation.

Finally, please remember to double-check your account's linked status and ensure your streaming software and network connection are stable.

Once the matches begin, your UI must be clearly visible without any obstructions, and your Twitch replays must be set to public for post-match review.

All qualifier results will be announced as soon as possible after each match. We wish every participating Exile the best of luck on the battlefield - win or lose, having the courage to challenge Kitava is admirable!

In Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.5, Expedition remains a highly profitable endgame farming method. Here, I introduce a streamlined speed-farming strategy for Grand Expeditions: instead of aiming to clear the entire map, you quickly scan for Runic Remnants, engage only with high-value rewards, and exit immediately, thereby maximizing profit per unit of time.

This farming method requires a certain level of character power. If you have a build with high movement speed and efficient map-clearing capabilities, consistently generating dozens of Divine Orbs per hour is entirely achievable. However, if your character clears monsters slowly, the time cost will erode the profits gained from repeatedly entering and exiting maps; it is recommended to upgrade your build before attempting this strategy.

Core Mechanic: How do Runic Remnants work in Grand Expeditions?

Grand Expeditions are specialized maps unlocked via Logbooks. Unlike standard map Expeditions, Grand Expeditions feature a large number of Runic Remnants, each with a varying number of Rune Slots.

Placing and detonating explosives on a Runic Remnant spawns enemies affected by specific Runic Modifiers. Defeating these enemies grants the rewards associated with that Remnant. Generally, more Rune Slots mean a greater impact on enemies and a larger scale of rewards, making multi-slot Remnants the primary targets of interest.

This is the heart of the speed-farming strategy: prioritize high-value Runic Remnants rather than clearing the entire Grand Expedition map. Upon entering, quickly scout the area to check the rewards offered by various Remnants; if you find a target worth pursuing (using a value of 1 Divine Orb as a benchmark), place your explosives and complete the encounter. If the map contains no worthwhile rewards, do not waste time - simply detonate one charge and exit immediately.

Expedition Atlas Passive Tree: Two Key Nodes

As of PoE 2 Patch 0.5.4, Expedition has its own dedicated Atlas Passive Skill Tree, comprising 24 nodes in total, 12 of which are Notables. These talent points are earned by defeating bosses in Grand Expedition questline and are completely independent of the standard Atlas Tree points.

For Grand Expedition speed-farming strategy, two nodes are particularly important.

Feeling Lucky?

The first is Feeling Lucky?. Allocating this node causes Farrow to start selling Liquid Verisium. This is a kind of POE 2 currency used on Runic Remnants that allows you to directly reset Runic Inscription on that Remnant - essentially a free reroll.

When you encounter a Runic Remnant with good slot placement but a poor reward list, using Liquid Verisium to reroll it offers a chance to transform it into a high-value target, significantly boosting the expected yield per map.

Extra Remnant

The second node is Extra Remnant. It directly increases the number of Runic Remnants encountered during an Expedition. For speed-farming, a higher number of Remnants means more rewards can be checked within a given timeframe, making it easier to find high-value targets worth using explosives on.

The remaining 22 nodes can be allocated according to personal preference. However, there is one more node to consider: Extreme Archaeology. It alters the explosive mechanics, replacing the standard multiple small-scale placements with a single, large-area blast.

While this significantly simplifies the explosive placement process, it also activates more enemies at once, placing higher demands on your character's clear speed and survivability. Therefore, if your goal is simply to execute a consistent speed-farming strategy, there is no need to rush into allocating this node.

Map and Logbook Selection and Usage

Grand Expedition speed-farming places almost no requirements on the map itself. Whether the map is Normal, Magic, Rare, or Unique, as long as your character can complete it quickly and locate Expedition, it is suitable for use.

Since the primary returns from this strategy come from Runic Remnant rewards rather than the map's inherent drops, there is no need to invest excessive resources into Waystone. For high-speed builds, minimizing the time spent per map is usually more important than maximizing the returns from map modifiers.

Logbooks are crucial resources for accessing the Ocean region and locating Grand Expeditions. Using a Logbook reveals a new exploration zone within the Atlas's Ocean region, featuring standard Expeditions, Grand Expeditions, and other special encounters. Note that a Grand Expedition is not a standalone map launched directly by Logbook; instead, it appears as content within the revealed Ocean exploration zone. Therefore, the basic gameplay loop is quite simple: obtain Logbooks from standard Expeditions found in regular Path of Exile 2 maps, use them to explore oceanic zones, and hunt for Grand Expeditions. Once inside a Grand Expedition, focus on inspecting Runic Remnants and engage only with high-value targets that justify the time investment.

Standard map Expeditions are also a crucial part of this cycle. Runic Monsters have a chance to drop Logbooks, creating a continuous resource loop between standard Expeditions and Grand Expeditions.

Overall, the core strategy for speed-farming Grand Expeditions in Path of Exile 2 is straightforward: use a high-speed build to quickly clear maps, selectively target high-value Runic Remnants, and concentrate your time on objectives that truly offer the best returns. This approach is best suited for players who prioritize efficiency - maximizing profit per unit of time - and whose characters already possess strong mobility and clear speed.

If you regularly farm Abyss content in Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.5, using Heart of the Well to make currency is a strategy well worth trying.

Acquiring them isn't complicated: simply spawn Rogue Exiles on top of Abyss, and they have a chance to drop Heart of the Well diamond. These diamonds are inexpensive, typically costing between 16 and 18 Chaos Orbs.

The goal is straightforward: take this cheap material and use Desecrate to craft it into a high-value jewel, profiting from the price difference. Sounds tempting, doesn't it?

Affix Rules

Before diving in, you need to understand the affix distribution for Heart of the Well.

The first and last Desecrate steps always grant a prefix, while the intermediate steps grant a suffix. This makes the initial prefix crucial; you'll usually want to activate an Omen of Abyssal Echoes to gamble for a beneficial affix.

Among prefixes, Lightning and Cold damage bonuses are the most valuable. Fire bonuses are usable, but Chaos bonuses are the least desirable.

If the first step doesn't yield a beneficial affix, continuing the process is usually not cost-effective; it's best to stop there rather than stubbornly pushing on.

There are plenty of good options for suffixes - such as Rage, Attack Speed, Cast Speed, Mana on Kill, Critical Strike-related mods, Rage on Melee Hit, and Skill Effect Duration - all of which have a market.

Memorize the valuable affixes so you can make quick decisions during the crafting process.

Crafting Process

First, head to The Well of Souls to perform the crafting.

Next, activate Omen of Abyssal Echoes and perform the first Desecrate on the diamond.

If you land a Lightning or Cold bonus, you can happily proceed. A Fire bonus is also worth keeping, but be cautious with Chaos bonuses, as they rarely fetch a high price.

During the intermediate steps, aim for the useful suffixes mentioned earlier; these significantly boost the final sale price.

Finally, use the last Desecrate to gamble for another beneficial prefix, aiming to secure a double-bonus item.

If you end up with a dud, don't rush to throw it away; Reforging Bench in PoE 2 allows you to combine three jewels of the same type to recoup some value - or even turn trash into treasure.

Throughout the process, constantly evaluate whether the base item is worth continuing with; avoid wasting time on jewels that lack potential.

When crafting in bulk, try focusing on the first prefix roll across all items first. Discard any that don't yield the desired bonus before processing the rest; this approach is significantly more efficient.

Also, patience is key during crafting. Not every Heart of the Well will roll a great combination of modifiers, but when you do hit a good one, the payoff is often substantial.

Comparing Market Prices

Keep in mind that the price variance for finished jewels in Path of Exile 2 is huge, so always check the market before selling.

A near-perfect Heart of the Well can fetch around 65 PoE 2 Divine Orbs - a single sale that could recoup the majority of your total crafting costs.

A Heart of the Well with both Fire and Lightning bonuses goes for about 14 Divines; adding a Critical Spell Damage bonus pushes the price to 20 Divines, and including Critical Hit Chance can bring it close to 50 Divines (listing it at 49 Divines often makes it easier to sell).

Similarly, Cold and Lightning bonus combination is highly sought-after in PoE 2; adding Critical Hit Chance allows for a price of around 24 Divines, while adding Mana Regeneration can push it to 34 Divines.

However, as mentioned earlier, combinations like Fire and Chaos bonuses are cheaper; a pure Chaos bonus version might only sell for 1 Divine Orb.

Unless, of course, you also roll Spell Damage bonus or Mana on Kill, which could raise the price to 5 or 6 Divines.

Heart of the Well, featuring other useful modifiers - such as Movement Speed ​​or Attack Speed - can also command prices ranging from 18 to 35 Divine Orbs.

Finally, when setting your price, it is best to check what other players are asking for similar Heart of the Well.

Listing yours slightly lower usually helps it sell faster without sacrificing too much profit. If a jewel sits unsold for a long time, you can lower the price appropriately, but avoid dropping it too far below your cost.

Returns and Risks

The cost of this strategy - profiting from the price spread of Heart of the Well jewels - is around 75 Divine Orbs. Since there is potential to nearly double your investment, the profit margins are indeed attractive.

Of course, not every Heart of the Well you craft will yield a profit; producing duds is inevitable. You will need to rely on Reforging Bench and smart pricing strategies to minimize losses.

However, you must approach this with the right mindset: view it as a steady, long-term jewel-trading business rather than a gamble for an overnight fortune.

You must strictly adhere to the rules for filtering modifiers during every craft: abandon the item immediately if the initial roll lacks beneficial stats, or stop if the suffix rolls are subpar. Only by maintaining this discipline can you ensure consistent profitability.

This type of jewel has performed strongly across multiple leagues in PoE 2, and it remains a powerful option in the current Patch 0.5.5. Consequently, if you regularly farm Abyss content, this strategy will generate a reliable stream of extra income.

Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.5 has been live for two weeks. Although this is merely an interim mini-league without a massive amount of new content, players have fully immersed themselves in it, discovering new gameplay mechanics and build possibilities.

Compared to the ongoing Patch 0.5.0, 0.5.5 Forbidden Rites League introduces several commendable changes to PoE 2, though there are still areas that fall short of perfection.

With the full 1.0 launch of PoE 2 approaching after 0.5.5, we are highlighting the shortcomings revealed by this patch. We hope the development team can address these issues promptly to ensure a superior experience for the final release.

Review of new gameplay in 0.5.5

Forbidden Rites League replaces the campaign's Remnants mechanic with Rituals. This allows you to encounter Exiles early on and earn extra PoE 2 currency, or valuable gear to boost your build's power, through these encounters.

While the difficulty spikes sharply as you progress, making it easy to die if your build isn't fully optimized, the mechanic offers a fresh experience and additional ways to generate rewards beyond what was available in 0.5.0.

However, once you reach the endgame, the relevance and profitability of Ritual mechanic begin to wane, eventually becoming lackluster. Unless you specifically tailor your tactics to it, the mechanic tends to fade into the background of your daily farming routine.

Another addition in Patch 0.5.5 is the optimization of Trial of Chaos. By reducing the number of gimmicky room types, more levels now focus on pure combat; simultaneously, the boss arenas have been downsized to create a tighter, more intense combat experience.

Additionally, in the new Trial of Chaos, you can earn top-tier loot by challenging Trialmaster or simply collect Soul Cores. These can be used to enhance your gear setup or sold for currency.

Issues with Atlas system

As the core of Path of Exile 2, Atlas defines the endgame experience, while its associated passive tree determines your character's ultimate potential.

Although the current Atlas system has improved compared to earlier versions, there are still design elements that hinder the overall flow of gameplay.

While acquiring passive points is faster now than before, the issue remains that you must endure a lengthy grind before you can truly begin efficient mapping.

Even if you have allocated the nodes for the main passive tree and those related to Vaal Temple, theoretically enabling you to farm the temple, you won't achieve a truly reliable farming experience without also investing in other areas and Masters of Atlas nodes.

However, doing so forces you to clear a multitude of worthless, throwaway maps just to unlock the necessary pathing nodes, significantly disrupting the momentum of executing your specific mapping strategy.

Another issue is that the feedback and rewards for defeating the boss, Arbiter of Divinity, lack clarity; this not only risks discouraging players but also confuses newcomers unfamiliar with the encounter.

The current mechanics require you to collect fragments and defeat Arbiter of Divinity a second time to fully claim the available points. Faced with such a tedious and unengaging system, you might prefer simply trading for the fragments on the exchange.

We suggest that PoE 2 development team enhance the rewards and sense of accomplishment associated with the first defeat of Arbiter of Divinity, while also allowing players to gradually unlock the remaining Atlas points through open-world gameplay or standard mapping.

Suggestions for QoL improvements

Beyond core gameplay, ensuring a strong launch for Path of Exile 2 version 1.0 requires the development team to prioritize further QoL optimizations.

First, regarding item storage, the game could adopt a feature from the original title: a dedicated mini-stash located near the map interface for storing temporarily acquired maps and currency used for rerolling map modifiers, thereby preventing them from cluttering the main inventory.

Additionally, when encountering Strongboxes or rare enemies within a map, the system should allow players to access currency directly from their main stash or provide a dedicated storage space, eliminating the need to constantly carry around a multitude of miscellaneous orbs.

Furthermore, Tablet configuration system should allow players to preset and instantly switch between different tablet combinations to adapt to varying terrain or strategies, reducing the tedium of frequent manual swapping.

Ideally, the development team should also resolve the issue where tablets remain locked in a character's inventory when switching to a different character. In fact, the most efficient solution would be to make tablets shared across all characters on the same account.

It is worth noting that in the current trading market, some unscrupulous players sell used Tablets, which have very few remaining uses, as if they were fresh, fully-charged items.

To mitigate this issue, it would be best to either prohibit the sale of used Tablets entirely or mandate the display of their remaining usage count.

Regarding game balance and mechanics, PoE 2 currently relies too heavily on Hit Damage, making it difficult for DoT and Chaos-based builds to scale effectively in the endgame.

We also recommend that Path of Exile 2 implement a death replay feature. This would allow players to review the source of fatal damage and real-time combat logs, helping them understand exactly why they died and enabling more efficient build optimization. Such a feature would also assist in identifying hidden bugs.

While PoE 2 version 0.5.5 has certainly made strides in campaign innovation and core gameplay improvements, further refinements to the finer details are needed to ensure the final 1.0 release is truly polished. We sincerely hope the development team delivers an official launch in December that satisfies the player base.