You’ll Experience A Completely Unique Experience In Path Of Exile 2 Than In The First Game! - Differences Explained
Path of Exile is a long-standing hack-and-slash MMO legend known for its detailed environments, engaging combat, and nearly endless content. Now, the developers want to take these famous aspects to the next level with the reimagined sequel Path of Exile 2. In this new game, you’ll experience a completely different game experience than the original game, such as changing some game mechanics to make the entire game more immersive.
In addition, the official release time of Path of Exile 2 will be staggered with the update time of the first game, so you can enjoy exploring this new game! This guide will tell you exactly what the differences between the two games are, so that you can prepare.
1. New Local Couch Co-Op
In a game this large, the simplest changes are often the most important, such as Local Couch Co-Op, which is a feature that Path of Exile players have dreamed of. It’s officially here in the much-anticipated Path of Exile 2, and it’s not a one-off add-on.
You can explore the dangerous land of Wraeclast with your family or friends in this feature, without having to sign up for a new account. This means you don’t need an extra console or copy of the game to help you farm some POE Items or face powerful bosses with your friends during your exploration.
In addition, Local Couch Co-Op will attract more new players to start paying attention to this game, making it a great addition to the staying power that the series strives to achieve.
2. Cross-Platform Synchronization
Although everyone has different needs for cross-platform games, it would be more popular if a game had this feature. So in POE 2, not only is the synchronization of game accounts on different platforms realized, but also the synchronization of progress across platforms!
In this way, you can use the same character to explore the same progress on different devices, and no longer regret creating a new character or missing out on valuable experience points and items.
This change is very useful for some players who want to play games anytime and anywhere, because it is very convenient to switch very smoothly between game consoles and mobile gaming devices such as Steam Deck. As the audience of these devices becomes wider and wider, I believe that more games will achieve such cross-platform synchronization.
3. Currency System Has Changed
Unlike the original, the sequel will use Gold, which was more important in Path Of Exile 3.25, as the core resource and POE Currency of the entire game. You can pick up the loot dropped by the monsters you defeat or trade with Vendors.
In addition, the rarity of the loot you get from fighting bosses will also affect the value of the currency you get, so boss encounters in Path Of Exile 2 are your principal source of gold and other rare currencies.
It is unpredictable that other currencies, such as Orb of Alteration and Orb of Scouring, may be replaced by gold-based mechanics. However, it is worth noting that Alchemy and Transmutation shards in the game can still be obtained by disenchanting items.
This change in the currency system mainly changes the relationship between you and Vendors, making item trading a more general tool for farming gold. This will make it easier for new players who have never tried this kind of game to fall in love with this game, because this currency system is very easy to learn and does not require too much brainpower.
4. Comprehensive Changes To Gem System
Another big change in POE 2 is about the gem system-you will not find gem sockets in weapons. But don’t worry, this is not to remove all gems, but to move all gem sockets to the gem menu next to it, where there will be 9 slots for various skill gems.
But the number of this slot is not fixed. It depends on the rarity of your gems and the skills you want to link. You need to find some uncut gems and apply the skills you want to this gem, instead of looking for gems that already have skills.
In the new game, these gems can provide a lot of customization options for your character and build. For example, support gems will provide you with more unique mechanisms based on the differences between skills and Classes. This means that you have more freedom when creating your own build, and each build or item will be more in line with your usage habits.
5. New Weapon Types Added
In many trailers, you should have learned that there will be four new weapon types for you to use in Path of Exile 2, which also provides more options for different player play styles.
The first two major weapons to be introduced are the hybrid spear, which can be used for both melee and ranged combat, and the strength and intelligence flail that focuses on critical attacks. The other two are crossbows, which have different types of crossbows to deal with different types of enemies.
These weapons will appear in the official version along with the exciting new classes in the game. These changes will make players’ personal play styles more unique and have more choices in weapons and builds, rather than just focusing on buffs.
These are the differences you will experience in Path of Exile 2 compared to the original. Do these changes make you more excited about this new sequel? We will follow up on any subsequent changes and look forward to meeting it with you in this new game!
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Although Path of Exile 2 is complex and difficult to master, one of the main reasons it retains a loyal fanbase is its unique mechanics, unlike mainstream ARPGs, such as its detailed currency system.
Most ARPGs tend to have an economic system based on a specific currency or gold, serving as the basic means of exchange. However, Path of Exile 2 has many types of currency, each with different uses and acquisition methods.
While this increases the difficulty of currency farming, it also means your gaming experience will be clearer and more organized, rather than having a pile of coins without knowing what to do with them.
The economic system in PoE 2 resets with each new league. Therefore, now, a week after the start of Fate of the Vaal league, the popular Divine Orbs should be your farming priority.
Below, we will introduce the information you need to know to improve your Divine Orbs farming efficiency in this league.
Overview Of Divine Orb Farming Methods
Although PoE 2 has many types of currency, only a few are commonly used, and Divine Orbs are one of them. Their purpose is to increase the power of rare or unique items by changing their modifier values.
The effectiveness of these orbs is not obvious in the early stages of the league, so you can sell them for other currencies you need more. But as you progress further in the game, you will need to start farming them intensively.
Mapping
After entering the endgame stage, you can start earning various loot, including Divine Orbs, through mapping. The essence of the mapping mechanism is to constantly run new maps and fight in them to obtain rewards.
On this basis, Waystones and Precursor Tablets are two essential items. The former opens portals to random areas, and the latter increases the loot you ultimately receive by modifying the number and rarity of enemies.
Therefore, when farming Divine Orbs using this method, the key to improving efficiency is to obtain high-level Waystones while stacking Tablets, and also focusing on nodes that increase rewards when unlocking Atlas passive skills.
Trials And Events
Although the core function of Trial of Chaos and Trial of Sekhema is to help you unlock Ascendancy classes and talent points, they are also a mainstream way to obtain high-level currency, and you can farm them repeatedly.
Besides mapping and trials, when you play other endgame events, such as Ritual, Breach & Delirium, you can also encounter the sources of loot drops. Alternatively, if you urgently need currency, you can buy PoE 2 Divine Orbs through trading markets and websites.
Changes Introduced In Patch 0.4.0
In addition to adding new gameplay, each major update to Path of Exile 2 modifies or optimizes existing mechanics to ensure a smoother experience and better performance of the current patch content.
Based on the introduction to Divine Orb farming methods, you should already have a preliminary speculation of which changes will affect this. We will now explain them in detail.
Map Enemies And Bosses
When clearing maps, you will constantly encounter various towers. After the changes in Patch 0.3.1, their function is to clear the map fog after construction, revealing surrounding nodes and biomes, and guaranteeing a Precursor Tablet reward.
Building on this, if you are mapping during Fate of the Vaal league, the sources of increased enemy numbers on maps and Tablets have been removed, replaced by efficiency bonuses.
This means you will primarily obtain more loot by killing enemies with increased health, rather than by clearing a larger number of enemies. Regular monsters will no longer swarm the player in high density, while rare monsters will drop more loot.
In addition, each map now has a boss, some of which are more powerful - these bosses are marked separately and are more durable and deal higher damage.
If you are confident in your abilities, you can use an Overseer Precursor Tablet to transform the current map into one with a powerful map boss.
More importantly, after the release of Patch 0.4.0, killing the map boss will reveal all remaining unexplored content on the map, such as Breach hands, Abyss, and more.
Therefore, if you prioritize farming the boss when clearing maps, you can then more efficiently find all the content you want to complete, improving efficiency by filtering out mechanics with a lower probability of dropping Divine Orbs, avoiding wasted time.
However, if you die while fighting the map boss, all remaining content on the map will be removed.
Map Rolling
The map rolling mechanism has been significantly simplified, and no new mechanics that increase map setup time will be added in future updates.
Based on this, by combining it with an Orb of Alchemy that can roll Waystone modifiers, you can immediately give your map more affixes, thus obtaining more Divine Orbs or other loot upon completion.
Tablet Rolling
After optimization, by default, you can only have a maximum of two affixes on your map, but once you defeat the boss Arbiter of Ash in normal difficulty, you can reroll the map affixes to a maximum of four, including two prefixes and two suffixes.
Regarding Tablets, one affix you need to focus on is rarity. The rarity bonus of items dropped in the map stacks very well with the rarity bonus on your gear, thus improving the quality of all items you find in the map.
Optimal Farming Strategy
After understanding the above, to farm Divine Orbs faster in the new league, you first need to unlock the appropriate Atlas passive skills based on your class and build, and then focus on stacking map and gear rarity and killing rare monsters.
We hope our suggestions will help you earn more currency to upgrade your character in the later stages of Fate of the Vaal league. Have fun!
Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.4.0 features incredibly cool skill combinations, but if you frequently cast skills while farming, you'll quickly run out of mana. Furthermore, leveling up skills further increases mana consumption.
Mana management isn't just a problem for spellcaster classes; almost all classes face this issue during the campaign. Without suitable items, some builds will still be plagued by mana shortages even in the endgame. So how can this be solved?
Mana Regeneration During Mapping
While farming, using skills to kill mobs is incredibly satisfying, and with the right affixes, these monsters can become a source of mana regeneration, and the more enemies, the more effective it is.
Sapphire Suffix
One of the suffixes for sapphires is that it restores 1% to 2% of maximum mana upon killing an enemy. Sapphires are relatively common items, with a high probability of appearing early in the game. Additionally, the kill to mana affix can appear on Martial Weapons, rings, and gloves. Combining this with a sapphire bearing this affix essentially solves the mana regeneration problem during mapping.
Leech Mana
Another method involves using items with leech mana modifiers, which is also a powerful source of mana regeneration, but it's only suitable for physical damage attack-based builds. For example, Mark of Siphoning Support gem allows you to leech mana when attacking marked enemies, but the leech amount is only 5% of the damage dealt; it might be more useful against bosses.
Mana Flasks
Mana Flasks are a commonly used mana regeneration method and are crucial during campaigns. Not only do you need to upgrade flasks, but you can also add affixes to Mana Flasks using PoE 2 Currency:
- Increased mana recovery
- Increased number of charges
- Gain charges per second
Lavianga's Spirits is a unique Mana Flask that cannot and does not need to be manually used. Its effect is continuous, providing a fixed amount of mana regeneration periodically, the amount of which depends on its quality and affixes.
Besides Mana Flasks themselves, there are other ways to increase their mana regeneration. For example, in Act 4 Abandoned Prison quest, you can choose a permanent buff from Flasks that increases mana regeneration. Belts can also roll mana regeneration affixes from Flasks, significantly enhancing potion effects.
Some talent points can also improve the effects of Mana Flasks. For example, Lavianga's Brew talent point in Druid area grants skills 30% increased mana cost efficiency while mana Flasks are active and increases mana regeneration from Flasks by 10%.
Reducing Mana Cost
Reducing Skill Mana Cost
You can type Mana Cost in Passive skill interface to find many related nodes, some of which reduce skill mana costs.
If the talent point is too far away, you can use Distilled Emotions to anoint or infuse it into your amulet to reduce mana costs.
Converting to Life Costs
Price of Freedom key passive node not only increases the mana cost efficiency of attack skills but also converts a portion of mana costs into life costs. You can restore mana by using items with life-restoring affixes or life flasks, thus alleviating mana pressure. Blood Magic key passive node is a more extreme solution; it completely removes mana, making all skills consume life instead.
Support Gems
- Efficiency II Support gem: Reduces the mana cost of the supported skill.
- Lifetap Support gem: Converts the mana cost of the supported skill into life cost, similar to Blood Magic for single-skill characters.
- Clarity Support gem: When actively activated, it reserves a portion of spirit, providing a mana regeneration rate bonus.
Mana Regeneration And Maximum Mana
Each character has a default base regeneration rate of 4% of maximum mana per second, but this can actually be increased. You need to increase your mana regeneration rate. This can be achieved through Clarity aura, equipment, talent points, and Jungle Ruins quest reward, which increases mana regeneration rate by 25%.
Additionally, since the base regeneration rate is a percentage of maximum mana, increasing maximum mana through rings, amulets, and other equipment will also directly increase the regeneration rate per second.
Non-Universal Solutions
- Mana Remnants buff: Killing or critically striking enemies affected by Elemental Ailments generates lootable Remnants. Picking them up restores mana and temporarily increases maximum mana.
- Font of Mana Support gem: Enables supported Totem abilities to create an area that restores mana.
- Defy II: Allows the use of abilities even when surrounded and lacking mana. It can be used with Constricting Command helmet to reduce the number of monsters required to trigger this effect.
- Eldritch Battery node: Converts Energy Shield into mana, but consumes double the mana cost for abilities.
- Mana Recoup affix: Restores a portion of consumed mana over a period of time after taking damage.
- Gain mana while blocking: This effect appears in passives or equipment affixes, such as Defensive Reflexes passive node, and it is more suitable for high block rate builds.
- Thief's Torment Emerald Ring: You gain 15 mana for each enemy you hit. It's not powerful, but it takes up a ring slot.
The mana shortage problem mainly occurs in the early game. Later in the game, as your level increases, you'll have more equipment and currency, allowing you to tailor a solution based on your build. If you're still struggling with this issue later, it might be that your equipment isn't up to par, or your skill points are allocated to damage-focused parts. Review these aspects and make some adjustments.
In Path of Exile 2, Mystery Boxes are paid loot boxes containing a set of random cosmetic microtransaction items. These items are purely cosmetic and do not affect your character's abilities or game progression in any way.
Each box has a specific theme, and during Patch 0.4.0, it's The Last of the Druids Mystery Box, offering unique themed armor sets, effects, pets, and hideout decorations.
Price
Currently, The Last of the Druids Mystery Box can only be obtained from MTX store for 50 points, a microtransaction currency linked to real money.
In addition to the single box option, they also offer a bundle of 5 Mystery Boxes for 250 points. You can choose according to your needs.
It's worth noting that each Mystery Box opened will yield a different item variant, but some variants may be rarer than others. Therefore, the more boxes you open, the higher the probability of getting the rare item you want!
What's In Mystery Box?
The Last of the Druids Mystery Box contains 63 microtransaction items, many of which have varying numbers of themed variants.
- Stormborne Huntress Helmet - Chance to appear: 3.8462%
- Frigid Stormborne Huntress Body Armour - Chance to appear: 1.5385%
- Infernal Stormborne Huntress Body Armour - Chance to appear: 1.1538%
- Thunderous Stormborne Huntress Body Armour - Chance to appear: 0.7692%
- Chaotic Stormborne Huntress Body Armour - Chance to appear: 0.3846%
- Stormborne Huntress Gloves - Chance to appear: 3.8462%
- Stormborne Huntress Boots - Chance to appear: 3.8462%
- Frigid Stormborne Back Attachment - Chance to appear: 1.5385%
- Infernal Stormborne Back Attachment - Chance to appear: 1.1538%
- Thunderous Stormborne Back Attachment - Chance to appear: 0.7692%
- Chaotic Stormborne Back Attachment - Chance to appear: 0.3846%
- Stormborne Weapon Skin - Chance to appear: 3.8462%
- Fleshveil Marionette Helmet - Chance to appear: 2.3077%
- Porcelain Marionette Helmet - Chance to appear: 1.5385%
- Fleshveil Marionette Body Armour - Chance to appear: 2.3077%
- Porcelain Marionette Body Armour - Chance to appear: 1.5385%
- Fleshveil Marionette Gloves - Chance to appear: 2.3077%
- Porcelain Marionette Gloves - Chance to appear: 1.5385%
- Fleshveil Marionette Boots - Chance to appear: 2.3077%
- Porcelain Marionette Boots - Chance to appear: 1.5385%
- Bronze Marionette Back Attachment - Chance to appear: 2.3077%
- Silver Marionette Back Attachment - Chance to appear: 1.5385%
- Bronze Marionette Weapon Skin - Chance to appear: 2.3077%
- Silver Marionette Weapon Skin - Chance to appear: 1.5385%
- Bronze Marionette Character Skin - Chance to appear: 2.3077%
- Silver Marionette Character Skin - Chance to appear: 1.5385%
- Desert Sands Portal Effect - Chance to appear: 2.3077%
- Wasteland Sands Portal Effect - Chance to appear: 1.1538%
- Crimson Sands Portal Effect - Chance to appear: 0.3846%
- Desert Hourglass Map Device - Chance to appear: 2.3077%
- Wasteland Hourglass Map Device - Chance to appear: 1.1538%
- Crimson Hourglass Map Device - Chance to appear: 0.3846%
- Soulslash Portal - Chance to appear: 3.07692%
- Marble Soulslash Portal - Chance to appear: 0.7692%
- Prison Waygate Map Device - Chance to appear: 3.8462%
- Toad Idol of Corruption Hideout Decoration - Chance to appear: 1.9231%
- Toad Idol of Chaos Hideout Decoration - Chance to appear: 1.3462%
- Toad Idol of Alchemy Hideout Decoration - Chance to appear: 0.5769%
- Afflicted Altar Stash Decoration - Chance to appear: 1.5385%
- Vaal Cache Stash Decoration - Chance to appear: 1.1538%
- Precursor Receptacle Stash Decoration - Chance to appear: 0.7692%
- Shattered Mirror Stash Skin - Chance to appear: 0.3846%
- Civic Square Hideout - Chance to appear: 1.5385%
- Alpine Plateau Hideout - Chance to appear: 0.9615%
- Vastiri Plains Hideout - Chance to appear: 0.7692%
- Mausoleum Hideout - Chance to appear: 0.5769%
- Phoenix Pet - Chance to appear: 2.3077%
- Abyssal Phoenix Pet - Chance to appear: 1.3462%
- Blueflame Phoenix Pet - Chance to appear: 0.1923%
- Magus Quillbook Pet - Chance to appear: 1.9231%
- Vaal Quillbook Pet - Chance to appear: 1.1538%
- Abyssal Quillbook Pet - Chance to appear: 0.7692%
- Tracking Scroll of Crafting - Chance to appear: 3.8462%
- Ghostlance Level-up Extra Effect - Chance to appear: 1.9231%
- Rat Fountain Level-up Extra Effect - Chance to appear: 1.3462%
- Wings of the Phoenix Level-up Extra Effect - Chance to appear: 0.5769%
- Shattered Dodge Roll Effect - Chance to appear: 1.5385%
- Phoenix Dodge Roll Effect - Chance to appear: 1.1538%
- Rat Swarm Dodge Roll Effect - Chance to appear: 0.7692%
- Abyssal Dodge Roll Effect - Chance to appear: 0.3846%
- Giant Centipede Rare Finisher Effect - Chance to appear: 2.3077%
- Plummeting Chandelier Rare Finisher Effect - Chance to appear: 1.1538%
- Phoenix Nosedive Rare Finisher Effect - Chance to appear: 0.3846%
The above shows all the item variants included in The Last of the Druids Mystery Box and their drop rates. However, please note that this data only applies to the first box you open, as subsequent items will not be duplicates, so the probability of obtaining other microtransaction items will increase accordingly with each subsequent box opened.
How To Open The Box?
- Open your Stash: Open your inventory, click the Cosmetics button, then select Microtransaction Stash, or press the "N" key to open the microtransaction panel.
- Find the Box: Find the unopened Mystery Box in the Consumables tab.
- Right-click: Click on the box to open it and receive a random item.
Is Mystery Box Worth Getting?
Is this paid microtransaction box really suitable for every Exile? It really depends on your needs. If you enjoy taking chances, appreciate the thrill of randomly acquiring cool cosmetic items, and aren't looking for anything specific, then The Last of the Druids Mystery Box is a good investment; however, if you want a particular microtransaction item, it's not worth it, as the results are entirely dependent on RNG (random number generation). Moreover, you can usually obtain the items you want directly later in the game.
Therefore, it's best to consider Mystery Box as a way to support the game and enjoy some random fun, rather than a reliable method for acquiring specific gear. After all, this kind of loot box mechanism, similar to gambling, can easily lead to overspending without ultimately getting the items you want.
In short, at the start of the league, acquiring The Last of the Druids Mystery Box can indeed bring you unexpected surprises and make you the most dazzling presence in the game with its cool cosmetics. If you're interested, why not try your luck?
With the official release of Patch 0.4.0, the latest class, Druid in Path of Exile 2 has attracted more attention and use from players. Regardless of which of the three transformable forms you prefer, the one that will initially catch your attention is undoubtedly the wyvern!
As the last revealed Druid form, the wyvern allows you to use exclusive skills to deal effective fire, lightning, and physical damage to single or multiple enemies, and can further enhance skills by generating and consuming power charges.
More importantly, since all skills are essentially universal, other PoE 2 classes can also use wyvern skills to craft new builds suitable for themselves, greatly expanding the game's replayability.
Based on this, we will still focus on the most suitable Druid class to introduce the crafting ideas and actual combat effects of Wyvern Druid Build.
How To Match The Skills?
When you transform into the wyvern form, there are six exclusive skill gems, with the main skill effects as follows:
- Rolling Magma: Throws a ball of magma that lands on the ground, dealing AoE damage to enemies. It can also utilize human form skills, such as Volcanos, to make the magma ball bounce forward multiple times, causing chain attacks.
- Rend: Performs a wide-area slash with wings or claws; consuming energy orbs can generate additional lightning damage.
- Wing Blast: Flies backward to release a shockwave that stuns enemies, with a chance to gain energy charges during the process.
- Oil Barrage: Sprays oil to create an oil slick on the ground, or consumes energy charges to continuously spray electrified oil, hitting and damaging enemies.
- Flame Breath: As a dragon, breathes fire at enemies from the air, and the duration can be extended by consuming Rage.
- Devour: Restores health and gains an energy orb by devouring corpses or enemies. If the target is far away, you can leap towards them and deal damage upon landing.
Based on this, if you want to level up or clear bosses with Wyvern Druid Build, you should first focus on gaining lightning damage bonuses when using basic skills like Rend to increase the damage range.
The specific strategy involves first using Pounce skill in wolf form to leap forward, quickly clearing weaker groups of enemies with Oil Barrage to allow for more corpses to be devoured with Devour, and then repeating this process.
When encountering a boss, the cycle needs a slight adjustment: after Pounce, auto-attack until the boss is stunned, then use Oil Barrage or Flame Breath to kill the boss.
If a comparison is necessary, Oil Barrage is better because it can be used at range and is less susceptible to attacks than using Flame Breath while airborne.
Another key to ensuring smooth skill rotation is maintaining the energy shield's charge, thanks to Devour. When combined with the passive skill Zealot's Oath, its life regeneration effect is applied to the energy shield.
Additionally, you can unlock Thickened Arteries talent node, which restores 0.5% of your maximum life per second and further increases your life regeneration rate by 40% while stationary.
Because you are always stationary when devouring corpses, this allows you to recover more energy shield points per second.
Which Support Gems Should Be Added?
As items that further enhance the effects of skill gems, the choice of support gems is crucial for any PoE 2 build. Based on the main skills mentioned in the previous section, we recommend Holy Descent first.
This gem creates an area that heals you after you land from using Pounce, and this healing effect also works in conjunction with Devour skill to affect the energy shield.
More support gem options include:
- Fist of War: Increases attack range, deals more damage, and ensures enemy kills.
- Momentum: Allows you to deal an additional 40% damage when leaping forward.
- Cooldown Recovery: Allows you to use Pounce skill more frequently.
- Elemental Armament: Makes all your attacks deal significant elemental damage, and sweeping attacks also inflict lightning damage.
How To Use Spirit Skills?
Spirit skills actually refer to special buffs or usable minions that help you in combat by consuming spirit, and they are upgraded based on the boss rewards or skill tree nodes you acquire.
For Wyvern Druid Build, the help provided by Spirit skills should include life regeneration, curse removal, and elemental ailment removal.
For this build, Cannibalism and Compressed Duration are worth adding. Combined with other existing support gems, you will be able to maintain maximum Rage at all times.
How To Improve Survivability?
First, you need to ensure your gear has enough defensive affixes. If not, farm for new gear or buy POE 2 currency and then roll new affixes onto your gear. Don't forget to unlock nodes in your passive skill tree that provide armor for damage reduction.
If you chose Shaman when unlocking your Ascendancy class, you can also gain additional elemental damage and damage to all surrounding enemies through Ascendancy skills.
After unlocking Wisdom of the Maji Ascendancy node, you can gain additional rune bonuses. It's recommended to also unlock Druidic Champion and Furious Wellspring to maintain full Rage at all times.
How To Further Improve This Build?
To improve Wyvern Druid Build, the main area for improvement in terms of damage output is your gear. You can farm bosses or trade on the market to obtain better talismans, or try to get more base damage bonuses on your rings and gloves.
It's worth noting that Oil Barrage skill has the "projectile" attribute, so you should try adding projectile skill level bonuses to your talismans instead of melee skill level bonuses, as Oil Barrage won't benefit from the latter.
That's all for this guide. If you happen to be a Druid player who likes the wyvern form, our guide should be helpful to you!
