Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt Update Arrives April 4th, and it's Huge

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Path of Exile 2 released to a pretty warm response late last year, and now it's time for the first major update, Dawn of the Hunt, otherwise known as Version 0.2.0.

And by major update, we mean major, this is a pretty huge one, introducing new character classes, ascendency classes, items, gameplay mechanics, and more!

So what exactly does Dawn of the Hunt bring to the table? Well, we can't list every change here, as the article would be too long, but here is a breakdown of the key points.

• New Character Class: The Huntress, who wields a spear that can be used as melee or thrown to be used as ranged.

• 5 New Ascendency Classes
  • The Ritualist can gain modifiers from fallen Rare enemies
  • The Amazon can charge their weapon with elemental powers
  • The Smith of Kitava can enhance their weapons and craft their own body armor.
  • The Tactician can pin enemies with any projectile, place multiple banners, and boost ally damage with their own weapon.
  • The Lich can empower a Jewel to increase its power, but also mana cost. They can also boost Chaos Damage.

• Endgame content has been reworked to be more rewarding and balanced
  • Towers have been streamlined, but more powerful, and can consume up to 3 tablets at once. It will now feature bosses and more mechanics.
  • Tablets add more mechanics and scale further
  • Players may now respawn up to 6 times, with that amount lowering as Waystone Modifiers increase. In boss fights, the map owner controls team respawns.
  • Corrupted Maps now feature enhanced monsters, better modifiers, and a new boss.

• Over 100 Support Gems Added

• Over 100 New Items

• 25 new skills, 22 of which are for the Huntress class

• Trap and summon almost any monster in the game with the Raise Spectre skill

• The Summon Rhoa skill will allow you to call forth a mount from which you can attack

• Runes can now scale across multiple tiers, allowing for stronger mods in the endgame.

• Azmeri Wisps roam the land, lending their power to any monster they touch, presenting a new challenge for players, but also new rewards.

• Encounter Rogue Exiles, NPCs designed to feel like players, who have a bounty on their heads and will have unique gear that can drop as loot, they'll dodge roll, counter attacks, and have more advanced pathfinding than regular opponents.

• New challenges in the form of 4 new Strongboxes and 5 new maps, each with their own unique gameplay mechanics, such as waves of bosses, a map where all powerful enemies are duplicated, and more!

• Essences have been upgraded, along with 4 new Corrupted Essences, offering new crafting options.

• The first wave of Twilight Order Reliquary Keys from supporter packs will drop, allowing access to unique items.

• Pinnacle bosses can now drop their Uniques at any difficulty level, although higher difficulties will have increased drop rates.

Phew, now I've typed that out, I'm sure you can see why I said Dawn of the Hunt was a huge update! You won't have long to wait either, as Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt is launching on April 4th at 12 PM Pacific Time.

If you want the full patch notes for this update, then head on over here.

If you wish to continue playing your existing character, then you may, but the developers do recommend you start over if possible, as balancing changes and economic changes mean that your character may not perform as expected.

Path of Exile 2 is available now on Steam for $29.99 and is rated as Playable on the Steam Deck. The Dawn of the Hunt update is a free update available to all players.

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