Path Of Exile 2 Patch 0.4.0 The Last Of The Druids Predictions From POECurrency.com: New League Mechanics, Druid Class & Major Changes

For all you Exiles immersed in 3.27, it’s time to turn back and look at Path of Exile 2. Patch 0.4.0, The Last of the Druids, is confirmed for release on December 12th, just over two weeks away.

As with previous league updates, the developers haven’t revealed anything beyond the league name and a short trailer. However, this doesn’t stop us from making some predictions based on the available clues. What’s wrong with having some fun? Let’s take a look at some possible changes in POE 2 0.4.0 from POECurrency.com’s perspective!

New League Mechanics Speculation

Delves

First, regarding POE 2’s challenge league mechanics, they will probably reintroduce Delves. This isn’t entirely baseless speculation, as the Isle of Kin in the 0.3.0 update contains numerous hints about the existence of Delves.

Furthermore, discussions about Delve League mechanic have never ceased, both in PoE 2 and the original game. It’s clearly one of lead creator Jonathan’s favorite elements, as he recently confirmed. Therefore, it’s entirely reasonable to speculate that this mechanic will be introduced in December update.

Another key reason for Delve’s appeal lies in its endless procedural generation, rich reward potential, and captivating game loop. It offers a unique, high-risk, high-reward endgame experience with infinite depth, allowing players to explore at their own pace without being constrained by main game progression, making it highly attractive to both casual and hardcore players.

In addition, the system is highly valued for its consistent and often highly rewarding gameplay. Delve offers the chance to drop a large amount of exclusive loot, such as Fossils and Resonators, items that cannot be found anywhere else, making it a crucial source of late-game PoE2 currency and gear.

The developers significantly improved ease of use in version 0.3.1 with changes to the Tower system and other aspects, so we wouldn’t be surprised if Delve is eventually added to 0.4.0. More importantly, Tablets now function similarly to Scarabs, and these subtle changes confirm that adding Delve is feasible to some extent.

Breach

Additionally, Breach may also be added to Path of Exile 2 0.4.0. This is because Breach gameplay underwent a major overhaul in POE 3.27, and the entire mechanism is now completely different.

POECurrency believes they won’t waste this content; it’s likely to be ported to POE 2, just as the well-received Asynchronous Trade feature in POE 2 quickly appeared in the 3.27 league.

Until now, we still consider POE 1 to be a beta server for POE 2, where developers experiment and experiment. Frankly, we’re not against this approach, as some excellent skill tree changes have already appeared in PoE 1.

So, after several weeks of testing, they’ve now accumulated a wealth of experience with Breach system. They know which mechanics work, which don’t, and what aspects need adjustment. Therefore, we might be seeing a complete Breach rework.

Trial Of The Ancestors

The next mechanic we’ll mention is obviously Trial of the Ancestors, as it was a significant feature originally cut from patch 0.3.0 because of time constraints. Currently, Path of Exile 2 already includes parts of ToTA, such as Arena, so the 0.4.0 update is the next logical time to roll out this pre-planned full game mechanic.

Another, more important reason is that this mechanic helps players complete Trials of Ascendancy more easily, while the current trials might be an obstacle for some players. Therefore, re-optimizing the current trials mechanic is almost inevitable, whether through adding ToTA or other new changes.

The return of ToTA also offers an advantage: a unique endgame experience. It introduces new Path of Exile 2 currency items, skills, rewards, and a unique game loop unlike traditional maps. More importantly, Tattoos, a consumable item popular in PoE 1, may also appear. These replace existing passive skills in the skill tree and provide new affixes, allowing players better control over the endgame content they want to focus on.

In any case, the addition of the full Trial of the Ancestors mechanic provides a more accessible and potentially more rewarding experience for players attempting Ascend, and given the community’s anticipation for ToTA’s inclusion, its inclusion in a subsequent update is reasonable.

New Class – Druid

The next question is, what new classes will we see? Perhaps this can no longer be considered speculation, as the update name for 0.4.0, The Last of the Druids clearly indicates that the new class is Druid.

The arrival of Druid wasn’t unexpected, as it had been a frequent topic of discussion among players several updates prior.

The official trailer revealed a fairly classic Druid: in humanoid form, they can summon lightning and draw lava from the ground; once transformed into a bear, they can easily destroy hordes of monsters.

However, Druid class is likely still in early development, so we speculate that patch 0.4.0 will probably include a range of new skills and animal forms.

Unsurprisingly, Druid will probably be a focal point of recent major updates, much like the previously added Huntress, and may very well reshape current build trends. If you’re eager to try out this new class and create a powerful meta build, you can buy cheap and safe PoE 2 currency from POECurrency.com to quickly gather all the necessary gear and items for overwhelming power.

New Acts

As is well known, the developers promised to bring some real and meaningful changes to what was considered a relatively shallow content before the release of 0.3.0. Therefore, they not only added Act 4, but also a temporary epilogue appearing as three interludes.

The feedback on these mini-acts was quite good, but with the end of The Third Edict, these transitional acts will also disappear. Therefore, to avoid the campaign falling into an endless loop again, this 0.4.0 update will probably add new Acts.

However, some players hold the opposite view, believing that this update will not include Acts 5 and 6, because 0.4.0 focuses primarily on other content, such as adding new weapon types for the new Druid class. More importantly, the full campaign is planned to include all six acts in the final release, but the remaining story content may not be completed and therefore will not be added in this patch.

However, even if patch 0.4.0 does not add new Acts, they will likely add content similar to the interludes in 0.3.0 as transitional chapters, and the appearance of the new Druid is unlikely to make our campaign too boring.

Atlas Changes

Finally, while official details for patch 0.4.0 have not yet been released, we anticipate significant changes to the late-game content and the Atlas tree, including the possible removal or modification of Towers system, a rework of Atlas tree to enhance interactivity, and the integration of more seasonal mechanics into the core late-game content.

Since its release, Towers system has been heavily criticized. Therefore, we speculate that 0.4.0 may completely remove Towers system, change its usage, or allow players to place it in any location instead of a fixed one. Given recent hotfixes that have already tweaked the system, further changes are highly likely.

In addition, Atlas tree is also likely to be expanded and reworked to make more nodes and paths more meaningful. For example, map movement might be changed from a path-based system to allowing players to skip maps, or the impact of nodes related to seasonal mechanics might be enhanced to better align with the core gameplay.

Furthermore, the current reward system is frequently criticized for its poor reward pacing. Therefore, Path of Exile 2 0.4.0 patch may rebalance rewards by adjusting Atlas nodes, creating a more satisfying and engaging progression experience for players who invest more time in endgame content.

In short, these are some speculations from POECurrency regarding the current content of Path of Exile 2 0.4.0: The Last of the Druids. Much of this is based on current leaks and clues, but perhaps our intuition is right! In any case, all patch details will be revealed at GGG Live on December 4th. We eagerly await the results!