From the stream.
Past Connor here. I got a preview of the Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt stream this week so I am compiling an article of some things that I saw and stuff we learned about what’s coming out in the new update. The update hits in early April.
1. The new class is the Huntress
The new class coming with this update is the Huntress, a melee/ranged hybrid class that wields spears and hunts things. Hence the name. The huntress has some interesting powers like the ability to snare creatures in a whirlwind and then explode them.
The Huntress also has the ability to parry and block attacks, introducing a whole new style of gameplay. They mentioned during the Q&A that not every major update leading to launch will introduce a new class.
2. There are five new ascendancies coming to Path of Exile
Five new ascendancies are coming with the Dawn of the Hunt update. Players will be able to get their hands on the Ritualist, a magic user that curses their enemies with boils that explode on death, and the ability to sacrifice your foes to the dark god Chernobog for various modifiers.
The Amazon is especially adept at finding the weaknesses of rare and unique enemies alongside the ability to imbue their weapons with elemental powers. The Smith of Kitava gains the “Against the Anvil” ability allowing them to forge their own weapon for extra power.
The Tactician pins enemies with their projectile and can call down multiple banners, as well as buff their friends and command an army of off-screen archers. The Lich of course sacrifices parts of their soul for higher powers.
3. There’s a ton of new items coming
Raise Spectre is coming with Dawn of the Hunt, allowing players to capture and summon almost any monster in the game as an ally. There are hundreds of monsters in the game, allowing for an insane amount of experimentation in building your army of the undead. If you prefer the living, Summon Rhoa allows you for a more fleshy companion you can actually mount.
But also Path of Exile 2 isn’t bringing in universal mounts.
Over 100 new support gems are coming in Dawn of the Hunt, alongside a big focus on mid to endgame unique items and new crafting tools. The focus of Dawn of the Hunt here is on enhancing runes with multiple tiers so runes can be viable even in endgame content.
4. The endgame is getting big changes
There are big things coming with endgame to make things more exciting. Towers have been streamlined to be less tedious, with only one third of them still standing on the board. However the folks at GGG are trading quantity for quality, and the remaining towers will be more challenging as a result with more mechanics added per map.
Players will be able to respawn up to six times per map with that respawn count falling as the difficulty is increased.
5. You’ll have to fight fake players
New NPCs are going to show up in Wraeclast, a class of characters that have been given access to the same gear sets and abilities players have. GGG says these are the most intelligent NPCs they’ve built for the game, the Rogue Exiles can dodge roll, use pathfinding, and counter player attacks.
There will be 12 unique exiles on launch and they have also been given their own personalities. Expect shit-talking in chat while they beat your ass.
6. Dawn of the Hunt Content will be available in EA leagues but…
Existing characters will have full access to Dawn of the Hunt content. However, GGG has said that they do recommend players in the endgame roll new characters in order to fully experience the new update. Additionally, Dawn of the Hunt will mark the start of a new league with a fresh economy.
More information can be found at the launch page here. Launch date for the new update is April 4.
MMO Fallout 