Particle.news
Download on the App Store
8 ARTICLES
·
3h ago

Path of Exile 2 Sets December 12 Update With Druid Class, Map-Crafting League, Performance Boost

The update signals a push toward 1.0, prioritizing performance gains, endgame simplification, deeper build variety.

blank
Image: Grinding Gear Games
Image
Promotional key art of the Path of Exile 2 druid class. A man accompanied by wolves steps onto a rock in a forest. His body is covered in armor made of leaves and leather and his right arm has transformed into that of a bear.

Overview

  • Grinding Gear Games will launch The Last of the Druids on December 12 with a free weekend running December 12–15 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X.
  • The new Druid is a Strength/Intelligence hybrid that swaps between human, bear, wolf, and dragon‑like wyvern forms via Animal Talismans, debuting with Shaman and Oracle ascendancies and a third planned later.
  • Fate of the Vaal introduces a dungeon‑crafting loop built from corrupted map remnants that culminates in confronting Atziri, with new rewards including the Atziri’s Rule staff.
  • The patch adds 21 Druid skills, 30‑plus support gems, 11 uniques, and over 250 passive skills, alongside broad balance changes and new passive‑tree nodes.
  • Rise of the Abyssal is folded into the core endgame with revised Abyss mechanics and streamlined mapping, as developers tout CPU and multithreading optimizations targeting roughly 25% higher frame rates and fewer spikes, especially on consoles.