Path of Exile 2’s ‘Return of the Ancients’ update improves the endgame

Today, Grinding Gear Games announced Path of Exile 2 patch 0.5, “Return of the Ancients,” which will launch on May 29. It’s the “largest update” the studio has ever released, and it completely revamps the endgame. The patch adds more bosses, uniques, and activities. It’s a major change motivated by the development team’s goal of offering players a satisfying ending.

The biggest changes to the endgame are the five new storylines. These include venturing into fog-covered areas to face Tangmazu, the Raven Trickster, fighting waves of enemies to help the Keepers of the Flame monks, freeing the spirit of a woman from the King in the Mist, assisting the Atlas Masters, and even exploring the oceans to find Rog’s missing wife. Each storyline will introduce a mechanic from a previous league along with a unique crafting system.

The endgame updates aren’t only about improving old mechanics. The “Runes of Aldur” league will also launch alongside the update and it brings a new crafting system based on runesmithing. The update also adds two new ascendencies, the Spirit Walker and the Martial Artists, which are the heart of the “Return of the Ancients.”

Grinding Gear Games’ second action RPG has been in early access since December 2024 and has seen multiple updates that have added activities, items, and classes. Even after all these modifications, the core gameplay loop remains the same: you create a new character (in the standard or the seasonal servers), play all the available campaign chapters (followed by the interlude chapters introduced in update 0.4), and then begin to work your way through the endgame portion of PoE 2.

In its current iteration, Path of Exile 2‘s endgame mostly consists of exploring the Atlas map by unlocking nodes called waystones. Each waystone is a dungeon that you need to clear by defeating its boss, and it may also feature extra activities like breaches and expeditions. Sure, you can do the Trial of Sekhema or the Trial of Chaos, but in general you will be running maps to grind and make your way to the pinnacle bosses.

While the endgame in its current state offers a satisfactory experience, it has never reached the same level of quality as the rest of the game. As a new player, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, since the endgame progression hasn’t been streamlined to introduce the multiple activities and features. If you persist and learn the ropes to run maps, then you may find yourself trapped in the infinite grind, a situation that I personally avoid, instead opting to start a new character and enjoy the leveling process.

Path of Exile 2’s current endgame is a grind, and there’s no clear moment to step away and consider the game beaten. Game director Jonathan Rogers explained in an online briefing session for the latest update that “not having an end of the endgame actually really did affect us.”

Rogers noted that “on a huge percentage of the negative reviews on Steam, people play for like 200 hours and leave a negative review. The reason why they do that is because there’s no obvious endpoint to be like, ‘OK, I’m done with this.’ So, what happens is they just keep grinding until it gets boring… and it will happen eventually, right? No game can keep you entertained forever.”

To address this issue, GGG decided that the endgame should offer a cohesive and satisfying experience — and a clear moment to move on. It was this desire that guided the decision to use the new storylines as the feature that would lead players through the endgame. For those who want to stay in the endless grind, it is still possible, but Grinding Gear Games is allowing players to have a fulfilling experience outside of it.

“We effectively made sure that you get to a point where you’re like ‘OK, I’m actually done with this now. I can stop. I can feel happy with my experience and move on before the next league,” Rogers said. “We really do want you to quit at some point, and before you get to the point of feeling unhappy and the game gets boring. It inspired the changes we wanted to make.”

Rogers adds that “Return of the Ancients” marks the realization of the team’s original goals for the game’s final structure before 1.0. The new endgame experience “fulfills the vision we had for the endgame for PoE 2. You’re exploring a world — it’s not just doing random maps,” he said.