Path of Exile 2 0.5.0 'Return of the Ancients' patch notes

Highlights

• Runes of Aldur league — craft your own

dungeons, 300K+ players in the first 24 hours

• Huntress class — the first new class

since 0.3.0

• Smith of Kitava — the most-anticipated

ascendancy in EA

• Endgame overhaul — Atlas Passive Tree

rework, waystone system

• Campaign shortened by 25%
• 2 ascendancy reworks (Monk, Sorceress)
• 1,000+ balance changes across the

entire game

The Runes of Aldur league

Runes of Aldur is a 4-month challenge league running May 29 - September 30, 2026. The league mechanic is "craft your own dungeon":

• Rune fragments drop from monsters

across Wraeclast

• Combine 3 fragments in your hideout

to create a custom dungeon

• Each dungeon has its own layout,

monster pool, modifiers, and reward table

• Dungeons scale infinitely (T1-T15)
• Boss fragments are needed to summon

the league's pinnacle boss

The Runes of Aldur league is the most-popular league in PoE2's history — 300K+ players in the first 24 hours (previous record: 220K for 0.4.0).

The Huntress class

Huntress is the new class added in 0.5.0. She's a dual-wield DEX class with pet summons:

• Weapon: dual-wield (axes, swords,

daggers, claws)

• Ascendancy options: Ritualist, Amazon
• Playstyle: fast attack speed, strong

single-target, decent AoE with pets

• Best position: 1-2 shotting bosses

with high-tier gear, the strongest farming class in the game

The Huntress is the most-meta-defining class since the Sorceress launch in 0.2.0.

Smith of Kitava

Smith of Kitava is the new strength/intelligence ascendancy for the Warrior class. Focused on mid-combat weapon crafting:

• Passive: Forge Strike — every 4th

hit consumes a monster drop to upgrade your weapon's damage type for 8 seconds

• Ascendancy node: Reforge Mastery

— can re-roll weapon implicits mid-fight for 5 seconds (60-second cooldown)

• Ultimate: World Forge — for 20

seconds, all weapon damage is converted to a single damage type of your choice

Smith of Kitava is the strongest bossing class in the game but requires significant game knowledge to play.

Endgame overhaul

The Atlas system gets a full rework:

• Atlas Passive Tree is now character-

level-based (was map-tier-based)

• Map modifiers are now deterministic

(no more RNG rolls)

• Waystones replace the old scroll-

based system

• New pinnacle boss (the Forgotten King)

replaces Atziri in the Atlas

The rework makes endgame progression predictable for the first time in PoE2's history. Players can plan their builds around specific Atlas nodes.

Other changes

• Campaign shortened by 25% (Acts 1-3

now take ~12 hours for new players)

• Monk rework — new combo mechanics,

significantly stronger

• Sorceress rework — new elemental

synergies, much better AoE

• New Unique items (10+)
• New skills (8+)
• New supports (12+)
• 1,000+ balance changes across all

classes and skills

What's next

• Aug 13: 0.5.0c patch
• Sep 17: Mid-league patch
• Oct (est): 0.5.0 ends
• Nov (est): 1.0 launches
• Dec (est): 1.0's first league

FAQ

When did 0.5.0 launch?

May 29, 2026 at 20:00 UTC.

How long is the league?

4 months (May 29 - September 30, 2026). The longest league in PoE2's history.

Is the Huntress free?

Yes, all classes are free in PoE2. The Huntress unlock quest is in Act 1.

When is PoE 2 1.0?

Late 2026, most likely Q4. No specific date yet.

Will 1.0 reset the league?

No, 0.5.0 characters carry over to Standard at the end of the league. 1.0's first league will be a fresh economy.