Being still in Early Access, Path of Exile 2 is seeing massive updates and patches, most of them either adding a ton of content and quality-of-life improvements, revamping existing systems, or both.
Patch 0.1.1 is no different, so here are all the biggest changes in PoE 2‘s latest update.
Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.1.1 breakdown
This colossal update to PoE 2 focused on both bringing new content and revamping existing systems in the game. Thus, 0.1.1 introduced us to new endgame maps, alongside numerous endgame changes and updates. Some of the maps finally received checkpoints, while dozens of unique items saw improvements. Here are all the major highlights from Patch 0.1.1:
New Tower maps
In Patch 0.1.1, Grinding Gear Games added four new endgame Tower maps: Alpine Ridge, Mesa, Sinking Spire, and Bluff. The Lost Towers map was also revamped, making it more accessible to players. These new additions to the endgame content of PoE 2 are part of GGG’s continued effort to make the endgame as good as possible and have it provide players more than enough playtime outside of the usual progression between the story Acts. With four new maps and a revamped one, players should get a ton of new content to keep them occupied until the next endgame content drop comes.
Major endgame overhauls
Almost the entirety of the endgame in PoE 2 saw some changes and updates in the 0.1.1 Patch. The Arbiter of Ash boss fight should now be more manageable, with players having several respawns available to beat this challenging enemy. There are still limitations in place so the boss doesn’t lose its challenging side, such as higher difficulties yielding fewer respawns and the respawns being locked only to the player who put in the keys for it.
On the other hand, maps should now have checkpoints to make their progression less frustrating and to allow players to go through them at their own pace. They will also now have at least three rare monsters per map, with potential loot in the form of chest being doubled on certain maps. The number of monsters will also be doubled as of Patch 0.1.1, with the loot rarity seeing a significant uptick in rare items. In general, players should expect way more monsters in maps dropping way rarer items, with many more chests spawning around the areas and containing much better loot than they did before.
Numerous general changes to monsters and systems
In pursuit of proper balance and fairer difficulty, numerous monsters saw various nerfs this patch, while some of them gained extra offensive capabilities to provide for a smoother experience. Thus, monsters carrying Essences will be tougher to kill, but also have slight delays before they can use their skills. Rudja, the Dread Engineer has been nerfed in the game’s higher difficulties, with his grenades now dealing less damage. Various other bosses and regular monsters also saw rebalances, mostly concerning either their damage output or toughness.
On the other hand, the areas of Utzaal and the Dreadnaught will now spawn fewer monsters to lessen the crowding, while Utzaal, in particular, will also spawn weaker enemies to allow players to progress smoothly through the area.
Aside from these and many more monster changes, the developers also introduced many tweaks to the game’s core systems across the board.
Charms will play effects to let players know they’ve triggered, the effectiveness of armor has been boosted by about 15 percent, reviving players is now 0.5 seconds faster, with the revive penalty per death also reduced by 0.5 seconds, and you’ll be able to push more monsters away with dodge rolling to escape being smothered to death. Performance has been improved in numerous boss fights and areas, while characters of any level can access Expedition Vendors.
These are just some of the highlights, with the full patch notes covering the rest, and you can check them out here.
Improvements to unique items
Dozens of unique items have been changed, most receiving numerous new permanent stat boosts. Most of the additions are related to resistances, which are a pivotal stat for any build, while many others add extra elemental damage to attacks, among other unique effects for items related to quests and unique monsters. Many of these unique items can now also be upgraded with a divine orb, allowing for further crafting and build optimization.
A mass of bug fixes
As the early access continues to progress, so does the development of the game ramp up. Thus, the developers at Grinding Gear Games have fixed hundreds of existing bugs with Patch 0.1.1, ranging from rudimentary fixes to some more impactful issues players have reported on previously. If you encounter any bugs in your gameplay, be sure to report them on the PoE 2 forums to help the developers tackle them in time and effectively.
Published: Jan 18, 2025 11:42 am