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v0.5.0 Cheat Sheet

warning

Limited-time launch event: Path of Exile 2 is free to try from May 29, 1:00 PM PDT to June 1, 1:00 PM PDT (Taiwan time: May 30, 4:00 AM to June 2, 4:00 AM). The Early Access Supporter Pack is also 50% off from May 29 to June 12.

Path of Exile 2: Return of the Ancients infographic

Path of Exile 2 v0.5.0, Return of the Ancients, is a major Early Access update focused on the new Runes of Aldur league, a rebuilt endgame Atlas, new endgame storylines, new ascendancies, and large balance/crafting changes.

Start here​

  • New league: Runes of Aldur starts a fresh economy built around Remnants, Runeshapes, Verisium, and Runeforging.
  • Endgame reset: the Atlas gets fixed points of interest, quests for league mechanics, quest versions of pinnacle bosses, and 30 new map areas.
  • Atlas tree: the Atlas passive tree expands past 300 nodes and can eventually be fully allocated through the Origins of Divinity storyline.
  • Atlas masters: Doryani, Hilda, and Jado add swappable endgame progression bonuses.
  • New ascendancies: Monk gets Martial Artist; Huntress gets Spirit Walker.
  • Fate of the Vaal: the previous league mechanic moves into the core game with its own Atlas passive tree.
  • Campaign flow: several campaign areas were shortened or rearranged to make repeat league starts faster.

Runes of Aldur​

Check Runes of Aldur league

Origins of Divinity endgame​

  • New endgame storyline: the Beast's catastrophe triggers an ancient pact to search for corruption and purge it completely.
  • After completing your first Tower, a Fortress rises from the ground. Travel through the Atlas, enter the Fortress, activate gates, collect keys, and dismantle the ancient Precursors' weapons.
  • Fortress maps award one or more Atlas Passive Points, fully replacing the previous Atlas point acquisition method.
  • The Atlas passive tree now has 300+ nodes. Completing all maps inside the Fortress grants enough points to unlock every Atlas passive.
  • Many Fortress maps have Ancient modifiers, and more than 40 Ancient modifiers can appear on maps outside the Fortress.
  • The update adds Divergence maps, Precursor Tower maps, two Citadel maps, and the new pinnacle boss Divine Arbiter.

Endgame priorities​

  • Do the Origins of Divinity storyline to unlock the rebuilt Atlas progression and Atlas passive points.
  • Use the new fixed Atlas locations as progression anchors instead of wandering randomly.
  • Pick an Atlas Master setup before mapping; each master has 12 nodes, with 4 active at once.
  • Use the dedicated league pages for the deeper Delirium, Breach, Ritual, Abyss, Expedition, and Fate of the Vaal reworks.
  • Plan around the Atlas reset: old waystones/tablets still work, but new Atlas points come from the new storyline.

Ascendancy changes​

  • New ascendancies: Monk gets Martial Artist, while Huntress gets Spirit Walker.
  • Acolyte of Chayula: Into the Breach now grants 20% of maximum Life/Mana as leech from Red/Blue Flames, up from 15%.
  • Blood Mage: Vitality Siphon now grants 20% of Spell Damage leeched as Life, up from 10%.
  • Chronomancer: Now and Again is reworked, Phased Form is added, Temporal Rift is faster, and Inevitable Agony is reworked into a life-loss debuff.
  • Gemling Legionnaire: Crystalline Potential is removed, Essence of Virtue is added, and Advanced Thaumaturgy now gives socketed skills an extra quality effect.
  • Pathfinder / Witchhunter: Pathfinder's poison and moving-skill penalties are harsher, and Witchhunter's Obsessive Rituals now has a larger Armour/Evasion penalty.

Reworked league mechanics​

  • Delirium: new hub, revamped tree, Delirium bar, Grand Mirrors, Trial of Madness, and updated Simulacrum.
  • Breach: new hub, Stabilised Breaches, Genesis Tree crafting, Breach Domains, and new domain encounters.
  • Ritual: new hub, cleaner altar pathing, reworked rewards, Audience with the King, and Rite of the Nameless.
  • Fate of the Vaal: moves core with its own Atlas tree, Lira Vaal, Temple tablets, Tier 4 rooms, and Infuser changes.
  • Abyss: large Atlas cracks, guaranteed Depths boss progression, and revamped Abyss Atlas tree.
  • Expedition: temporarily folded into Runes of Aldur, ocean exploration, explosive pacing changes, and vendor/currency cleanup.

Build-impact notes​

  • Leech is capped differently: only one leech instance per resource applies, and very large hits stop scaling leech past a damage cap.
  • Defences wording changed: "Defences" now explicitly means Armour, Evasion, and Energy Shield, not Runic Ward or other protection layers.
  • Waystones changed: waystones must be identified before use, and their modifiers now emphasize monster effectiveness, pack size, rarity, and waystone drops.
  • Recombinator disabled: Expedition changes remove Recombinator access during Runes of Aldur.
  • Trade QoL: Shift-Alt-click can populate Trade Market filters from an item after the May 26 patch note update.

More details​