Path of Exile 2 Return of the Ancients — The Biggest Update Before 1.0

By Sophia Carter · May 16, 2026

Why Is This Update Such a Big Deal for ARPG Fans?

I've been playing ARPGs for over a decade, and I can say without hesitation that what Grinding Gear Games is delivering with Return of the Ancients would qualify as a full expansion in any other game. They're calling it an "update." That's the GGG difference — they pack more content into a free patch than most studios charge $40 for.

Fifty hours of new endgame doesn't mean fifty hours of padding. If GGG's track record tells us anything, it means fifty hours of genuinely challenging, mechanically distinct boss encounters, map layouts, and progression systems. The fact that this includes four Pinnacle bosses — the hardest encounters in the game — means the community's top players will have weeks of content before they start farming these fights consistently.

And this is the last big one before 1.0. That means GGG is putting their best foot forward, showing what the full game will feel like when it exits early access. If Return of the Ancients delivers, the hype for 1.0 will be absolutely nuclear.

What Are the New Ascendancy Classes Like?

Two new Ascendancy classes join the roster: Spirit Walker for the Huntress and Martial Artist for what I assume is a melee-focused archetype. GGG hasn't revealed every detail, but based on naming conventions and their design philosophy, here's what I expect.

Spirit Walker sounds like it leans into the Huntress's connection with nature and spiritual energy. Think totems, spirit companions, maybe some kind of ethereal movement ability. The Huntress already has strong ranged options, so an Ascendancy that enhances her utility and survivability through spiritual mechanics could open up entirely new build archetypes — perhaps even melee Huntress builds that weren't viable before.

Martial Artist is the one that excites me more. Pure hand-to-hand combat in Path of Exile has always been tricky — you need attack speed, you need survivability, you need damage scaling that doesn't fall off in endgame. A dedicated Ascendancy built around that fantasy could finally make the "punch everything" playstyle feel as powerful as it looks. I'm imagining something with combo counters, stance-switching, or maybe even counter-attack mechanics.

Both classes will shake up the meta immediately. Day-one build theorycrafting is going to be chaotic and wonderful.

How Does the Rebuilt Atlas Change the Endgame?

The Atlas in Path of Exile is essentially your endgame progression tree — it determines what maps you run, what bonuses you get, and how you specialize your farming strategy. The current Atlas in PoE 2 early access has been serviceable, but 300+ nodes is a massive leap that suggests GGG is going all-in on player agency.

More nodes means more build diversity in your Atlas tree. You can specialize harder into specific content types — maybe you want to farm only Pinnacle bosses, or maybe you want to juice your maps with extra monster density, or maybe you focus entirely on the new Ezomyte Runesmithing encounters. A 300+ node Atlas gives you the freedom to play your endgame, your way.

For context, Path of Exile 1's Atlas went through multiple iterations before landing on the passive tree system that players loved. GGG clearly learned from that — they're jumping straight to the fully realized version for PoE 2. Smart move.

What Is Ezomyte Runesmithing and Should You Care?

Every PoE league needs a hook — a mechanic that keeps you engaged beyond just killing monsters and leveling up. Ezomyte Runesmithing is Return of the Ancients' answer to that. Here's how it works: you find Remnants as drops throughout maps. These Remnants have rune slots that you fill with various modifiers. The risk/reward element comes from the crafting itself — filling slots gives progressively better outcomes, but overloading them risks destruction.

If this sounds familiar to longtime PoE players, it should. GGG loves gambling mechanics where the ceiling is absurdly high but the floor is losing everything. Harvest crafting, Corruption, Double-Corrupt chambers — they all follow this philosophy. Runesmithing appears to be a more structured version of that, with clear visual feedback on risk levels.

This is going to create insane economy moments. Someone will hit a perfect rune combination on a mirror-tier item within the first week, post it to Reddit, and the entire community will lose their minds. That's the PoE experience. That's why we play.

Is Now the Right Time to Jump Into Path of Exile 2?

Here's my honest take: if you've been waiting for PoE 2 to "feel complete" before trying it, Return of the Ancients is your moment. This update brings the game to a state where it's essentially feature-complete for endgame. You'll have enough content to sink hundreds of hours into, the Ascendancy classes give build diversity real depth, and the rebuilt Atlas provides structure to your progression.

The simultaneous PC and console launch also matters. Previous PoE 2 patches had staggered releases, which split the community conversation. Everyone experiencing Return of the Ancients together — discussing builds, racing to Pinnacle bosses, discovering Runesmithing secrets — that shared experience is what makes PoE launches magic.

My only caveat: this is still early access. Bugs will exist. Balance will be off. GGG will hotfix aggressively in the first week. If you need polish, wait for 1.0. But if you want to be part of the conversation and experience what might be 2026's best ARPG content drop? May 29 is the date.