Players, the long-awaited Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.0 is finally here! Release day data shows a massive influx of players eagerly awaiting it, even breaking Steam's second-highest concurrent player count record! So how has the much-anticipated PoE 2 Patch 0.5.0 performed since its release? On its first day, thanks to a free weekend event, PoE 2 Patch 0.5.0 peaked at 407,000 concurrent players on Steam. This figure is significantly higher than previous patches like 0.4.0 and 0.3.0, which also featured free weekend events. And this doesn't even include the large number of players on consoles and standalone clients. PoE 2 Patch 0.5.0 is truly attracting more attention than previous patches. Key Issue Fixes and Server Stability While some players experienced severe lag issues and varying degrees of download and login problems on Steam, standalone clients, and consoles during the initial release of Patch 0.5.0, the development team responded quickly and pushed out a patch on Saturday morning local time. Afterward, server operation became much more stable. Meanwhile, the development team also made batch fixes for a series of issues related to Atlas progression, Atlas Skill Tree, and boss battles in the endgame content. The development team worked almost non-stop throughout the night to provide the best experience for all players. Class and Skill Distribution Overview Looking at the high-level character statistics exposed to the API on the first day, Martial Artist led by a wide margin with 23%, Spirit Walker at 14%, Deadeye at 12%, and Tactician at only 5%. Meanwhile, Ritualist, Pathfinder, and Invoker each accounted for only 0.5%, with even Acolyte of Chayula higher than these classes. This extreme distribution is quite surprising. In terms of skill usage, Twister leads with 14%, followed by Herald of Ice, Ice Shot, Snipe, and Ice-Tipped Arrows. Storm Wave accounts for 8%. Patch 0.5.0's skill meta presents a very interesting mixed landscape. The Exhilarating Experience of Martial Artist If you chose Martial Artist in single-player mode, you must experience the transformative effect of Fists of Stone. Fists of Stone converts glove attributes into extremely powerful attack bonuses. Combined with Falling Thunder and Siphoning Strike, it allows you to dominate the battlefield. After unlocking the first Bell node, because bells are always attackable and spawn much faster than expected, you'll almost never lack energy when facing bosses or clearing mobs, making the entire campaign very smooth. The Powerful Performance of Companions and Minions According to feedback from players on the first day, the performance of Companions and Minions was equally astonishing. Some players in Act 3, using only a monkey follower, could stand still and watch their follower slaughter enemies. Some even claimed to have one-shotted the boss Doryani with their monkey follower. Therefore, in Patch 0.5.0, players who were previously hesitant about Companions and Minions system can now boldly try Spirit Walker or similar pet builds. Movement Speed Bug Fixed Since Patch 0.1.0, a bug has existed in the game allowing players to maintain full movement speed while casting a channeled skill by very briefly tapping the skill button, without triggering the slow penalty. This bugged technique became extremely powerful in Patch 0.5.0 when combined with Martial Artist's Hollow Focus. The development team released a patch within hours of Patch 0.5.0's release to fix this, significantly weakening builds relying on this technique. Runes of Aldur League: Generous Rewards and Questline The new league mechanic isn't as complicated as many expected, and the rewards are incredibly generous. It consistently drops lesser and greater Jeweller's Orbs, Spirit Gems, and a plethora of unique equipment, ensuring players are never short of gems and PoE2 currency. However, many players are wondering why they can't add Runic Wards to their armor. This is because they haven't completed the league questline that spans Acts 1 through 4. The questline will gradually unlock different crafting tables and crafting features, while Runes of Aldur League introduces entirely new areas in each Act and deeply integrates the story background with PoE 2 campaign. Its engaging content is sure to impress players. Act 3 Map Optimizations Addressing the previously complained-about length of Act 3, the development team has made significant improvements. For example, Matlan Waterways are now a straight path, and Azak Bog is conveniently located there. Act 3 also adds many hidden details, such as the ability to obtain a bound Ruby Ring by freezing Molten Lava in the forging area via a rune slot. Players still complaining about Act 3's length may not have fully experienced these improvements. In fact, Act 3 doesn't need to be shortened further; instead, more boss fights should be added. Hopefully, this forward-thinking map optimization approach will continue when Acts 5 and 6 are added in future Patch 1.0. Predictions for Mageblood Legendary Gear Many players' previous predictions about Mageblood have now proven entirely correct. The item's effect is to apply the Flask buff from PoE 1 to the character, but the value needs to be randomly rolled using Divine Orbs. This mechanism makes the Mageblood extremely powerful, potentially making it the second most valuable item in PoE 2 after Mirror of Kalandra. In conclusion, PoE 2 Patch 0.5.0 has received generally positive reviews, and there are certainly more noteworthy features to come.

The massive new raids introduced in WoW TBC Classic Anniversary Phase 2 inherently require a substantial gold investment to complete successfully; furthermore, the in-game economy has recently been plagued by instability. Consequently, efficient gold farming is expected to be a daily routine throughout Phase 2. To achieve this, you must master the relevant strategies and techniques. We have previously highlighted hidden spots in Phase 2 where you can farm large amounts of gold, but those methods typically required you to engage in combat to obtain loot drops. However, beyond combat, numerous other factors can, often unbeknownst to you, determine the amount of gold you acquire. In this guide, we will point these out to you. Trade on the right days Given the current in-game environment, if you intend to shop or stockpile items via the auction house, Sunday is the optimal day to do so. Late Wednesday nights also frequently present excellent opportunities to acquire consumables. In other words, regardless of which type of flask you plan to use over the coming week, two weeks, or even longer, it is best to stockpile your entire supply in a single batch on a Sunday. First and foremost, Tuesdays and Thursdays typically serve as raid nights for most major guilds. Therefore, you should generally avoid shopping on these specific days. Strictly speaking, you should even try to avoid making large-scale invests during the workweek in general. Take Flask of Blinding Light as an example: under normal circumstances, it costs between 140 and 180 gold. However, if you acquire it on a Sunday, you might be able to acquire one for as little as 125 gold. Advantages of Tailoring Profession Choosing the tailoring profession allows you to utilize various materials to craft items for sale, thereby generating gold. With this in mind, we highly recommend crafting Imbued Netherweave Bags as a starting point. This is an 8-slot bag, an ideal choice for alt characters (alternate characters) or for anyone simply looking to free up space within their bank inventory. To craft this bag, you must ensure that Tailoring is one of your active professions, and you must have learned Pattern: Imbued Netherweave Bag. Typically, crafting a single Imbued Netherweave Bag yields a profit of approximately 3 TBC Classic Anniversary gold. Although the profit per unit is modest, this method generates income with virtually zero effort. Furthermore, once you have honed your tailoring skills, you can craft bags much faster and sell them in larger batches to maximize your earnings. Another item worth crafting is Silver Spellthread, which typically generates an income of about 6 to 12 gold. Although market fluctuations may occasionally result in lower profits, this item remains in constant demand given that it provides 46 points of healing, 16 points of spell damage, and 15 points of Stamina. In the current game meta, whether you play a Restoration Shaman, a Restoration Druid, or any other character seeking enchantments, especially an alt, equipping this item is standard practice. Finally, crafting Primal Mooncloth can also be profitable, yielding quite handsome returns. A single finished item typically sells for around 37 gold, while the cost of acquiring the necessary crafting materials is only about 11 gold. However, it is important to note that the crafting recipe for this item carries a cooldown of 3 days and 20 hours. Therefore, it is best to stockpile your finished products and wait for market conditions to be at their most favorable before selling them all at once. Advantages of Enchanting Profession Interestingly, the primary method for earning gold with this profession is not through enchanting itself, but rather through disenchanting. Once your Enchanting skill reaches level 225, you gain the ability to break down gear via disenchanting. If you disenchant uncommon items, armor, or weapons ranging from levels 100 to 120, you will obtain a vital enchanting material known as Greater Planar Essence; selling this material is a reliable way to earn gold. If you ever find that the materials obtained through disenchanting are not worth selling, perhaps because it would be more cost-effective to simply unlock them from a vendor, you can instead choose to distribute these materials among your raid teammates. This approach allows you to reach an agreement with your teammates: whenever they receive gear drops that are of no use to them, they can simply pass them on to you, allowing you to continue turning their trash into treasure! Advantages of Alchemy Profession If you choose to become an Alchemist, the most effective way to earn extra gold is to master the transmute ability. By acquiring the relevant recipes to transmute Earthstorm Diamonds, you can generate approximately 15 to 25 gold per transmutation. Another excellent crafting option within Alchemy is Oil of Immolation. As a consumable item, it deals 50 points of fire damage every 3 seconds to all enemies within a 5-yard radius of the caster, lasting for 15 seconds. Consequently, whether you choose to sell it for profit or keep it for your own personal use during raids, this remains an incredibly practical and useful item. Typically, crafting a single bottle requires an investment of 1 gold and 20 silver, yielding a net profit of 60 silver coins, and the best part is, it is incredibly easy to craft. In short, amidst all the combat, do not overlook mechanics like professions; while they may seem like casual pastimes, they can be instrumental in helping you accumulate additional wealth. Here's wishing you financial freedom for the remainder of BCC Anniversary Phase 2!