Path Of Exile 2 Carry Run

After months of waiting, we finally have news about the next major update for Path of Exile 2. Patch 0.5.0, officially named Return of the Ancients, will be fully revealed on May 7th.

However, in an unexpected twist, the patch won't go live shortly after the reveal stream as usual. Instead, players will have to wait until May 29th - three weeks after the announcement. This is clearly different from the official plan, and it may have some impact on the official release of Path of Exile 2.

An Unusual Release Cycle

This marks the first time since the launch of Path of Exile 1 and 2 that a patch has arrived more than eight days after its announcement. Typically, the reveal is scheduled about a week before release, so revealing all the details on May 7th is rather uncommon.

The developers have already hinted that the core focus of Patch 0.5.0 is the endgame, claiming it will be the largest update ever.

Impact of Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred

The release date of PoE 2 Patch 0.5.0 clearly breaks the developers' earlier promise of a new league every four months. Following that schedule, the update should have started around the end of April. Instead, players are being asked to wait an extra month.

One can't help but consider whether Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, launching in late April, played a role. Although, from a player perspective, the audiences of Diablo 4 and Path of Exile don't entirely overlap - Torchlight: Infinite shares more with PoE, while Last Epoch is closer to Diablo 4 - the clash between the December release dates of Diablo 4 Season 12 and Patch 0.4.0 did have some impact on both games.

Since this is one of Diablo 4's biggest updates to date, PoE 2 team may have wanted to avoid a repeat of past scheduling conflicts (Diablo 4's Paladin class was revealed in Season 12, and the new class for Season 13 is Warlock). Delaying by a month would help stagger the releases.

Teaser Content

The first teaser trailer, only 30 seconds long, appears to show the area where the endgame boss, Arbiter of Ash, resides, as Burning Monolith rises.

Given the patch name and the teaser, Patch 0.5.0 seems to revolve around Precursors, who are deeply intertwined with the core story. Many endgame elements - Precursor Towers, Precursor Tablets, the weapon the player assembles in Act 4, even Arbiter and Flame Seed he guards - all originate from Precursors.

Until May 7th, it's hard to say exactly which endgame mechanics will be featured. However, the developers have leaked an image related to Patch 0.5.0, and that image points directly to Keepers of the Flame league from PoE 1.

The developers have previously experimented with an asynchronous trading system(allowing players to trade PoE 2 currency offline) in PoE 2 before bringing it to PoE 1, so it wouldn't be surprising to see them take designs from PoE 1 and bring them back to PoE 2. Therefore, we might speculate that Patch 0.5.0 will include a rework of Breach mechanic.

ExileCon

The third ExileCon will take place in November this year. Hosting such a large event naturally means there will be major announcements. The most likely candidate is the full 1.0 release of Path of Exile 2.

Some believe it will launch in December, about a month after the convention. Considering how packed this year's schedule already is - even if Patch 0.5.0 arrives in early May, the developers might have only one more update before needing to prepare for PoE 2 Patch 1.0 toward the end of the year. By then, the game would likely remove its access fee and become free-to-play, with a complete campaign.

This would mean the developers won't follow a steady, incremental patch cycle - they might jump directly to the official release after Patch 0.6.0.

But one thing to keep in mind is that an event like ExileCon requires planning far in advance, often 12 to 18 months. When they started preparing for it, they simply couldn't be sure whether Path of Exile 2 would be ready for a full launch by then.

After all, at the second ExileCon in 2023, they announced that early access would begin nearly a year later, in June 2024. That date was eventually pushed back twice, finally landing in December 2024.

It's very likely that when they were planning the second ExileCon, they had hoped the game would be in a more polished state, allowing them to announce a closer release date. But things didn't go as planned - development doesn't always align perfectly with expectations.

When Will 1.0 Arrive?

Patch 0.5.0 is set for May 29th, which to some extent disrupts the developers' original timeline. If version 1.0 really is targeting December, that leaves only a 6-month window - far too tight for just two updates.

If the plan is still to launch the full game this year, the team will likely pour all their efforts into developing version 1.0 from now on, ensuring it lives up to expectations as a massive content drop.

The developers will almost certainly announce a complete launch plan for Path of Exile 2 at this year's ExileCon. But the exact timing remains unclear. It could be December, or it could just as easily be planned for summer 2027, or even December 2027.

Ultimately, much will depend on how the community reacts to Patch 0.5.0. If the response is positive, they might accelerate work on the remaining campaign acts, add one or two new classes, and aim straight for a December 2026 release window. But if the reaction is lukewarm, that could disrupt the plan - and then a backup strategy would kick in.

In summary, Patch 0.5.0 is bound to affect both their original update schedule and the release timing of Patch 1.0. But for players, that's a good thing - you won't have to choose between PoE 2 and Diablo 4 anymore.

Exiles, have you seen the new trailer for Path of Exile 2 0.5.0 update? Although it's only about 30 seconds long, it contains a lot of information and visual hints. More importantly, with the release of this first trailer, it's finally confirmed that patch 0.5.0 will be released on May 29th for PC and consoles. Additionally, an official livestream will be held on May 7th at 1 PM Pacific Time to reveal more information.

It's still early, and before everything is finalized, all we can focus on for now is this trailer! By the way, the 0.5.0 update is called Return of the Ancients; perhaps the name itself is already hinting at something! Let's take a look.

Trailer Analysis

New Endgame Content

First, the title of POE 2 0.5.0 Return of the Ancients clearly hints that the game's story will revolve around the ancient, forgotten powers or civilizations of the continent of Wraeclast.

The Ancients in the title may refer not only to the gods in the story but also to a completely new endgame gameplay system. Considering that POE 1's endgame underwent changes such as Shaper, Elder, and Zana, POE 2 may officially introduce its core endgame challenge framework after 0.5.0.

Titan-Level Boss Battles

At the beginning of the trailer, they showcase a massive human head statue embedded in a mountainside. As the earth trembles, the statue's eyes emit golden light, accompanied by the crumbling of rocks, the entire massive humanoid structure seemingly awakening or emerging from the ground.

The mountain-level statue also leads to speculation that POE 2 may introduce ultra-large-scale boss battles, where players will need to move across or destroy parts of the massive enemy in stages, rather than just engaging in traditional ground combat. Perhaps our fighting style will be completely rewritten as a result.

Then, a massive black castle or fortress appears on screen, its architectural style unlike any known Path of Exile open-world civilization, exuding a more solemn and somber aura. This could be the major city or core dungeon location of the new Challenge League.

If true, such colossal boss battles will undoubtedly place even greater demands on character survivability and damage output. If traditional ground combat already leaves you struggling, you'll likely need top-tier unique gear when facing these ancient titans. Considering the low drop rate of high-tier currency in the early stages of the league, you can directly buy POE 2 currency from IGGM to unlock core buffs or crafting materials, which will help you destroy these behemoths more easily and avoid frequent deaths.

A connection to Vaal civilization?

While the entirely new architectural style leaves us puzzled, the complex golden energy flow, disc-shaped mechanical/magical structures, and overall art style appearing at the end of the video inevitably evoke memories of the original Vaal civilization.

Perhaps patch 0.5.0 will delve deeper into the truth behind the fall of Vaal civilization, or perhaps these ancient gods were actually objects of Vaal worship, now returning for some reason. Players might need to activate these ancient ruins or machines scattered throughout the world to obtain rewards or challenge powerful monsters. Of course, this is just speculation.

Why was patch 0.5.0 delayed?

You might also be wondering about this. Originally scheduled for a 4-month update cycle, the release of Path of Exile 2 on December 12, 2025, is quite late even in late April. Unexpectedly, the confirmed update date is May 29th, clearly delayed by at least a month compared to the original plan.

Perhaps to appease player dissatisfaction, the development team unusually prepared to start a livestream more than 20 days before the official release.

However, this delay also allows Path of Exile 2 to successfully avoid direct conflict with Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, released on April 28th; this is a strategic move aimed at providing players with a better gaming experience.

Of course, this isn't the only reason. As is well known, the core of the 0.5.0 update lies in a complete overhaul of the endgame map system, which was the main focus of community criticism during the previous 0.4.0 update. This massive overhaul encompasses structural adjustments to Atlas, a complete revamp of Waystone system, and new mission content, requiring more development time to ensure last quality.

Because 0.4.0 was designed to be released earlier to coincide with the year-end holiday season, it was considered by outsiders to have been developed too hastily. Therefore, we speculate that the studio has intentionally allocated extra time this time to avoid releasing another poorly polished update; they understand that this update is crucial to maintaining players' long-term confidence.

Get ready!

In any case, now that the release date is confirmed, it's time to prepare for Path of Exile 2 0.5.0 update, welcoming the major endgame content rework, the new league mechanics, and the potential introduction of new classes.

Furthermore, since this update will bring significant changes to map efficiency, boss battles, and the trading system, players should focus on accumulating resources and optimizing their existing characters. By cleaning up your inventory and optimizing your survivability and character build, you can maximize your potential after Return of the Ancients update goes live.

In short, this POE 2 0.5.0 trailer primarily serves to set the tone, announcing that late May is a crucial timeframe, possibly the closest we've come to a live release testing phase so far. The livestream on May 7th will be the key moment to reveal the true nature of these Ancients, don't miss it!