The long-awaited Path of Exile 2 patch 0.2.0 will bring a major change to one of the most underwhelming parts of its endgame. As it continues to work on the ARPG’s next big update, developer Grinding Gear Games reveals an overhaul to Atlas map towers that should make them a lot more engaging. The change is the latest in a series of announced improvements for the early access RPG as GGG’s new experimental event for PoE 2’s predecessor has players flocking back to the first game.
There’s a lot to love about Path of Exile 2 in its current form, from the new class design to its magnificent campaign. But as we’ve all spent increasingly more time with the endgame, the differences between PoE 2 early access and its decade-old, fleshed-out forerunner – one of the best RPGs on PC – start to really stand out. Grinding Gear Games has provided a boon to bored players with its transformative Legacy of Phrecia event for the first Path of Exile, but that’s largely intended as a stopgap between leagues as we await PoE 2’s next patch.
Currently, one of the most important pieces of the PoE 2 endgame is one of its dullest. Completing towers is essential to progression, giving you more vision over the Atlas map and allowing you to spread your favorite mechanics such as Breach or Delirium to nearby nodes. In their current state, however, towers feel tremendously mundane, with mediocre layouts and a lack of systems meaning there’s never been reason to run through them in anything but their most basic form just to tick off the completion requirement.
In PoE 2 patch 0.2.0, Towers will now have the ability to spawn with mechanics, including boss fights. They can now also be ‘juiced’ by tablets used on other nearby towers to introduce even more systems. At a base level, this should make them a little more interesting – but it does come with some potential problems. Players whose endgame builds aren’t designed to tackle Path of Exile 2 bosses might now find some towers are difficult to use, and it doesn’t resolve the layout issue.
Responding to the announcement, Path of Exile Twitch streamer ‘Empyrian’ shares concerns that towers can now eat up one of your tablet activations, despite the fact that “tower layouts currently are much worse than most maps.” He adds, “If the tower layouts are improved this could work but currently this is a net negative change.” Personally, I’m happy to have a bit more excitement in towers, even if it slightly impacts my potential min-max capabilities, but I would agree that a more dramatic rework might be the best long-term solution.
Also announced for patch 0.2.0 are new support gems “with an emphasis on skills that are lacking support gem options” and new unique items to help improve your best Path of Exile 2 builds. The Bringer of Rain is a powerful helm that allows you to carry two-handed melee weapons in one hand, but restricts you from wearing chest armor. The Hammer of Faith is a colossal two-hand mace providing immense physical damage, a big boost to your mana regeneration rate, and periodic, random shrine buffs.
Last week Grinding Gear Games estimated that Path of Exile 2 patch 0.2.0 would release in “approximately one month,” so we’d expect it to land sometime around the week of Friday March 21. We’ll be sure to keep you up to date on the launch date as we hear more.
For now, you can check you’ve ticked off all Path of Exile 2 quests to earn the most rewards possible, or try another of the best games like Diablo on PC right now.
Do you think this tower change is a good or bad decision? Let us know on Discord. You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides.