Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.0 'Return of the Ancients' Launched — Biggest Early Access Update Yet
On May 29, 2026, Path of Exile 2 launched Content Update 0.5.0 'Return of the Ancients' — by far the largest Early Access update to date. Grinding Gear Games described this as the final major planned update before the game's full release.
Return of the Ancients is the final major planned Early Access update for Path of Exile 2
New League: Runes of Aldur
Patch 0.5.0 introduces the Runes of Aldur league with a fresh economy and a new crafting loop. Players find Remnants in areas and craft items using Runic Recipes. Monsters spawned by Remnants drop Verisium metal — a new currency tied to the Verisium Runeforging system that adds the new Runic Ward defense type.
Endgame Overhaul: Origins of Divinity
The Atlas has been completely redesigned. The new Fortress system creates a non-linear structure: the "Fortress" storyline branches into explorable regions. The Atlas Passive Tree has been expanded to 300+ nodes. 30 new endgame map areas have been added. Delirium, Breach, and Ritual mechanics have been reworked; Fate of the Vaal has been moved to the core game.
Two New Ascendancy Classes
- Martial Artist (Monk) — master of illusions using runic weapons and hand-to-hand combat
- Spirit Walker (Huntress) — commands spirits aligned with the Stag, Owl, or Bear
New Items and Skills
The patch adds 50+ unique items, including iconic PoE1 items: Mageblood, Loreweave, Facebreaker, and Nightfall. Also added: 23 Kalguuran skills craftable through Remnants, plus new support gems.
Quality of Life Improvements
Notable QoL changes: skip dialogue with Escape, instant trade market search (Shift+Alt+click), improved group respawn after boss deaths, .build file support for guide creators, and faster campaign pacing.
June 1 Hotfixes
GGG is actively responding to community feedback: on June 1, 2026 alone, five hotfixes (0.5.0b Hotfix 4–8) were released addressing critical bugs and league balance issues.