During the recent GGG Live showcase, Grinding Gear Games announced that Path of Exile 2: The Last of the Druids will launch on December 12 PST. As its title implies, this new update will introduce the Druid, a shapeshifting class that can transform into a Bear, Wolf, or Wyvern.
The Druid is an exciting class because he can transform into an animal with his Talisman, a new type of weapon. While the highlight of the Druid is his shapeshifting ability, his Human form is no slouch, as he can cast spells that make use of the earth and storms. In this form, the Druid can also use the Spell Totem skill, which creates a totem that automatically casts any chosen spell for a certain time. Of course, players will need to have charges to use this, and power charges can be generated by consuming rage as a Bear or by eating corpses as a Wyvern.
Meanwhile, here’s a rundown of the three animal forms of the Druid:
- Wolf: This form channels lunar energy, augmenting the attacks with cold damage to freeze enemies. The wolf form can also summon a pack of minions as backup.
- Bear: This ferocious form builds up Rage to crush enemies, and it can also roar to amplify its abilities.
- Wyvern: The Wyvern’s key feature is its ability to feed its enemies to empower its abilities. This form can also unleash lightning, fire, and aerial attacks.
Druid – Shaman
Players also have two Ascendancy class options for the Druid. First is the Shaman, who consumes rage to amplify spell effects. The Shaman can unlock Wisdom of the Maji, and with this, each Rune and Idol gets Shaman-only modifiers that should give players even more customization options. With these, the Shaman can output devastating elemental damage upon enemies.
Then, there’s the Oracle. This Ascendancy class lets users predict movements with Foresight. Following these visions by activating the same skill will give the Oracle increased damage. The Oracle also enhances combat precision at key moments when enemies are susceptible to Freeze, Stun, or Electrocution. Plus, the Oracle brings 130 additional passives within the Druid tree. Some of these include abilities like Self-Sacrificing, which reduces minion spirit costs for more summons. There’s also Corruption Endures, which grants a chance to avoid death.
Druid – Oracle
While the highlight of the update is no doubt the Druid, the new expansion also has a wide array of additions, including:
- Over 30 new Support Gems – including multiple Lineage Supports like Accelerated Growth (causes volatile botanical detonations) and Tectonic Slams (include additional cascading slams).
- 11 new Unique items and balance adjustments across dozens of items
- 21 reworked Lineage Supports
- Improved combat clarity – higher-tier maps will no longer see more monsters. Instead, enemies will now provide 40% more item drops, 40% more experience, and have 40% increased life.
- CPU load, multithreading, and performance optimization – for a 25% increase in frame rates and fewer frame spikes.
The update also adds a new league called Fate of the Vaal. This league is described as:
Return to the height of Vaal civilization. Queen Atziri, driven by the impossible pursuit of eternal youth, prepares to sacrifice her empire. Subdue the Royal Architect and Atziri’s loyal followers to resist a past that could yet be rewritten.
With corruption resurfacing across Wraeclast, defeat the malignant energy from Vaal beacons rising from the ground, and redirect their essence back. By energizing the beacons, a gateway to Lira Vaal, an ancient temple, will open.
In this league, players can essentially build their own dungeon. Each Beacon encounter unlocks access to temple rooms, and six can be assembled to form a layout that the player can choose. As players clear more beacons, more rooms are offered, complete with better reward potential. Note that room placement is key to getting the best returns.
Players can also find the following special crafting mechanisms in the Temple:
- Juatalotli’s Triumph: Alters a corrupted Vaal Unique Item, substituting its modifiers with Vaal-specific variants.
- Precursor Machine: Corrupts Tablets using ancient energy
- Jiquani’s Triumph: Distorts Soul Cores
- Kishara’s Acquisition: Attempts to salvage socketables from equipment
Finally, The Last of the Druids also adds the new Pinnacle Boss, Atziri, a Queen worshipped for her beauty, though she eventually led her devotees into downfall. Before getting to her though, players will need to overcome Xipocado, who guards the access point to the deeper levels of the temple.
When players defeat Atziri’s corrupted form, they’ll receive Atziri’s Rule, a powerful staff that elevates all corrupted gems and enables players to exchange life for more damage. This staff also manifests Mirrors of Refraction when used, and these mirrors erupt when projectiles are fired into them. These can then be chained for even more damage.
Xipocado, devoted to Atziri, stands between the player and deeper temple access. Overcoming him grants entry to additional crafting tools and a step closer to confronting the queen. Worshipped for her unparalleled beauty, Atziri was the infamous Queen who led her devotees into downfall; now she stands as a new Pinnacle Boss. Rewrite history and alter the fate of the Vaal.
One of the rewards from defeating her corrupted form is Atziri’s Rule, a powerful new staff that elevates all corrupted gems and enables players to exchange life for increased damage output. While wielded, Mirrors of Refraction periodically manifest across the battlefield; projectiles fired into these mirrors erupt into a splitting nova and can chain from one mirror to the next, dramatically amplifying offensive potential.
Path of Exile 2: The Last of the Druids launches on December 12 PST on all platforms. For more details, visit the official website.