Path of Exile 2 – Still Worth Buying?
With the coming of Return of the Ancients drawing ever so closer (May 29). Fresh league economy, big Atlas changes, Temple of Atziri mechanics going core, and GGG being upfront that after 0.5.0 the focus shifts to polish and balance rather than raw content drops. That transparency is still the thing that keeps me trusting them.
If you want my first take from when Early Access launched, that is over at the Path of Exile 2 Early Access Review. Back then I was deep into Invoker Monk, on-death effects were making me rage-log, and I was honest that friends and mapping were the thing carrying the rough edges.
What Changed Since Then
The biggest shift is that the game stopped feeling like a demo and started feeling like something on a real schedule. GGG ships major content updates roughly every four months and they publish the dates ahead of time. That sounds basic but it genuinely changes how you relate to the game between leagues.
The Third Edict (0.3.0, August 2025) added Act Four, new Interlude content, and the Rise of the Abyssal league. More campaign, more reasons to reroll with friends instead of running the same Standard character into the ground. It also ran a free weekend around launch which I always appreciate because it removes the “buy before you know if you like it” pressure.
The Last of the Druids (December 2025) is the update I had actually been waiting for. Not just because of the content but because it finally brought Druid into the game, a class I had been eyeing since launch. More on that in a sec.
Return of the Ancients (May 29, 2026) is what is coming next. Fresh Runes of Aldur economy, Atlas rework, challenge rewards. The FAQ is unusually honest about this one being a foundation-setting patch rather than a headline feature drop, which I respect more than hype.
The Class Situation
More classes have arrived since launch and that is genuinely good to see. The roster is filling out. But I will be honest: there are still notable gaps and the class selection still feels like it is getting there rather than being there. If you launched with a specific archetype in mind and it still is not in the game, that is a real frustration and it is fair to feel it.
For me personally, Druid finally landing was the moment I had been waiting for. I have wanted to try it since EA dropped. The shape-shifting and nature magic fantasy is exactly my kind of thing and it did not disappoint in the early hours. I am still working out where I want to take the build long term but the foundation clicked fast in a way that Monk did not for me until I had put real hours into understanding it.
What Got Better, What Still Stings
The game feels alive now in a way it did not at launch. League dates are published. FAQs answer real questions about economy resets and what happens to your Atlas progress. GGG is loud in the way I like from a developer: not hype-loud, information-loud.
The combat depth has also expanded meaningfully. More campaign geography to learn, more build variety as the class roster fills out, more reasons to sit in voice chat arguing about supports and passive trees. That is the core fun of PoE for me and the sequel delivers it.
What still stings is Early Access balance occasionally eating your build. The Third Edict FAQ was upfront that passive reallocation might be necessary after big changes, and that has happened. That is not a betrayal, it is just the tax on playing a game that is still being built. Some nights it is fine. Some nights it is the reason you log off early.
On-death effects are also still a thing. I said it in 2024 and it remains true. If that specific friction ruined your experience before, it has improved but not disappeared. Go in knowing that.
Is It Still Worth Buying in 2026
I am not a fan of constant restarts. One of the things I love most about BDO is that I am always building toward something on the same character. Progress compounds. The work you put in last week still matters this week. League resets in PoE2 are the opposite of that, and I am not going to pretend that does not bother me.
But a few of my friends are jumping into PoE2 for the first time right now, and playing alongside someone experiencing it fresh is genuinely more fun than carrying them through content they have not earned yet. Starting new with them actually makes the restart feel worthwhile in a way it would not if I was doing it alone. That is the only thing that converts me on the league format.
Druid is fun and clicking for me in a way Monk never fully did. On-death effects still test my patience and still genuinely annoy me. That part has not changed since 2024 and I am not pretending otherwise.
Realistically this sits alongside BDO in my rotation as a game I play on and off. Some leagues I will be all in, some I will barely touch depending on what else is going on. That is probably the most honest way to describe my relationship with it: not a main, not abandoned, just always somewhere on the list.
GGG runs free weekends around major launches if you are still on the fence. That is the cleanest way to find out if it is for you without committing.
See you in Wraeclast. Probably on a Druid. Probably complaining about on-death effects. But still be having fun anyway.
