PoE2’s First Big Patch Brings Fixes, But No Balance Changes

The First Big Patch Is Here!

Grinding Gear Games has rolled out their first large update for Path of Exile 2 after launch of The Third Edict. Thirteen hotfixes have already gone live, and now the team is preparing Patch 0.3.0b, which should land by the end of the week.

So what is changing, and how are players reacting? Let’s take a look.

Major Fixes And QoL Updates

This patch is all about cleaning things up. Instead of balance changes, GGG focused on bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements to smooth out gameplay. A couple of big ones include:

• Warbringer’s Ancestral Spirits now summon their minions like they should.
• Crossbows finally reload properly, even after weapon swaps.
• Map boss arenas spawn as intended, instead of trapping players in empty rooms.
• Vendor search now remembers your last query per NPC session.
• Instance commands like /hideout can be used directly from the Well of Souls.
• Sprint no longer auto-locks onto enemies.
• Dozens of fixes for crashes, skill bugs, and UI issues, especially for controller and couch co-op.

There are also adjustments to Abyss monsters and the Vessel of Kulemak fight, which now has clearer telegraphs and toned-down damage.

Community Reaction On Reddit

On Reddit, the mood was pretty positive. The dodge roll fix got the biggest cheers, since players had suspected it was broken from the start. Seeing GGG confirm it and roll out a fix was a relief. Warbringer and crossbow fixes also came up often, with people saying the patch should make the game feel noticeably smoother.

You can read one of the main discussions here:

The Third Edict: What We're Working On
byu/Natalia_GGG inPathOfExile2

Concerns About Balance

Not everyone is satisfied. A lot of players were hoping for balance changes like buffs for underperforming builds or adjustments to the Deadeye ascendancy, which is dominating the meta.

Instead, the patch is focused entirely on fixing bugs. That has some players worried that strong builds will continue to run the show while melee and certain spells lag behind.

What Comes Next

GGG says they are monitoring feedback closely and plan to keep rolling out fixes. For now, though, this patch is about stability and smoothing out the experience, not changing up the meta.

That is good news for anyone struggling with bugs in Act 4 or Rise of the Abyssal, but players hungry for balance changes will have to wait a little longer…

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For more PoE2 news and updates, check out our Path of Exile 2 hub.