Path of Exile 2: The Last of the Druids Arrives December 13

A New Class That Blends Human Magic and Three Animal Forms

Grinding Gear Games will launch Path of Exile 2: The Last of the Druids on December 13, introducing the game’s next major class and opening a free trial period from December 13 to 16 across all platforms.

The Druid is positioned as a hybrid Strength and Intelligence spellcaster who channels the power of Draiocht to transform into a wolf, bear, or wyvern, each offering distinct combat identities. As shown in the studio’s developer presentation, the Druid’s design was one of the most complex the team has attempted, requiring seamless transitions between human abilities and three unique forms.

The human form focuses on earth and storm magic, enabling players to set up long-duration spells such as volcanic eruptions or binding roots before transforming into an animal to continue the assault. The transformation is triggered by a new weapon type, the Talisman, with each variant unlocking a specific beast form. The druid’s backstory frames his journey through Ogham’s forests after losing his fellow druids to the King in the Mists, pushing him toward a search for his lost wife and a path back to his humanity.

Each animal form introduces a different approach to combat: Wolf emphasises mobility and cold-based attacks, generating a loyal pack through marked enemies; Bear leans into rage-powered slams and tankiness; and Wyvern blends melee and ranged elemental attacks with corpse consumption to generate power charges. These forms are designed to interlock with human spells, producing combos that encourage constant shifting based on battlefield needs, bringing something fresh to Path of Exile 2.

Fate of the Vaal League Introduces Dungeon Crafting and New Pinnacle Boss

Launching alongside the class update is Fate of the Vaal, a new league rooted in the rediscovery of ancient Vaal technology scattered throughout Wraeclast in Path of Exile 2. Players activate arcane beacons to open a gateway into Lira Vaal, an expansive temple that can be constructed and customised room by room. Each run offers six room placements, with chamber interactions determining difficulty scaling, rewards, and specialised encounters. Some rooms destabilise after each run, encouraging players to rebuild an ever-evolving temple layout gradually.

Advanced room types create opportunities for unique crafting, complex enemy interactions, and thematic encounters. A Garrison placed beside a Commander, for example, becomes significantly more dangerous but yields greater rewards. Higher-level rooms also introduce specialised systems such as double corruption, experimental limb replacement performed by Vaal Flesh Surgeons, and deep-item crafting through corrupted Soul Cores.

The temple’s most ambitious progression layers involve travelling into the Vaal’s past to prevent Atziri’s cataclysm, adding new room types and story implications for players chasing endgame challenges.

The newest league in Path of Exile 2 culminates in a new Pinnacle Boss fight against Queen Atziri in her true corrupted form. Defeating her grants a chance to obtain Atziri’s Rule, a unique staff that enhances corrupted gems and creates mirrors that split projectiles into novas, dramatically increasing projectile builds’ power ceilings.

Additional rewards, including medallions that manipulate temple layouts, reinforce the league’s focus on customisation and replayability. Developer commentary emphasised that high-level temples can create challenge levels “to match even the strongest of characters” through layered room modifiers .

Extensive Rebalancing, Performance Improvements, and New Build Tools

Beyond class content and the new league, Path of Exile 2: The Last of the Druids introduces far-reaching systemic updates. Over 30 Support Gems have been added, alongside nine new Lineage Supports and reworks to 21 existing ones. Classes across the board receive balance updates, with nearly 90 active skills modified and 11 new Unique items entering the pool.

The passive tree expands by over 250 nodes, offering broader build diversity. The team also highlighted improvements to performance, with CPU load reductions and multithreading enhancements expected to boost frame rates by roughly 25%, particularly on consoles.

The expansion also folds the Rise of the Abyssal league into the core game. Abyss encounters will now appear randomly in endgame maps, supported by a dedicated Atlas tree and new Tablet-based crafting modifiers. Grinding Gear Games has removed Abyss crafting and Instilling from Waystones to reduce micromanagement, shifting their effects to Tablets instead. Monster density scaling has been reworked to reduce overwhelming swarms in late maps; instead of adding 40% more monsters, higher-tier maps now grant proportional increases to loot, experience, and enemy health, making difficulty more predictable without compromising rewards.

Finally, visual clarity remains a meaningful focus in Path of Exile 2: The Last of the Druids. Delirium fog has been reduced to improve visibility, especially during dense encounters. Additional endgame content initially planned for this update has been pushed to version 0.5.0, but major upgrades and new Pinnacle bosses remain on the roadmap.

The studio’s ongoing optimisation push aims to roll out more improvements over the next several months, supporting Path of Exile 2’s evolving endgame landscape.