Path of Exile 2 is getting its first major content update, and with it comes a new class, new Ascendancies, and sweeping balance changes that will shake up the meta.

The Dawn of the Hunt update introduces the Huntress, three new Ascendancy options for existing classes, over 100 Support Gems and 100 Unique Items, as well as massive improvements to the Endgame and a brand-new League mechanic.

Let's dive into the key details:

New Class: Huntress

The Huntress is a new Dexterity-based class that wields a Spear and Buckler. Spears allow a dynamic playstyle mixing Melee and Ranged Attacks, while Bucklers replace traditional Shield blocking with a parry mechanic that can grant bonuses such as Frenzy Charge generation.

The Huntress has two Ascendancies:

Ritualist - Focuses on sacrificing health and resources for massive power.

Amazon - A master of Elemental damage and a formidable hunter.

(Check our Ritualist and Amazon guides for deeper breakdowns.)

New Ascendancies

In addition to the Huntress's new paths, three existing classes gain new Ascendancies:

Tactician (Mercenary) - A support-oriented path offering crowd control, spirit reservation reductions, and powerful team buffs.

Smith of Kitava (Warrior) - A fire-themed powerhouse focused on enhancing armor and weapons, enabling incredible tankiness and weapon crafting.

Lich (Witch) - Specializes in Chaos damage, Curses, and strong Energy Shield interactions.

(Check our Tactician, Smith of Kitava, and Lich guides for full breakdowns.)

Dawn of the Hunt League

Like traditional POE Leagues, Dawn of the Hunt will feature a fresh economy and character reset. Importantly, the new mechanics will also be available in Standard after the League ends.

League Mechanic: Azmeri Wisps

Azmeri Wisps spawn during campaign and endgame play:

Wisps empower monsters, granting unique abilities and improving loot.

Staying near a Wisp strengthens rewards, while wandering away causes it to dissipate.

Different types of Wisps yield league-specific loot, currency, and items.

Endgame Changes

Endgame content is seeing major improvements:

Corrupted Nexuses must be rooted out instead of running every map tier repeatedly. Cleansing corruption also enhances maps nearby.

Portals are now lost only on death, encouraging exploration. However, rarer maps have fewer portals available.

Towers now act like full maps with unique bonuses and stronger rewards.

Unique Maps include boss-rush challenges for Talismans (new socketable items) and Essence-focused rewards.

Essence crafting adds corruption options, including corruption-only Essences.

Recombinator crafting comes to Expedition, letting you combine two items with selected mods at a risk.

Pinnacle Bosses are more accessible, with faster key progression.

Atlas Passive Tree updates include new nodes for Azmeri Wisps, Rogue Exiles, and overhauls to Breach and Expedition nodes.

Major Balance Changes

Balance changes are wide-ranging and will reshape the meta. Here's a quick breakdown by archetype:

Energy Shield Nerfs

Grim Feast removed (pending rework).

Passive stat-setting changes reduce Energy Shield scaling.

Major nerfs to Ghostwrithe, Atziri's Disdain, and Everlasting Gaze.

Heavy Buffer now allows partial damage to bypass Energy Shield.

Energy Shield Recovery is limited mainly to Recharge and Eternal Youth.

Conclusion: ES is still viable but requires better gear and planning.

Rarity Changes

Rarity stacking now faces heavy diminishing returns beyond ~400%.

Affix values for Rarity were lowered across gear and Charms.

Golden Charms grant less Rarity.

Mahuxotl's Machination has been heavily nerfed regarding Soul Core effects.

Stat Stacker Nerfs

A heavy hit to Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence stacker builds:

Gemling Legionnaire's Enhanced Effectiveness Ascendancy imposes a 20% Attribute Penalty.

Nerfs to key nodes like Falcon Technique, Polymathy, and Spaghettification.

Unique items like Hand of Wisdom and Action, Pillar of the Caged God, and Morior Invictus rebalanced with lower effectiveness.

Limit skills now share limits across copies (especially affects Tempest Bell).

Mana Stacker Changes

Mana-based builds, especially Stormweavers, take significant hits:

Force of Will now requires 25 Mana for a 15% Arcane Surge Effect, not 15 Mana.

Strike Twice now reduces Shock Magnitude instead of Shock Duration.

Minor tweaks to small Ascendancy nodes favoring Mana Regeneration over Max Mana.

Final Thoughts

Dawn of the Hunt represents Path of Exile 2's first real test of evolving its systems live - and it's ambitious. Expect early chaos, shifting metas, and lots of theorycrafting as the community figures out how to maximize all the new tools (and work around the new hurdles).

Having Path of Exile 2 currency and Path of Exile 2 items ready gives you a massive head start while everyone else is still scrambling to find decent gear.