Path of Exile 2’s Dawn of the Hunt expansion brings a host of exciting new features, updates, and challenges for players. With a fresh class, new ascendancies, revamped endgame systems, and a whole new league mechanic, Dawn of the Hunt is one of POE2 Currency the most ambitious updates in the game’s history. Whether you’re a returning player or a newcomer, understanding the changes and how to adapt to them is key to your success. This guide will break down the key features of Dawn of the Hunt, recommend starter builds, and provide efficient progression strategies to help you maximize your experience in Path of Exile 2.
1. Dawn of the Hunt - Key Features & Release Date
The 0.2.0 update for Path of Exile 2, titled Dawn of the Hunt, is scheduled for release on April 4, 2025, at noon PDT. This update introduces a wealth of new content, features, and systems aimed at enhancing the Path of Exile 2 experience. Let’s dive into some of the major additions.
A. New Class: The Huntress
One of the most exciting additions in Dawn of the Hunt is the introduction of the Huntress class. The Huntress wields Spears as a new weapon type, bringing a unique hybrid melee/ranged playstyle to the game. The class features high mobility, allowing players to weave between enemies and deliver devastating damage with precise, well-timed attacks. This class is perfect for players who want to master positioning while dealing damage both up close and at a distance.
B. New Ascendancies
In Dawn of the Hunt, multiple classes are getting new ascendancies. These ascendancies offer deeper customization and open up new build possibilities. The newly introduced ascendancies are:
Ritualist: A versatile ascendancy that enhances spellcasting and minion playstyles.
Amazon: A ranged-focused ascendancy with a focus on agility and elemental damage.
Smith of Kitava: A tanky melee ascendancy, perfect for those who enjoy smashing through enemies with fire-infused attacks.
Tactician: Focuses on controlling the battlefield and manipulating enemies with traps and effects.
Lich: A dark-themed ascendancy that revolves around chaos damage and sacrificing your own health for greater power.
These new ascendancies will greatly expand the potential for build diversity, providing players with a wide array of strategies to explore.
C. Azmerian Wisps & The League Mechanic
Dawn of the Hunt introduces a fresh league mechanic: Azmerian Wisps. These encounters feature enhanced monsters that drop Talismans upon death. Talismans can be used as both an item to enhance your character’s abilities and as a tradeable commodity. These Wisps provide additional challenges and rewards, making them an excellent way to gather resources and gear.
D. Endgame Overhaul
The expansion also brings a major overhaul to the endgame systems. The Atlas Passive Tree has been revamped, and there are now 7 new maps to explore. Furthermore, the Corrupted Nexus system introduces a new level of difficulty for high-tier players. These changes make the endgame more challenging and rewarding, giving long-term players even more reasons to keep playing.
The Dawn of the Hunt update also includes 100+ new unique items and support gems, expanding the possibilities for item builds and allowing for even more character customization.
2. Best Starter Builds for Dawn of the Hunt
As with any new expansion, choosing the right starter build is essential for efficient leveling and progression. Here are three recommended starter builds for Dawn of the Hunt:
A. Huntress - Spear Lightning Strike
Pros:
Excellent mobility, high damage, hybrid melee/ranged attacks.
Versatile, allowing you to handle both bosses and mobs effectively.
Cons:
Requires precise positioning and attack speed investment to maximize potential.
Recommended Playstyle: The Huntress is a highly mobile class, focusing on spear-based attacks. By using skills like Lightning Strike, you can deal significant damage while keeping enemies at bay. Spear-based attacks can be used in both melee and ranged combat, making it perfect for players who want to constantly move around and adapt to changing battle scenarios.
B. Witch - Lich Chaos Minions
Pros:
Chaos damage and minion-based gameplay allow for passive clearing.
Excellent for clearing large packs of monsters with minimal effort.
Cons:
Minion AI struggles against fast-moving bosses, requiring more active involvement.
Recommended Playstyle: If you enjoy a more passive approach, the Witch with Lich ascendancy is an excellent choice. This build focuses on summoning powerful minions that deal chaos damage. The combination of Summon Skeletons and Spectres makes it ideal for players who want to avoid direct combat and focus on letting their minions do the work.
C. Warrior - Smith of Kitava Fire Slam
Pros:
High burst damage and excellent tanking potential for melee builds.
Great for farming and handling large enemy packs with heavy area-of-effect (AoE) damage.
Cons:
Requires significant investment in armor and life for survivability.
Recommended Playstyle: If you prefer to be in the thick of the fight, the Smith of Kitava Fire Slam build is for you. This build allows you to stack fire damage and use devastating slam attacks to clear enemy packs quickly. It excels at being a tanky melee fighter, dishing out massive damage while absorbing hits from enemies.
3. How to Progress Efficiently in Dawn of the Hunt
A. Leveling Guide (Acts 1-10)
To progress quickly through the early stages of Dawn of the Hunt, here are some key tips:
Movement Speed: Prioritize boots with increased movement speed (+10-15%) to help with faster clearing and progression.
AoE Skills: Choose skills with area-of-effect (AoE) damage to clear mobs efficiently. This will speed up your leveling process and help you progress faster.
Upgrade Weapons Frequently: Equip better weapons as you level up, especially if you're using an attack-based build. Weapon upgrades make a significant difference in damage output.
Side Quests: Don’t skip side quests that grant passive skill points. These are crucial for increasing your character’s power and effectiveness.
B. Early Mapping Strategy
Once you reach maps, the focus should shift to efficient map progression. Here’s how to make the most of your early maps:
Complete White and Yellow Maps: Focus on completing lower-tier maps quickly to get accustomed to the mechanics. This will help you accumulate resources and gear.
Azmerian Wisps: Be sure to target Azmerian Wisps encounters during maps. These provide valuable Talismans that can boost your build or be sold for currency.
Atlas Passive Upgrades: Focus on Atlas Passives that improve map drops and league mechanics to make your mapping more rewarding.
C. Currency & Gear Progression
To continue progressing efficiently, managing your currency and gear is key:
Chaos Orbs: Use Chaos Orbs to trade for upgrades during the early game. These will help you progress smoothly.
Fracturing Orbs: These orbs lock in affixes on high-tier rare items, allowing you to craft powerful gear.
Simplex Amulets: These amulets enhance your gear, providing stronger character scaling and further enhancing your power.
4. How to Earn & Use Currency in Dawn of the Hunt
Efficiently earning and spending currency is essential for building a strong character. Here’s how to maximize your currency-making efforts:
A. Farming Currency Efficiently
Run High-Yield Maps: Target new endgame maps with high pack density to maximize currency gains.
Azmerian Wisps Encounters: These drop valuable Talismans that can be sold or used to upgrade your build.
Essence Corruption: Corrupt essences to obtain rare crafting materials, which are valuable for crafting high-end gear.
Unique Strongboxes: These containers can drop high-tier unique items, which can be sold or used to upgrade your gear.
B. Crafting & Item Selling
Fracturing Orbs: Use these orbs to lock in valuable stats on your Rare items before continuing to craft them.
Talismans: Trade Talismans with high resistances, life, or damage modifiers for a profit.
Recombination Crafting (Expedition Mechanic): Use this mechanic to merge items into powerful hybrid gear, allowing you to create high-value items.
5. Endgame Mapping & Corrupted Nexus
The endgame of Dawn of the Hunt has received a major overhaul, with new challenges and systems to explore:
A. Running Endgame Maps Efficiently
Atlas Passive Tree: Invest in map sustain nodes to ensure that your map drops remain plentiful, allowing you to continue running high-tier maps without running out of resources.
New 6-Portal System: The new system grants more portals, meaning you can progress further in endgame maps before encountering failure.
Tower & Tablet Improvements: These features now contain bosses and unique rewards, providing new incentives for high-level players.
B. Corrupted Nexus System
The Corrupted Nexus introduces a new challenge for high-level players:
Corrupted Maps: These maps contain tougher enemies but offer better loot.
Cleansed Maps: Clearing a Corrupted Nexus converts nearby maps into Cleansed Maps, which offer alternative loot, making them highly valuable.
C. Boss Strategies for Pinnacle Fights
No XP Loss: Pinnacle bosses no longer grant XP, and death no longer results in XP loss. This encourages players to experiment and practice different strategies.
High-Avoidance Builds: For difficult encounters, high-avoidance builds (e.g., evasion or dodge-focused) are highly effective at minimizing the risk of failure.
6. Final Thoughts & Key Takeaways
Dawn of the Hunt is shaping up to be one of the most content-rich expansions for Path of Exile 2. The addition of the Huntress class, new ascendancies, and exciting league mechanics like Azmerian Wisps provides fresh challenges and opportunities for both new and veteran players. With revamped endgame systems and new itemization options, Dawn of the Hunt promises a compelling experience for all kinds of players.
Whether you’re experimenting with new builds, earning currency efficiently, or diving into the depths of Path of Exile 2 Orbs Corrupted Nexus challenges, there’s always something new to discover in this massive expansion. Keep these strategies in mind, and you’ll be well on your way to mastering Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt. Happy hunting, Exile!