PoE2 Patch Notes: Latest 0.5.5e Update, Fixes & Major Changes

The latest poe2 patch notes cover version 0.5.5e, a small follow-up update that Grinding Gear Games (GGG) posted on October 5, 2026. It sits on top of the much larger 0.5.5 “Forbidden Rites” content update, which went live on September 4, 2026 and carries nearly all of the meaningful changes players are still discussing.

If you are trying to work out what changed in Path of Exile 2 over the past month, this guide separates the big update from the small fixes that followed it. It also explains which changes are buffs, which are nerfs, and which are a mix of both.

Quick Answer: What Are the Latest PoE2 Patch Notes?

Official Path of Exile 2 Early Access patch notes forum listing

The newest Path of Exile 2 patch is 0.5.5e, posted on the official Early Access Patch Notes forum on October 5, 2026. It adds a Texture Quality setting for machines with low video memory and fixes four problems: a bug that stopped Ritual encounters from starting after certain boss kills, an inaccessible Tomb of the Fallen Knight, very slow area loading in some places, and missing 2D art on Sovereign Hideout decorations.

It is a minor patch, not a content update. The last major update was 0.5.5 (Forbidden Rites), which introduced a new event league, a large Trial of Chaos rework, and moved Expedition content into the core game.

DetailAnswer
Latest version0.5.5e
PostedOctober 5, 2026
Update typeMinor patch (bug fixes plus one settings addition)
Last major update0.5.5 “Forbidden Rites,” live September 4, 2026
Game statusEarly Access, with 1.0 scheduled for December 11, 2026
Where to read the official notesThe “Early Access Patch Notes” section of the Path of Exile forum

What Are the Latest PoE2 Patch Notes?

PoE2 patch notes are the official change logs that GGG publishes for each update to Path of Exile 2. Each version gets its own thread on the official forum, written by GGG staff. Hotfixes that do not need a full patch get their own short threads too.

The numbering is easy to read once you know the pattern. A change from 0.5 to 0.6 would signal a new major content cycle. A third number, as in 0.5.5, marks a larger update inside that cycle. A trailing letter, as in 0.5.5b, 0.5.5c, 0.5.5d and 0.5.5e, marks a follow-up patch that mostly fixes problems.

That distinction explains why the newest notes look so short compared with the ones from early September. The big changes landed in 0.5.5. Everything since then has been cleanup.

One more point to keep straight: Path of Exile 1 uses a separate 3.x numbering system. Nothing in this article refers to PoE1 patches, and PoE1 changes should never be read as PoE2 patch notes.

Latest PoE2 Patch Notes Version and Release Date

Here is the full 0.5.5 family as it appears on the official forum, from the content update to the most recent fix patch.

VersionDateTypeFocus
0.5.5Notes posted Sept 2; live Sept 4, 2026Major content updateForbidden Rites league, Ritual, Trial of Chaos rework, Expedition to core
0.5.5 Hotfixes 1 to 10Sept 4 to Sept 7, 2026HotfixesLaunch-week fixes
0.5.5bSept 10, 2026Minor patchExpedition spawning, tablet drop rates
0.5.5cSept 17, 2026Minor patchQuestline and boss-fight fixes
0.5.5dSept 27, 2026Minor patchAzmeri Spirit fix, Ritual and tablet fixes
0.5.5eOct 5, 2026Minor patchTexture Quality setting, Ritual and loading fixes

The 0.5.5 launch time was 1 PM Pacific on September 4, according to gaming press coverage. The forum thread for the full notes is dated two days earlier. The dates in the table follow the official forum thread dates.

This article treats 0.5.5e as the current patch and 0.5.5 as the major update that explains most of what players see in the game. As of October 8, 2026, the official forum listing shows nothing newer. GGG can post a hotfix at any time, so check the forum before publishing or updating.

Read More: https://gamespuma.com/poe-2-ascendancies/

Major Changes in the Latest PoE2 Patch Notes (0.5.5)

Most of the substance in the current PoE2 patch notes comes from 0.5.5 itself. Here is what changed, grouped by system.

The Forbidden Rites Event League

"Forbidden Rites Ritual encounter in Path of Exile 2 campaign

Forbidden Rites is a new event league with a fresh economy. It runs alongside the existing Runes of Aldur league, so players who want to keep their characters there can. Standard, Hardcore and Solo Self-Found versions exist. Hardcore Forbidden Rites is parented to Standard Forbidden Rites, so a character that dies in Hardcore can carry on in the Standard version.

The campaign gets a new twist. Each area now has a Ritual encounter that rewards leveling-friendly loot, including crafting currency and equipment. Ritual effigy clusters appear on the world map twice per Act and once per Interlude, and they sit directly on top of each area’s boss fight. Defeating a boss Ritual carries that boss forward into the next Ritual in the cluster, where it joins a larger wave of bosses. Completing the series lets you spend tribute on Unique items.

In the endgame, Sacred Blooms can drop as a Ritual reward and add the Viridian Wildwood to a cluster of maps. Inside, you follow trails of Wisps. When you leave, monsters in the map are stronger and more rewarding based on the Wisps you collected. Sacred Blooms only exist in Forbidden Rites.

The league also brings eight challenges. Rewards unlock at 2, 4, 6 and 8 challenges: Locust Footprints, the Locust Swarm Rare Finisher Effect, the Wildwood Guardian pet and the Wildwood Affliction level-up effect. All of these are league-exclusive cosmetics.

Ritual Changes

Ritual itself got practical improvements. Party members can now earn Ritual tribute, with their own limited reward selection that cannot be rerolled. In party play, everyone in the area must hear Aoife’s introduction before a Ritual starts. Using more than one Ritual Tablet adds an extra Altar to a map where possible and increases the Azmeri Wisps collected in the Viridian Wildwood. A new Atlas passive, Royal Lenience, lets tribute already offered to the King be used to defer items, at a heavy extra cost in offered tribute.

Trial of Chaos Rework

This is the biggest quality-of-life change in the update. The Trial of Chaos used to lock you in until you finished the whole run. Now you can leave at any point and resume from the same room later.

Other key changes include:

  • A reward chest at the end of every room, so dying no longer wipes your entire reward pile.
  • Rewards limited to Currency and Soul Cores. Corrupted items are no longer a reward outcome.
  • The Trialmaster no longer drops Magic Inscribed Ultimatums.
  • After finishing an Inscribed Ultimatum with 10 Trials, you can continue immediately without another item, up to twice per Ultimatum. Each successful continuation awards a different Trialmaster Fragment, and modifiers and reward quality carry over. An optional double-or-nothing currency wager is offered at that point.
  • The Uxmal, the Beastlord boss arena was fully redesigned.
  • Modifiers now have more tiers, much lower difficulty per tier, and show real values. The Shielding Monsters modifier, for example, now states the percentage of maximum Life monsters gain as extra Energy Shield.
  • Burning Turrets and Shocking Turrets start at 3 per encounter, and Petrification Statues start at 2. Higher tiers add more.
  • Escort the Statue, Sacrifice Monsters and Implant the Soul Cores appear less often than Slay all Monsters and Survive.
  • The Trialmaster stops time only at the start of the run, not in almost every room. Doors open sooner and elevators respond faster and are larger, so more party members fit.

The Trial of Chaos also gets inherent area-level bonuses, such as better odds of Magic or Rare monsters and better boss drops. These compensate for Atlas passive bonuses not applying inside the Trial.

Soul Core Changes

GGG added 17 new Soul Cores: 13 under the Jiquani’s name (Abundance, Automation, Malediction, Munitions, Quaking, Radiance, Rallying, Rippling, Severing, Snares, Squalls, Targeting and Thundering) and 4 under Atziri’s (Devotion, Alacrity, Inoculation and Vitality). Many existing Soul Cores were retuned as well.

Soul CoreChange (new vs previous)Direction
Atmohua, Cholotl, ZantipiConvert 40% of requirements to Strength, Dexterity or Intelligence (was 20%)Buff
Citaqualotl40% increased Elemental Damage with Attacks on martial weapons (was 30%); 6% to all Elemental Resistances in armour (was 5%)Buff
JiquaniRecover 5% of max Life on kill (was 2%); 5% increased max Life in body armour (was 3%); now Limit 1Mixed
Tacati+13% Chaos Resistance in armour (was +11%)Buff
TicabaHits against you have 50% reduced Critical Damage Bonus (was 20%); now Limit 1Mixed
Tzamoto60% increased Freeze Buildup (was 30%); +2% max Cold Resistance (was +1%); now Limit 1Mixed
ZalatlRecover 4% of max Mana on kill (was 2%); 5% increased max Mana (was 3%); now Limit 1Mixed

Several others, including Opiloti, Puhuarte, Topotante, Xopec, Uromoti and Estazunti, got reworked or raised numbers. Atmohua’s Soul Core of Retreat and Cholotl’s Soul Core of War were reworked into different effects, so those two are not simple numeric buffs. I label the entries marked “Mixed” this way because the numbers went up while a Limit of 1 now caps how many you can socket. Whether that is a net gain depends on the build.

Runes of Aldur Content Moves to Core

Farrow, Dannig and Expedition content now exist in the Atlas as core mechanics, including in Standard, and Expeditions can be found from Act 4 onward. Expedition Tablets drop in Standard and Forbidden Rites, but not in the Runes of Aldur league. Stacking tablets scales the content:

  • 1 tablet adds a Kalguuran Expedition.
  • 2 tablets add a Verisium Remnant and 35% increased Expedition density.
  • 3 tablets add a second Expedition.
  • 4 tablets add another Verisium Remnant and a further 35% increased density.

The Verisium Anvil now unlocks through The Runeseeker quest in Act 4. Farrow can be placed in your hideout in every league once the Anvil is unlocked, and Expedition Uniques can go into the Unique Item Stash Tab in all leagues. Aldur’s Saga is still exclusive to the Runes of Aldur league.

Endgame and Atlas Changes

  • Large Abyssal Ravines can now appear across the Atlas, and maps on them are guaranteed to contain Abysses.
  • Beating the Arbiter of Divinity with the non-quest Origin Core now completes the whole Precursor Fortress for the map owner, which frees up the Atlas passive tree. The quest version no longer completes a section of the Fortress.
  • Corrupted Nexus maps can be retried after a failure, and dying to a map boss no longer stops the Corrupted boss from spawning.
  • The Trial of Sekhemas gets the same type of inherent area bonuses as the Trial of Chaos, starting at Area Level 65.
  • Doryani’s Refined Formula was removed and replaced with a new Archaic Corruption option, which makes monsters released from Essences become Corrupted.
  • Unstable Breaches now spawn their Rare monsters in waves of 5 instead of all at once.
  • Delirium got several trims: a Grand Mirror now spreads fog to 10 maps (previously 8 to 14 on lower-tier maps and 10 to 16 on high-tier maps), and Delirium monster pack counts stop scaling above 100% Deliriousness.

Monster and Boss Changes

GGG removed blanket All Elemental Resistances from several endgame bosses. The Arbiter of Ash now has Fire Resistance and Cold Vulnerability. The Arbiter of Divinity has Lightning Resistance and Fire Vulnerability. Omniphobia, Fear Manifest and the Raven Trickster no longer have All Elemental Resistances.

This is a clear softening of those fights for players who build around specific elements. How much it matters depends on which element you use.

League Content Changes

The way Azmeri Spirits are released changed. A released Spirit now has a chance to manifest a new one. That chance is 1% per 2% empowerment on the monster, split between all possessing Spirits. For example, a monster with 200% empowerment and one Spirit has a 100% chance, while the same monster with two Spirits gives each a 50% chance. Several related Atlas passives, including Deadliest Hunt and Pandora’s Box, were rewritten around different bonuses.

User Interface and Cosmetic Changes

Quality-of-life additions include a button in the Currency Exchange to toggle between Stash and Inventory, a world map indicator showing which waypoint you just used, a notification when you receive Atlas passive points, and your completed challenge count next to your name in chat. Thaumaturgic Flux now shows before-and-after values on Kalguuran Skill Gems. The Vanishing Dye cosmetic can now be applied to Foci.

Bug Fixes and Stability

The 0.5.5 patch included dozens of fixes. Highlights:

  • Weapon Set fixes: Skills from an alternate set no longer work without the matching weapon swap, and Auras and Support Gems from an inactive set no longer apply.
  • Ferocious Roar’s increased damage modifiers scaled incorrectly at gem level 20 and above, which was corrected.
  • The Crossbow basic attack had an incorrect Area tag.
  • Haemocrystals Support had a party-play problem.
  • Ignites dealing Chaos Damage now ignite Oil Ground.
  • The in-game trade market now shows pseudo modifiers in results.
  • Items with a Skin Transfer applied can no longer be salvaged.
  • A client crash when changing Ascendancy class was fixed, along with several other crashes.

What Changed in PoE2 Patch Notes 0.5.5b to PoE2 Patch Notes 0.5.5e

The four letter patches that followed are worth knowing individually.

PoE2 Patch Notes 0.5.5b (September 10). Fixed Expedition not spawning naturally in the endgame. Raised the drop rate of Expedition, Temple and Delirium Tablets. Players who fail a Chimeral Inscribed Ultimatum can get another from the Trialmaster at the Temple of Chaos entrance. It also fixed several controller stash tab bugs and four client crashes.

PoE2 Patch Notes 0.5.5c (September 17). Mostly quest and boss fixes. Some players could not finish the Legacy of the Precursors questline after beating the Arbiter of Divinity, so now you must be present when the relevant Halls bosses die to pick up the Origin Spark and Origin Cradle. Accessing Act 4 islands now requires turning in the Boat Charter to Makoru, though existing characters are unaffected. It also added an Identify Items option to Balbala in the Trial of the Sekhemas and fixed bugs in the Tavakai, Rakkar and Tor Gul boss fights.

PoE2 Patch Notes 0.5.5d (September 27). Fixed a bug where each possessing Azmeri Spirit increased the release chance instead of splitting it. Also fixed controller currency use on Barren Atoll strongboxes, Precursor Tablet ctrl-click feedback, Ritual deferral cost display, a Delirium progress bug in the Viridian Wildwood and a client crash.

PoE2 Patch Notes 0.5.5e (October 5). Added the Texture Quality setting, fixed Ritual encounters failing to start after specific boss kills, fixed the Tomb of the Fallen Knight being inaccessible, improved slow area loads and fixed missing Sovereign Hideout art.

The PoE2 Patch Notes 0.5.5d Azmeri fix is the one with the most gameplay impact. The 0.5.5 notes described the split mechanic, and 0.5.5d fixed a bug that made it more generous than described. That means the fix lowered the release chance in multi-Spirit cases. Many forum replies on that thread called it a nerf to Azmeri farming. That is community interpretation, not an official characterization.

Were There Class, Skill or Ascendancy Changes?

Not in a meaningful balance sense. A recap of GGG’s August 27 stream reported that 0.5.5 shipped with no balance changes. The official notes support that picture: they contain no ascendancy or class rework and no broad skill-gem tuning pass. They do contain small skill-related bug fixes, like the Ferocious Roar scaling correction and the Crossbow Area tag fix, plus numeric tweaks to Soul Cores and boss resistances.

If you are looking for class buffs and nerfs, you will not find them in 0.5.5 through 0.5.5e. That is useful to know before you rebuild a character expecting a different class landscape.

Buffs, Nerfs and Mixed Changes Explained

AreaChangeDirectionPlayer impact
Soul Cores (Atmohua, Cholotl, Zantipi, Citaqualotl, Tacati)Higher conversion and bonus valuesBuffBetter gear flexibility and defense
Soul Cores (Jiquani, Ticaba, Tzamoto, Zalatl and others)Bigger numbers, but Limit 1MixedStronger single socket, less stacking
Arbiter of Ash and Divinity, Omniphobia, Raven TricksterRemoved All Elemental ResistancesBuff for playersEasier damage, especially for single-element builds
“of Champions” Abyss Tablet2 to 3 extra Rares (was 1 to 2)BuffMore Abyss rewards
“of the Invasion” Breach Tablet1 to 2 extra Rares (was 1 to 3)NerfSlightly fewer Breach rewards
Grand Mirror Delirium spread10 maps (was 8 to 16 depending on tier)MixedMore predictable, less explosive spread
Azmeri Spirit release (0.5.5 plus 0.5.5d fix)Chance split between SpiritsNerf in multi-Spirit casesLower farming yield in some setups
Trial of ChaosLeave-and-resume, chests, easier modifiersBuff (quality of life)Less punishing runs
Trialmaster rewardsNo Corrupted items, Currency and Soul Cores onlyMixedLower variance, less jackpot potential
Expedition tabletsMoved to coreBuff (access)Available outside Runes of Aldur

I only used “buff” or “nerf” where the numbers clearly point one way. Where a bigger number comes with a new restriction, or where the effect depends on how you play, I used “mixed.”

How the Update PoE2 Patch Notes Affects Players and Builds

The official facts are straightforward: 0.5.5 changed content and systems, not class balance. That has a few practical consequences.

Builds. Existing builds are not changed by class or skill rebalancing. The things that may touch them are Soul Core values, boss resistances and the weapon set fixes. A build that socketed one of the buffed Soul Cores may now perform a little better. A build that stacked multiples of a Soul Core that now has Limit 1 needs to be re-checked.

Leveling. The Forbidden Rites campaign Rituals are aimed squarely at leveling, since they reward currency and equipment during Acts and Interludes. This is an observed design intention based on how GGG described them.

Endgame. Softer boss resistances, Abyssal Ravines, Corrupted Nexus retries and Expedition access in Standard are the major shifts. Whether any of this moves the meta is something I cannot confirm from official data. Treat any claim about a “best build” after this patch as community opinion until you see current data.

Farming. Delirium and Azmeri changes affect specific farming strategies. Players who relied on multi-Spirit possession will notice the 0.5.5d correction.

What Players Should Do After the Update

  1. Update your client and check the Texture Quality setting if you have a low-VRAM graphics card.
  2. Pick your league. Forbidden Rites offers a fresh economy. Runes of Aldur is still running, and both end around the 1.0 launch.
  3. Check your Soul Core sockets if you were stacking duplicates, since several now have a Limit of 1.
  4. Re-read boss resistances on the Arbiters, Omniphobia and the Raven Trickster before respeccing your damage type.
  5. Try the Trial of Chaos again if you skipped it before. The resume and chest changes lower the cost of failing.
  6. Bookmark the official forum section so you can see future patches the day they post.

PoE2 Patch Notes vs the Previous Patch (0.5.4)

The previous major PoE2 Patch Notes were 0.5.4, released June 24, 2026 Pacific time (June 25 elsewhere). Its centerpiece was a dedicated Expedition Atlas Passive Tree. It also made unique items that grant skills scale to the player’s level, and added a new Orb of Sacrifice currency and Liquid Verisium.

The two patches differ in character. 0.5.4 was about adding a progression layer to one mechanic. 0.5.5 spread across many systems: league content, Ritual, Trial of Chaos and moving Expedition into the core game. 0.5.5 also included the Forbidden Rites economy reset, while 0.5.4 did not.

The follow-up cadence also differs. 0.5.4 saw a long trail of letter patches through August, including 0.5.4e, which forced a one-time shader recompile to reduce freezing and shader issues. 0.5.5’s letter patches have been smaller and more focused on endgame and quest bugs.

Where to Find Official PoE2 Patch Notes

The official source is the Early Access PoE2 Patch Notes forum section on the Path of Exile website. Each version and each hotfix has its own thread, posted by GGG staff. Reply counts and later edits matter: GGG sometimes updates a thread after posting, as it did with Sacred Blooms and Archaic Corruption on the 0.5.5 notes.

Reputable secondary sources can help with summaries, but always check the thread for exact numbers. Official notes are published in English. Console players may receive some restartless patches later than PC, which GGG has noted in some of its patch threads.

PoE2 Patch Notes History

VersionDateWhat it was
0.1.0December 6, 2024Early Access launch
0.2.0 “Dawn of the Hunt”April 4, 2025First major content update after launch
0.3.0 “The Third Edict”August 29, 2025Act 4, Interludes replacing Cruel, support gem overhaul
0.4.0 “The Last of the Druids”December 12, 2025Major content update (Druid-themed)
0.5.0 “Return of the Ancients”May 29, 2026Atlas and endgame overhaul, Runes of Aldur, Martial Artist and Spirit Walker
0.5.4June 24/25, 2026Expedition Atlas tree, unique level scaling
0.5.5 “Forbidden Rites”September 4, 2026Event league, Trial of Chaos rework, Expedition in core
0.5.5eOctober 5, 2026Current patch
1.0December 11, 2026 (planned)Full release

Treat the older entries as a summary, not a full changelog. Each has its own official thread.

What Comes Next: PoE2 Patch Notes Heading Into 1.0

GGG has announced that Path of Exile 2 will leave Early Access and launch 1.0 on December 11, 2026. It becomes free-to-play on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with the Duelist class arriving that day. The Duelist is not part of 0.5.5.

Coverage of the 0.5 cycle describes it as the final Early Access stretch, with no 0.6 patch planned. The Forbidden Rites and Runes of Aldur leagues are both reported to end around the 1.0 launch. Expect more letter patches and hotfixes between now and December, and a much larger set of 1.0 patch notes at launch. Plans can change, so confirm against official GGG announcements.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the latest PoE2 patch notes?

The latest PoE2 patch notes are for version 0.5.5e, posted on October 5, 2026. It adds a Texture Quality setting and fixes Ritual, loading and access bugs.

What is the current PoE2 patch?

The current patch is 0.5.5e, a minor patch on top of the 0.5.5 Forbidden Rites update.

When was the latest PoE2 patch released?

0.5.5e was posted October 5, 2026. The 0.5.5 update it builds on went live September 4, 2026.

What changed in the latest PoE2 update?

0.5.5e added a low-VRAM Texture Quality setting and four fixes. The larger 0.5.5 update added Forbidden Rites, a reworked Trial of Chaos, new and retuned Soul Cores, Expedition in core and endgame changes.

Which PoE2 classes were buffed or nerfed?

None in 0.5.5 through 0.5.5e. There was no class or ascendancy rebalance.

Which PoE2 skills were nerfed?

No skill nerfs appear in these notes. The closest things are bug fixes, such as the Ferocious Roar scaling correction.

Where can I read the official PoE2 patch notes?

In the Early Access Patch Notes section of the Path of Exile forum, where each version and hotfix has its own thread.

Does the latest patch affect existing builds?

Only indirectly, through Soul Core values, boss resistances and Weapon Set fixes.

Are PoE2 patch notes different from PoE1 patch notes?

Yes. They are separate documents for separate games, and PoE1 uses 3.x version numbers.

How often does Path of Exile 2 receive updates?

Major content updates have arrived roughly every few months. Letter patches and hotfixes come much more often, with several in a single week around a major launch.

Final Verdict: What the Latest PoE2 Patch Notes Really Tell You

The latest PoE2 patch notes are a small chapter in a larger story. Version 0.5.5e is a fix patch. The real changes sit in 0.5.5 Forbidden Rites: a reworked Trial of Chaos, Soul Core retuning, Expedition moving into the core game and softer boss resistances.

For builds, the most important fact is what did not change: there was no class or skill rebalance. Bookmark the official forum, check it before major play sessions, and expect busier PoE2 patch notes as the December 11 launch gets closer.

Sources Used

I read these directly (fetched or retrieved in search):

Official (Grinding Gear Games / Path of Exile forum):

  • pathofexile.com/forum/view-forum/2212 (Early Access Patch Notes listing)
  • pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/4000864 (0.5.5 notes)
  • pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/4004106 (0.5.5b)
  • pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/4006357 (0.5.5c)
  • pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/4008534 (0.5.5d)
  • pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/4009785 (0.5.5e)

Secondary (used for dates, context and history):

  • PCGamesN, Forbidden Rites launch coverage (September 4 timing)
  • Kami Labs, GGG Live recap (no balance changes in 0.5.5) and patch listing
  • Mobalytics, 0.5.5 release date and summary
  • Techloy, RPG Site, Player.one and others, 1.0 release date and free-to-play announcement
  • Keengamer, 0.5.0 summary
  • Nexttier and PCGamesN, 0.5.4 summary
  • VGTimes, 0.5.4e shader update
  • Poe-Vault and Poetrades, patch history
  • PatchBot, Fextralife and Patched.gg, aggregator pages used for competitor analysis

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