Set to release on PC and consoles April 4, Update 0.2.0 of Grinding Gear Games’ Path of Exile 2 is bringing with it the Huntress, five new Ascendancies, and new Unique Items.
Gamers Heroes recently attended a media briefing for Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt – see what’s to come with our preview.
Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt Preview
Path of Exile 2’s Huntress
Living up to its “Dawn of the Hunt” tagline, new to Path of Exile 2 is the spear-wielding Huntress, designed to make combat feel like a relentless pursuit.
The Huntress has got the right moves for the job too, packing the Whirling Slash that can blind enemies with a whirlwind before they go boom. On that note, the more slashes that are used by the Huntress in combat, the bigger the whirlwind gets.
For those that want to turn the tides of battle, the Huntress also has the ability to Parry and block incoming damage from monsters, stunning them in the process. One can also equip the Disengage skill gem to quick hop back, damaging enemies and interrupting actions like dodge rolling.
Five New Ascendancies coming to Path of Exile 2
Scope out the list of new Ascendancies coming to Path of Exile 2 as part of Dawn of the Hunt below:
- Ritualist – Wielding blood sacrifices and plagues as weapons, “Corrupted Lifeforce” festers enemies with volatile boils that detonate on death. Meanwhile, “As the Whispers” grants the Ritual Sacrifice skill after offering the corpses of fallen Rare Monsters, gain a Modifier for a short time.
- Amazon – Forging warriors into elite hunters, “Predatory Instinct” will let players expose the frailties of Rare and Unique foes for easy destruction. Meanwhile, “Elemental Infusion” has each consumed charge igniting your weapon with raw elemental force.
- Smith of Kitava – A master Blacksmith, Smiths of Kitava’s “Against the Anvil” ability lets them enhance weapons with fiery destruction. One can also freely craft and customize their respective Body Armor by isconnected notables with their points, and then adding either Life, Resistance or other choices.
- Tactician – A former trained Blackguard Elite, the Tactician’s “Suppressing Fire” causes all projectiles to Pin enemies. Combining this with the “Right where we Want Them” notable allows one Pin to not only stop enemies from moving, but also stop them from performing actions – think “Freeze.”
- Lich – A master of Chaos and Curses, the Lich can use her own life to enhance her Energy Shield. On that note, the “Crystalline Phylactery” Skill allows players to nominate a Jewel to contain a part of your Soul, massively increasing its power with increasing Mana cost.
New Support and Skill Gems
Dawn of the Hunt brings with it the Raise Spectre skill gem, which gives players the ability to trap and summon the souls of almost any monster. Note that Spectres revive automatically and cost Spirit to maintain, with stronger monsters demanding more.
This expansion to Path of Exile 2 also overhauls Support Gems, bringing with it more than 100 new options that aid in build diversity.
For instance, Alignment rewards precise positioning around Bow attacks, Haemocrystals has the ability to bleed effects into explosive Vaal crystals, and Caltrops serve as slowing hazards as they litter the battlefield.
Seeing the wealth of improvements coming to Path of Exile 2’s Dawn of the Hunt expansion make us all too eager to take part in this brutal new era of carnage when it launches early next month.
Looking for more information around Path of Exile: Dawn of the Hunt? Be sure to check out the official website.
Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt will launch simultaneously on April 4 (PDT) on PC, Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and the Epic Games Store.
Thank you to PR and Grinding Gear Games for their time and for arranging this session!
Gamers Heroes recently attended a developer session for Shadow of the Road during GDC 2025 – learn more with our preview.
Continue Reading Shadow of the Road GDC 2025 Preview – Clash Royale
Gamers Heroes recently spoke with Neople CEO Myeongjin Yun and Khazan’s voice actor Ben Starr at GDC 2025 to discuss The First Berserker: Khazan’s lead character Khazan, its rich combat, and its emotional rawness.
Gamers Heroes recently joined Pearl Abyss at GDC 2025 to learn more about the studio’s BlackSpace Engine – see what’s powering Crimson Desert with our preview.
Continue Reading Crimson Desert BlackSpace Engine GDC 2025 Preview
Gamers Heroes recently spoke with legendary Composer Grant Kirkhope at GDC 2025 about his work on the Yooka-Replaylee soundtrack, what inspires him, and more – learn more with our interview.
Gamers Heroes recently spoke with SWERY at GDC 2025’s ID@Xbox event to discuss Hotel Barcelona’s collaborative elements with SUDA51, its horror elements, and even his favorite scary movie.
Gamers Heroes met with Pew Pew Games at GDC 2025 to discuss Terminull Brigade’s Nullverses, distinct Rogueteers, and sheer passion – learn more with our preview.
Continue Reading Terminull Brigade GDC 2025 Preview – The Nullverse Awaits