PoE2 0.4.0 Last Note: Buffs, Nerfs & Druid Caution

Grab a seat and settle in—Path of Exile 2's 0.4.0 patch, The Last of the Druids, drops tomorrow alongside the Fate of the Vaal League, packing balance shifts, skill overhauls, and the shiny new Druid class. While you're gearing up for fresh economies and Vaal temples, why not bookmark MMOJUGG for ongoing guides and swing by our Path of Exile 2 Shop to stock up on Divine Orbs, Exalted Orbs, crafting currency, rares, uniques, and beyond?

Path of Exile 2 Boss Mastery Guides

To assist Exiles in successfully advancing across the new continent of Wraeclast, we have compiled essential Boss Mastery Guides for every Act and Interlude in Path of Exile 2. Below is the complete list of Boss Mastery Guides:

Act 1 Boss | Act 2 Boss | Act 3 Boss | Act 4 Boss | Ogham Interlude | Kriar Interlude | Vastiri Interlude

Streamlined Totem Deployment and Curse Scaling Cuts

Totem users get a practical upgrade: placement speed now influences how quickly totems fully emerge, making the stat far more reliable without prior delays.

Curse builds face broad reductions in area coverage, especially with heavy investment. Passive tree nodes for curse area drop to 10% increased effect (from 20%), while Zone of Control settles at 20% (down from 40%) but picks up a 10% curse magnitude boost. Small passives on Lich and Abyssal Lich paths grant 15% (previously 25%). Jewel mods follow suit, and curse gem radius tweaks mean slower expansion past gem level 20.

Subtle Support Gem Refinements Extraction Support gains its overdue Chaos tag for better compatibility. Second Wind variants tighten up: all three can no longer back Meta skills, and Second Wind III's life restore dips to 1% of max life per second of supported skill cooldown (from 2%). These keep supports focused and prevent exploits.

Skill Gems Transformed: Buffs, Reworks, and Surprises

Firestorm, Oil Grenade, and Incinerate all receive significant changes, shifting their power dynamics and viability in the new patch.

Incinerate Rework Highlights

Incinerate undergoes a full metamorphosis, transitioning to a DoT focus.

Unique Items and Jewel Polish

Two key uniques receive major adjustments, particularly affecting spirit-based builds and mobility.

Essential Bug Squashes Fire infusion now properly hits Ice/Lightning bolts in Firestorm. Charge generation fixes double-dipping (e.g., Resonance/Conduit only roll once pre-modifiers). Vaulting Impact and Thunderous Leap animation-cancel freely.

Rethinking the Druid League Start

While initial footage shows the Druid performing well, the results are heavily skewed by optimized gear (e.g., +2 melee skill levels weapon by mid-Act 1). With over 250 new passive tree nodes incoming, the true build curve is untested. The strategic recommendation is to avoid league-starting Druid. Start with a proven powerhouse like the grenade Mercenary to farm early economy, then transition to Druid later.

MTX Rewards to Chase

Permanent cosmetic rewards are available for linking Twitch, watching the Game Awards, or hitting milestones during the Fate of the Vaal free weekend.

FAQs on Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.4.0 Last Update

Will Firestorm dominate after the 0.4.0 patch?

Firestorm receives a major overhaul that positions it as a strong contender, with base damage roughly doubling across levels (e.g., 111-167 fire at level 20, up from 56-83) and storm radius expanding to 3 meters from 2.8. Infusions see balanced tweaks—Fire Infusion adds 100% increased damage but reduces bolt frequency to 100% (from 200%) and radius bonus to +1.5m (from 1.8m), while Cold and Lightning bolts hit harder overall. While projectile density might slightly decrease in dense packs due to the larger area, the net buffs make it far more viable for clearing and bossing than in 0.3.0—expect it to shine in Firestorm-focused builds.

Why the heavy nerfs to curse area scaling?

Curse area reductions target excessive scaling with investment, halving passive tree nodes to 10% (from 20%), Zone of Control to 20% (from 40%, offset by +10% curse magnitude), Lich/Abyssal small passives to 15% (from 25%), and jewel mods (regular 8-12% from 15-25%, timeless 3-6% from 6-12%). Curse gems like Temporal Chains, Elemental Weakness, Enfeeble, Vulnerability, Despair, and Inevitable Agony now gain just 0.1m radius every 3 levels past 20 (from every level). This balances the rework to Doedre's Undoing, shifting it from Intelligence stacking to supported curse gem level scaling for broader build options without int-stacking dominance.

Is Incinerate viable for league starting in Fate of the Vaal?

No, steer clear for league starts—its complete rework introduces untested synergies like 11.1-57.5 fire DoT per second, 8-second ignited ground (up from 4), compounding ignites every 75ms from single casts (not ground), but with reduced fuel (7-2ms per mana from 10-5, 5s storage cap from 10s), no stages/multipliers, and lower base ignite equivalents (83-124 fire at 20). Quality now boosts ignite duration over magnitude, demanding precise play to stack 20+ ignites in 1.5s for ~3.5x prior damage. Wait for community testing or respec into it endgame with a leveling plan, as the complexity risks frustrating early progression.

How do Oil Grenade buffs elevate crossbow builds?

Oil Grenade, already solid, gets explosive upgrades: damage jumps to 193-408% of attack (from 77-163%), cooldown drops to 4s (from 5s), durations extend to 6s (from 5s), oil slows by 40% (from 20%), and ignited oil ground appends 150% of attack's fire as unscaled ignite damage. These amplify crossbow grenade synergies, turning it into a clearing monster with sustained DoT, superior crowd control, and reliable boss melt—perfect for Mercenary or other bolt-loading setups. No downsides make it a must-try for projectile grenadiers in 0.4.0.

Is Prism Guardian a chase unique now?

Yes, especially for spirit and buff-heavy builds—its pivot to +50 flat spirit and 1% spirit reservation efficiency per 100 max life outperforms the old +1 max spirit per 25 life in most life pools, minimizing breakpoints. It retains solid dex, elemental resists, and other fillers, making it a strong enabler for minionless spirit reservers or buff auras. Changes don't affect legacy items, so snap up fresh rolls for Fate of the Vaal progression.

Does Mirage Archer feel easier post-changes?

For 90% of players, absolutely— the 10-second cooldown starts on creation (no dodge roll resets), allows multiple active mirages, and boosts duration to 5.4-6s (from 4.4-5s), ditching metronome-perfect rhythms for straightforward management via cooldown recovery or duration extensions. Elites might lament lost 150ms downtime min-maxing, but the simplification raises the skill floor without gutting ceilings. Great for consistent DPS uptime.

Is the Druid underpowered for early league starts?

Recent ZiggyD footage shows it dominating Act 1 bosses like Lachlann of Endless Lament, Candlemass, and Count Geonor, but his god-tier gear (+2 melee skills, 20% quality phys weapon by mid-act via incursion farming) inflates perceptions—normies won't match that. With 250+ undisclosed passive tree nodes, suboptimal paths could lag 20+ effective points by endgame, snowballing with mismatched gems/gear. Safer: Start proven like Grenade Merc, farm uniques, then alts to Druid with economy buffer.

Are the MTX rewards permanent?

Yes—all stick to your account forever: Game Awards (watch 30min linked Twitch for Druids of the Magi Portal Effect; sub gift for Battle-Hardened Warbear Shapeshift). Fate of the Vaal free weekend (Dec 12-15): New league chars earn smoking pipe helmet at Clefell Encampment, Magus tome hip from Rotten Druid (Grim Tangle—don't skip!), Blood Moon level-up from Count Geonor. Prime for easy cosmetics without league pressure.

Thanks for Reading

Stay tuned to MMOJUGG for Fate of the Vaal builds and updates.

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