PoE2 Dawn of the Hunt: Latest Balance Updates

Grinding Gear Games (GGG) has been hard at work refining Path of Exile 2's Dawn of the Hunt (0.2.0) patch, and just a few hours ago(April 9th 2025) they released a hefty list of player-centric changes that will be rolling out over the next few days. Dropping at next few days, this update shifts gears from nerfs to buffs, targeting underperformers like the Sorceress and Huntress while tweaking gameplay pain points. For exiles grinding through Wraeclast - or just keeping an eye on the game's pulse - this is a meaty update worth unpacking. If you're finding these insights handy, our site's a reliable pit stop for future patches, and our store's got some extras you might enjoy browsing. Let's take a look at what's changing the meta this time around.

GGG's newest update, hot off their internal testing, responds to player feedback with a mix of class-specific buffs, quality-of-life fixes, and a few surprises. It's clear that they're not done yet - this is just the first wave of changes hitting Dawn of the Hunt. Here's what's on deck.

Arc: Now triggers a lightning explosion on shocked enemies (without consuming shock), adding punch without overcomplicating ailment stacking.  

Eye of Winter: Gain bonus elemental damage when passing through orbs such as Solar Orb or Frost Bomb, rewarding synergy.  

Incinerate: Exposure duration increased from 2 to 8 seconds, giving sustained builds more breathing room.  

Mana Storm: Now works with all spells, splitting empowered casts to additional targets instead of chaining - versatility boost unlocked.  

Frostbolt: Explosion radius increased by 50%, making it a frostier crowd-cleaser.  

Ice Nova: Freeze build-up spikes, taps into its CC potential.  

Frost Bomb: Exposure increased from 5 to 8 seconds, in line with the Incinerate buff.  

Mana Remnants: Now supports all elemental afflictions, not just shock - more affliction flexibility for mana lovers.  

Wildfire Support: Ignite spread delay reduced from 2 seconds to 1 second, though radius reduced slightly for balance.

sharpened: Parried enemies can't dodge your hits - say goodbye to whiffed follow-ups.  

Rapid Assault: Stuck spears now always bleed on detonation, with a 20% greater AoE and 67% more damage - a nasty combo potential.  

Spearfield: Spears last 10 seconds (up from 6) and do 30% more damage by level 20, cementing their field control.  

Herald of Blood: No longer eats rare or unique corpses, allowing Ritual Sacrifice to shine on big kills.

Temper Weapon (Smith of Kitava): Now adds 3 empowerments per strike (up from unspecified) and swings 25% faster—GGG's eyeing a damage tweak if it's too hot.  

Shield Wall: Detonates with Warcries, turning defence into offence.  

Armour Break Fix: Monster-applied breaks lose the 20% extra physical damage (meant for players only) and drop to 4 seconds from 12, plus a bug fix for lingering partial breaks.

Stormcaller Arrow: Shocks now affect nearby enemies in a small radius, with AoE increased by 50%.  

Lightning Rod: Damage increased by 30%, duration increased to 20 seconds - static traps hit harder and longer.  

Lightning Arrow: Arc radius increased by 50%, zapping more targets.  

Tornado Shot: Max duration now hits for 15 seconds, giving tornadoes more uptime.

Prevents charge consumption while boosting supported skill damage by 4% per charge type—though GGG scrapped the damage bit for now due to time constraints. The core utility will still land soon.

Delirium: Encounters now last 2.5 times longer, giving you more time to reap rewards.  

Artificer Orbs: Added to fixed campaign locations for earlier crafting access.  

Attribute Runes: New runes address early attribute issues, with all runes soon supporting wands and staves (soul cores and talismans TBD).

Rare Visibility: Rares monsters now glow on the minimap in endgame, ending the "where's the last one?" hunt.  

Matlan Waterways: Merged water sections reduce average lever count by 6 - less lever pulling, more fighting.

Monster Speed: Swarm Control Incoming GGG's tackle the "swarmed by fast monsters" problem with a targeted pass. Specific changes will drop tomorrow, focusing on high speed zones.

A recent exploit with Ritual deferral costs and unlimited rerolls via a Unique Tablet led to 301 bans until the league ends. Fixed after an 8 hour delay due to a miscommunication, the economic damage was minimal outside of the banned accounts.

This patch is GGG flexing their knack for rapid, player-driven tweaks—less about nerfing the fun out of Dawn of the Hunt and more about lifting up the underdogs. Sorceress gets a much-needed power spike, Huntress spears hit harder, and end-game annoyances like rare hunts fade away. It's not the full fix - monster swarms and other buffs are still in the works - but it's a solid step towards a sharper, less frustrating Wraeclast. As the changes roll out over the next few days, your next run could feel a lot snappier.

GGG's latest tweaks to Dawn of the Hunt are shaping up to refine Path of Exile 2's rough edges, from beefier skills to smarter map flow. There's more to come as they dig into the feedback, so keep an eye on MMOJUGG for the latest as Wraeclast evolves!