Path of Exile 2 May 1st Item Changes: Full Breakdown & Analysis Grinding Gear Games has introduced sweeping changes to itemization in Path of Exile 2 with the May 1st, 2025 update. This patch significantly overhauls how items drop, how rarity is handled, and what players can expect from boss fights, chests, and strongboxes. These adjustments not only improve the quality of loot but also make rare and magical items a more consistent part of player progression. Here's a detailed breakdown of the most impactful changes and what they mean for your gameplay. Normal Items No Longer Dropping From Bosses One of the most welcome changes is the removal of Normal (white) item drops from most Unique Bosses. Previously, players often found themselves disappointed after defeating a major encounter, only to receive a pile of useless low-tier loot. Now, except for a few early-game bosses, Unique Bosses will no longer drop Normal items. Instead, you're guaranteed at least a Rare item—though in the campaign, this guarantee only applies to your first kill. In maps, however, the Rare item drop is permanent for each kill. Gold Economy and Currency Drop Adjustments Gold drops have also been rebalanced in a meaningful way. While the number of "Rare Gold" drops has been halved, the amount of gold in each pile has been doubled. The end result is that players will receive the same amount of gold on average, but with a more focused loot table that favors useful items and currency. Additionally, monsters with high item rarity modifiers are now less likely to drop lower-value items like gold, magic currency, flasks, charms, and runes. This encourages more rewarding gameplay and cleaner loot pools during high-rarity farming. Tiered Rares and Magics Get Buffed Rare item drops have received a considerable overhaul. Tier 2 Rare items are now four times more likely to drop, while Tiers 3 to 5 have seen a 30% increase. These tiers also benefit from improved mod pools, with weaker mods being culled to improve the overall quality of gear. Magic items have not been left out either. Tier 2 and higher magic items now drop around five times more frequently, with mod improvements that make them far more viable for crafting or Recombination. Tier 5 magic items, for example, will only roll the highest mods available for a given item type. This makes Tiered Magic gear a more viable starting point for serious crafting efforts. Strongboxes, Chests, and Wisps Get Big Buffs Chests and strongboxes across the board have received a massive quality-of-life improvement. Magic chests now guarantee at least one Magic item and have improved item rarity and quantity, roughly equivalent to what Rare chests used to provide. Rare chests have also been buffed, now offering guaranteed Rare items alongside increased quantity and rarity. In Cruel difficulty, these values receive a further 50% bonus, and in Endgame, they jump to a massive +100%. This makes looting from chests and strongboxes significantly more rewarding in higher-tier content. In particular, Researcher's Strongboxes now favor Rare currency drops over Magic currency, which is a direct upgrade for endgame farming strategies. Azmerian Wisps, which possess Rare monsters, now always ensure a Rare item drop. A lingering bug that affected the first Wisp in the Grelwood area has also been fixed, ensuring more consistent rewards. Delirium, Rituals, and Pinnacle Access The May 1 patch makes Delirium encounters more profitable while dialing back their difficulty slightly. The amount of item rarity gained per Delirium depth has increased by approximately 2.5 times, and the maximum difficulty has been reduced from 5x to 3x. This creates a more balanced yet rewarding experience for players who venture deep into the fog. Accessibility to Pinnacle content has also been improved. Breach splinter drop rates are up by 50%, and Delirium splinter drops are up by 80%. Additionally, the chance of encountering Audiences with the King in Ritual encounters has increased by 50%, giving players more opportunities to access late-game bosses and high-tier loot. Atlas Progression and Corrupted Nexus Changes to the Corrupted Nexus make Atlas Passive Tree completion more approachable. Each Nexus now grants 5 skill points instead of fewer, significantly reducing the grind. The visibility of Corrupted Nexus portals has also been improved, allowing players to spot them more easily during map exploration. Conclusion The May 1st item update for Path of Exile 2 marks a major step forward in player reward systems, especially in how it relates to item rarity, crafting potential, and the value of different in-game encounters. Whether you’re a new player or a seasoned veteran, these changes help make the loot experience more consistent, rewarding, and exciting. Visit our website POESTORE to buy POE Currency at the cheapest rate on the web. We offer quick delivery, safe payments, and 24x7 chat support.

Grinding Gear Games co-founder and Path of Exile director Jonathan Rogers has issued an apology to longtime Path of Exile fans, confirming that update 3.26 will face another delay. The ongoing development of Path of Exile 2 has stretched the studio's resources, making it harder to maintain consistent updates for the original Path of Exile. Originally intended as a simple update for Path of Exile 1, Path of Exile 2 has evolved into a full sequel. Upon its release, the game delivered on its promise of a more refined PoE experience, with upgraded graphics and mechanics. However, with PoE 2 still in early access, the team has been heavily focused on improving it based on player feedback. This has resulted in a shift in resources away from PoE 1, ultimately causing delays in its content updates. In a recent video, Rogers addressed the delay, confirming that update 3.26 will now be postponed until the launch of PoE 2 patch 0.2.0. He expressed regret over the situation, acknowledging the frustration of PoE 1 players but reassured them that Grinding Gear Games remains committed to supporting the original game. However, he admitted that balancing work on two major titles has proven challenging. PoE 2's Impact on Update 3.26 The initial target for update 3.26's release was set for October 2024, following the PoE expansion Settlers of Kalguur. However, with the unexpected complexity of PoE 2's early access launch, development on the update has been delayed multiple times. Although a February 2025 release for the update was internally considered, it was never an official timeline. As a result, players became increasingly impatient as the month approached, expecting the update. Rogers highlighted that the overwhelming focus on the PoE 2 endgame, combined with the early access launch's feedback and bug-fixing needs, caused the shift in priorities. He stated, “Running two games at once has been a huge learning curve for us,” admitting that the studio underestimated the demands of simultaneously managing both titles. What's Next for Path of Exile 1? While the delay is a setback for fans of PoE 1, Rogers reassured players that the team is fully committed to delivering update 3.26, though work on it won’t begin in earnest until after PoE 2 patch 0.2.0 is released. Despite the delay, pre-production on the update is already underway, and Rogers emphasized that Grinding Gear Games intends to launch it as soon as possible. The director concluded by thanking the PoE community for their patience, vowing that the team is working hard to balance the demands of both games while delivering the best experience possible for players. Visit our website POESTORE to buy POE Currency at the cheapest rate on the web. We offer quick delivery, safe payments, and 24x7 chat support.

Fracturing Orbs are a new item in Path of Exile 2, and an important part of the game's progression. Fracturing Orbs were introduced as part of the 0.2.0 update, Dawn of the Hunt. A recurring mechanic from the original Path of Exile, collecting them is a new kind of endgame activity that can help bolster your best gear and expand the possibilities for your build when you need it most. Unlike other important currencies and crafting materials in Path of Exile 2, many of which are dropped randomly and cannot be specifically farmed, there's really only one known way to get Fracturing Orbs in PoE 2, and it's a relatively easy task to take on. In case you're interested in racking up some of these unique crafting materials and reaping their benefits, here's how I'd recommend going about getting Fracturing Orbs in Path of Exile 2. How To Get Fracturing Orbs You can begin collecting Fracturing Orbs once you've reached the endgame and unlocked PoE 2's Atlas of Worlds. This is essentially a map you can explore at will, traveling to and unlocking various nodes to gather loot and improve your character. Once you're on the Atlas, you'll first want to find a Corrupted Nexus. Look for a map node with a red icon featuring a sort of veiny pattern that looks a little like the classic Windows 3D pipes screensaver. Travel to any corrupted map node and clear the map, defeating the final boss - whatever it happens to be. As soon as you return, you'll note that nearby nodes now register as "cleansed" on the Atlas. This means their modifiers have been reset and their enemies respawned, allowing you to return and complete them again with new sets of challenges. Each time you defeat a cleansed enemy, there's a chance a Fracturing Orb will drop. However, do note that these items are still pretty rare, and there's no guarantee you'll get one for every kill. If you're having trouble finding them, some players are selling theirs via the official Path of Exile 2 Trade marketplace; they're typically going for 70-80 Divine Orbs at the time of writing. How To Use Fracturing Orbs As their name implies, Fracturing Orbs "fracture" different modifiers on certain pieces of gear, locking them in permanently despite any other crafting or improvements you may try to do. In other words, whichever modifier is fractured can no longer be altered by a Chaos Orb, Divine Orb, Orb of Annulment or Vaal Orb. However, do note that the fractured modifier is always chosen at random, and that Fractured Orbs only work on items that have four or more modifiers. In other words, you'll only have a 25% chance, at most, of fracturing a particular modifier any time you use a Fractured Orb on a piece of equipment. You may completely waste one by activating it on an item with just one preferable modifier, only to have it lock in one that's completely useless to your PoE 2 build, effectively destroying the item. For these reasons, I'd recommend only using Fracturing Orbs on items that aren't totally necessary to your build. Maybe you've found an armor piece with one modifier you really want, along with three useless ones - use the Fracturing Orb, cross your fingers, and if you don't get what you want, decon and move on. Fracturing Orbs can be incredibly useful if applied correctly, especially when combined with Orbs of Annulment. Using these two items in conjunction functionally allows you to customize your equipment's modifiers, although there's still a great deal of RNG involved, and you're never guaranteed to get the desired result. Still, they can have a lot of utility for any Path of Exile 2 build. Visit our website POESTORE to buy POE 2 Currency at the cheapest rate on the web. We offer quick delivery, safe payments, and 24x7 chat support.