Ascendancy Respeccing Finally Arrives
Players can now respec their Ascendancy Class at the Ascension device after completing a Trial that would grant the same number of points they already have. To respec, all points must be unallocated first, which can be done by speaking with Balbala or The Trialmaster. Additionally, level requirements for Trials of Chaos have been reduced - 7-chamber trials now require level 55 (down from 60), while 10-chamber trials require level 65 (down from 75).
Charm System Overhaul
The Charm system has received substantial adjustments to improve usability. Most Charms now have half the maximum charges but refill twice as quickly. Stone Charm duration has increased from 2.5 to 3 seconds. Belt implicit modifiers have been rebalanced, with level 30+ belts having 1-2 Charm Slots and level 60+ belts featuring 1-3 slots. The explicit modifiers for additional Charm Slots can no longer roll on new belts.
Quality-of-Life Improvements
A standout addition is the Atlas Bookmarks feature, allowing players to save up to 16 locations on their Atlas for quick navigation. New Stash Tab Affinities have been implemented for Socketables, Fragments, Breach, Expedition, and Ritual items, making inventory management more streamlined.
Other improvements include unlimited respawn attempts for Pinnacle Bosses at Difficulty 0, an Equipped Gems section in the Gemcutting interface, and rarity borders for vendor items. The patch also introduces UI tracking for Rare & Unique Monsters in specific map types.
What are the major skill changes?
Totem skills now gain Elemental and Chaos Resistances scaling with gem level, starting around level 13. At gem level 20, totems have +75% to Elemental Resistances and +35% to Chaos Resistance. Shockwave Totem's attack speed has doubled (from 3 seconds to 1.5 seconds base attack time). Other notable changes include improvements to Frozen Locus, Shield Bash, Storm Lance, and Glacial Lance.
Combat Mechanics Adjustments
Light Stun mechanics have been adjusted to reduce the frequency of stuns from monsters, especially in endgame content. A new passive skill cluster near Chaos Inoculation allows players to invest in Stun and Ailment threshold based on Energy Shield. Numerous monster behavior and damage adjustments have been implemented to create a more balanced combat experience.
Crafting has also seen significant changes, with rune drop pools now adjusting based on player level - higher level areas no longer drop lower tier runes, focusing the drops on appropriate gear progression.
The patch includes dozens of bug fixes addressing issues with skills, items, and game mechanics. Full patch notes are available on the official Path of Exile 2 website.
Patch 0.2.0f is scheduled for release on April 15, 2025, with approximately 15 minutes of download time expected for PlayStation users after deployment.