Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.4: Predictions, and the Big Wishlist Ahead of Reveal Day

Welcome back, you filthy exiles. With the official reveal of Path of Exile 2’s 0.4 league just a day and a half away, the community is buzzing with speculation, hope, doom-posting, spreadsheets, last-minute builds—and yes, everyone’s favorite pastime: bingo cards of the things we hope GGG finally addresses. Patch 0.3 brought major improvements, but also exposed some of PoE2’s most glaring balance problems, content gaps, and endgame issues. With 0.4 expected to be one of the game’s biggest updates yet, this is the perfect time to break down the most realistic possibilities, the wild predictions, and the absolute dream changes players want to see.

Below is a deep dive into the features, buffs, nerfs, Path of Exile 2 Currency, and surprises that may be heading our way when Grinding Gear Games finally lifts the curtain.

The Druid Class — A Confirmed Addition With Massive Potential

The first square we can confidently check off any prediction board is the Druid, a class already teased by GGG. The community’s hope is that the Druid becomes PoE2’s first true ES/Armor hybrid archetype, bringing a tankier playstyle that mixes nature magic, shapeshifting (hopefully), and raw survivability.

The big wishlist items for Druid include:

Heavy defensive layers built around ha ybrid Energy Shield and Armor

Unique interactions that push ES and Armor together meaningfully

Synergy with upcoming hybrid defensive items

Distinct identity, so it isn’t just another Marauder-but-green

Players have been starving for an archetype that isn’t paper-thin or pigeonholed into evasion-only or pure ES. If GGG nails the Druid’s defensive fantasy, it could reshape the early campaign meta—and offer new approaches to endgame survivability.

The Templar — Not Confirmed, but Highly Expected

Templar speculation has been circulating for months. While it’s less likely than the Druid, many believe Act 5 (if it drops) will be the moment when:

Templar finally joins the roster,

Righteous Fire makes its long-awaited comeback, and

A new weapon type—flails—enters the game.

If Templar arrives, it would almost certainly anchor itself around Armor + ES, similarly to Druid, but with a more spell-focused or fanaticism-driven flavor. RF alone would send shockwaves through the build meta, and would immediately become a league starter for thousands.

This is one of those “copium or prophecy” predictions—but if Act 5 is real, Templar almost has to be real.

Tota (Defense of the Ancients) — The Ascendancy Trial That Got Delayed

Tota—short for Defense of the Ancients—was originally intended to accompany the Chaos and Seekma trials. In 0.3, GGG explicitly stated they couldn’t finish it in time. That means 0.4 is the most logical patch for its arrival.

Why does this matter?

Tota is tied to Hinakora and Act 4 lore, making it thematically perfect.

It’s expected to provide the third ascendancy option, balancing progression.

It could introduce tattoos or new passive-tree enhancements, similar to PoE1.

Players want a more balanced alternative to Seekma and Chaos. Tota has the potential to be the most universally liked out of the three—if GGG doesn’t overtune it.

Aegis Aurora — Is PoE’s Most Iconic Shield Coming Back?

This prediction is gaining momentum because Aegis Aurora was the iconic ES/Armor hybrid shield in PoE1. With Druid’s defensive identity leaning in that direction, Aegis returning in remodeled form makes too much sense.

In PoE1, Aegis restored 2% of your armor as ES on block, which allowed for incredibly tanky hybrid builds.

Combined with PoE2’s:

Armor mitigating elemental damage

ES being easier to scale than life

Block being stronger than ever

Aegis could instantly become one of PoE2’s most powerful defensive uniques. While GGG may not want to introduce another “immortal block god” build, players are desperately hoping for this shield’s return—even if it’s rebalanced.

Endgame Mapping Rework — The Community’s #1 Demand

Of all the wishlist items, the strongest and most unified plea is:

Fix the endgame. Rework the Atlas. Rework pinnacle bosses. Make maps feel good.

Right now, the endgame suffers from:

T3 pinnacle bosses capable of deleting players instantly

Scaling that feels off

Atlas choices that lack the depth of PoE1

Reward structures that feel thin

A general lack of long-term systems

GGG already made some improvements in mid-0.3, so a larger overhaul in 0.4 seems extremely plausible.

Players want:

More meaningful Atlas specialization

A full rework of map scaling

More density, more packs, more rewards

Bosses that don’t rely on one-shot mechanics

A smoother progression path

If 0.4 is truly an “endgame patch,” this rework is mandatory.

Delve — The Endless System PoE2 Desperately Needs

Players have been begging for Delve to return, and not without reason. Delve is PoE1’s most successful infinite content system, and PoE2 currently has nothing that matches its longevity, replayability, or progression.

PoE2’s engine and lighting upgrades could make Delve even more atmospheric—and far more terrifying.

This one’s pure hope… but it’s strong hope.

Incursion — A Highly Likely Return with Atziri’s Content

Unlike Delve, Incursion actually feels probable.

Why?

Atziri content has already been teased.

Incursion originally tied directly into Alva and the Atziri storyline.

It would give PoE2 a fast-paced, highly interactive mapping layer.

Incursion was one of the best league mechanics in PoE1, but it’s undeniably outdated. If GGG reintroduces it, players fully expect:

Faster pacing

Better rewards

A total rework of Temple room design

Boss improvements

Integration into Act 3+ Atziri lore

A modernized Incursion could be one of the biggest hits of 0.4.

Lightning Arrow — The Nerf Is Inevitable

Lightning Arrow dominated 0.3:

39% of league starters played it

Deadeye synergizes too well with it

It clears faster than almost anything else

It trivializes campaign and mapping content

Even LA loyalists admit it’s overtuned.

Expect:

Damage reductions

Less projectile scaling

Nerfs to core interactions

Changes to Deadeye synergy

The real hope? LA gets toned down without being annihilated.

Skill Rebalancing — The Most Needed Change

One of the core problems in PoE2 is that many skills simply feel bad without unique enablers.

Too many PoE2 builds rely on:

Constricted Command

Deepest Tower

A handful of best-in-slot uniques

Skills should feel good on their own, not only when paired with a god-tier helm.

Players want:

More baseline skill power

Smoother animations

Higher base AoE on many skills

Better scaling options

Less dependence on uniques

Patch 0.3 moved in the right direction—but PoE2 still has a long way to go.

Constricted Command — The Build-Enabling Helmet That Might Die

This helm was absurdly strong in 0.3. GGG almost certainly considers it “problematic,” but players are terrified they’ll kill it entirely.

Ideally, this happens:

The helm is lightly nerfed

Skills are buffed

The helm remains a fun option, not a requirement

If skills get reworked properly, Constricted Command won’t need to carry them anymore.

Visual Clarity — The Issue GGG Cannot Ignore

PoE2 looks incredible, but that visual beauty often comes at a price: visual clutter.

Players constantly complain about:

Too many overlapping spell effects

Hard-to-see boss mechanics

Mobs hidden under VFX layers

Deaths with no visible telegraph

No one expects GGG to solve this in 0.4—but any improvement will be celebrated.

Life vs. ES — A Defensive Imbalance That Must Be Addressed

Right now in PoE2:

ES characters regularly reach 8k–15k pools

Life characters average 2.5k–3.3k

High-investment life builds peak around 5k

This huge disparity makes life builds fundamentally weaker and more fragile.

The community wants:

Life Buffs

More % life nodes

More hybrid defenses for life classes

More regen scaling

More life implicit rolls

ES Adjustments

Slight reductions to maximum ES

Less efficient ES stacking

Rebalancing of powerful ES clusters

Instead of hard ES nerfs, players want life brought up and ES tuned down only slightly.

Deepest Tower — The Unforgettable Unique That Needs a Clean Return

Deepest Tower was the standout unique of 0.3—fun, creative, powerful, memorable. Which means, in traditional GGG fashion, players fear it will be gutted.

If it returns, players expect:

Lower damage

Reduced radius

Harder rolls

More restrictions

But even with tuning, the community wants GGG to keep the identity and purpose of the item rather than turning it into another useless unique buy Path of Exile 2 Currency.

Deadeye — The Most Overplayed Ascendancy Needs a Reality Check

Nearly 40% of league starters played Deadeye. That's a clear sign something is off.

GGG usually nerfs outliers, but players hope for a more nuanced approach:

Slightly reduce Deadeye multipliers

Tone down projectile scaling

Reduce early-game power

Buff competing ascendancies instead

A small nerf + global ascendancy buffs could completely reshape the 0.4 meta in a healthy way.

Act 5 — The Christmas Miracle We All Want but Probably Won’t Get

Finally, the dream. The longshot. The copium-fueled fantasy:

Act Five launching in 0.4.

GGG has been silent for days, which always makes the community suspicious. If Act 5 launches, it could bring:

New zones

New story content

The Templar

New bosses

New skills

Potentially new ascendancy or trial content

Nobody is betting money on this happening—but the hope is real.

Final Thoughts

Patch 0.4 is shaping up to be one of the most important updates in Path of Exile 2’s early life. Whether we get class additions, major rebalancing, new endgame systems, or massive content reveals, the community is more excited than ever.

What’s guaranteed is that PoE2 is evolving rapidly, and 0.4 may define the direction of the game for months to come.