PoE 2 0.3 Release Date & Next New Season League Updates (Class, Acts & More)

Path of Exile 2 is starting to show indicators of a turnaround after a difficult beginning and waves of community dissatisfaction. The Patch 0.2.0g (dubbed by some as "Patch G for Good") signaled a turning point with notably higher treasure drops, greater boss rewards, and a leveling XP that at last feels satisfying. Although the community is beginning to show cautious optimism, many gamers remain dubious or on the margins and are beginning to anticipate the 0.3.0 release. New acts, classes, and systems probably expected in Patch 0.3.0 might signal a turning point in the continuous PoE 2 development. Let us quickly review the Path of Exile 2 Next Season Update!

Path of Exile 0.3.0 Release Date: When is the Next Season 3 League Update Coming?

UPDATE! Path of Exile 2's 0.3.0 patch has an official launch date: August 29. This date was confirmed after much speculation about when Grinding Gear Games would schedule the update, especially in light of other major game releases. The decision to release on the 29th comes just eight days after Last Epoch's major update on August 21, meaning players who engage deeply with both games may need to split their time or make some tough choices.

For those who play Last Epoch more casually, the overlap shouldn't be an issue, as there’s enough time to enjoy both launches. However, players heavily invested in both games might find the timing challenging, especially since the new Path of Exile 2 league will be demanding. The 21st of August is also likely when Grinding Gear Games will host their major live stream, where they’ll reveal full details for the new league and its mechanics.

PoE 2 Next Updates: What to Expect in Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.3.0 Season 3?

Patch 0.3 is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated updates in Path of Exile 2's Early Access cycle. While GGG has not published a final list of features, community discussions, developer comments, and previous patch trends point to several key additions and changes expected in the next league. The following sections summarize all the most important points from the latest developer interview and community updates.

1. New League Mechanic / Seasonal Content

This league introduces a new approach. In prior leagues like Dawn of the Hunt, you could experience the content in both standard and league modes, giving you flexibility. This time, the new league content is only available to characters created specifically for the league, meaning you start with an empty stash and a fresh economy. Once the league ends, your characters and items move to the standard league.

The league will offer a new combat mechanic, new rewards, fresh crafting options, and new bosses. Every area in the game will feature the new content, giving a unique playthrough every time. After the league, the developers will evaluate how to integrate the best aspects of the content into the core game.

2. Class Balance & Skills

Patch 0.3.0 is focused on large buffs to underused and currently nonviable skills across all classes. The aim is to broaden the pool of viable builds and to make sure players aren't penalized for picking low-performing skills. The target is for every skill to be a real option all the way into endgame, with a review of telemetry data guiding which abilities need redesign. The goal is to avoid a situation where only a few builds are truly effective, allowing more creative strategies to reach endgame, as long as they're built with intent.

Minion skills are also being addressed, especially regarding pathing, clumping, and their performance in boss fights—currently, they struggle in tight areas and can be wiped out in boss encounters.

Weapon speeds are being reworked: maces will be the slowest, spears the fastest, and axes and swords in the middle. The gap between one-handed and two-handed weapon speeds will be larger, giving each weapon type a more distinct playstyle.

Jewel socket counts are being reduced again, but this is offset by more powerful notable passives. This change shifts player power away from raw stat stacking and towards more engaging decisions on the passive skill tree.

Player feedback on evasion and miss mechanics will improve. Plans include showing miss indicators, adding monster HP bars, a possible life orb, and reconsidering how reliable evasion is, providing better information for tactical decisions during combat.

3. New Acts: Act 4-6 Expansion to 9-Act Campaign

In the upcoming Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.3.0, there is growing anticipation that Acts 4 through 6 may be introduced as a bundled expansion rather than released individually. This approach would resolve current campaign repetition caused by the placeholder Cruel difficulty, which requires players to replay Acts 1–3. Community discussions and past developer insights suggest that these acts are already well into development, with Act 4 rumored to take place in the Karui Islands and feature several new bosses and environments teased at ExileCon. Releasing all three acts together would not only streamline the leveling experience but also serve as a major content milestone to re-engage players and refresh the early game.

Grinding Gear Games has confirmed plans to expand the campaign from the current 6 Acts to 9 Acts. This expansion is expected to begin with patch 0.3. One of the biggest complaints from the community has been the repetition of Acts 1 and 3, which players currently have to revisit during the leveling process. The addition of new Acts is not only meant to improve narrative flow but also to reduce burnout and increase the variety of content during the campaign experience. Players have noted that while the existing campaign has strong presentation and pacing, repeating early content undermines the sense of progression. The move to a 9-act structure is seen as a necessary step toward making the campaign feel more complete and less disjointed.

4. New Base Class: Druid & More Ascendancies

While the developers haven’t officially confirmed the next class, community speculation and Reddit discussions strongly point to the Druid being introduced in 0.3. This is based on hints from developers and the current class release order. The Templar, another highly requested class, is believed to be further down the roadmap, potentially for patch 0.4 or 0.5.

GGG has committed to eventually providing 12 total base classes, each with their own Ascendancy specializations. Only a portion of these are currently available, so 0.3 is expected to introduce at least one or two new base classes, each with meaningful build-defining mechanics.

New classes like the Druid may bring shapeshifting mechanics, nature-based skills, or hybrid playstyles, further diversifying gameplay and enabling new build paths.

5. New Skills and Gem System Additions

Patch 0.3 is expected to add new active and support skill gems, further expanding build variety. Though exact details remain scarce, Reddit discussions have speculated on the introduction of mechanics similar to Righteous Fire (RF), a popular skill from PoE 1. However, it’s widely believed this won’t happen until 0.6 or later, possibly tied to the Templar class.

Still, we can expect 0.3 to bring new skills that align with the new class being introduced (e.g., Druid), including unique mechanics, elemental abilities, or even new movement options. The reworked gem system in PoE 2, where support gems are slotted directly into active skill gems, will make these new additions easier to build around without the cumbersome socket-linking system from PoE 1.

6. Trading & Economy

The current philosophy is to limit trade speed to help stabilize the in-game economy and prevent inflation. Gold will be a currency, but trading speed is capped and gold is character-bound, helping curb market abuse and third-party trading. A broader gold-based trade system for non-currency items is in development, making trading more accessible and user-friendly.

Developers are monitoring inflation and market dynamics closely, ready to make adjustments as needed. Feedback about reskill costs is noted—the cost of changing builds remains a point of player concern.

7. Endgame System Improvements & Atlas Changes

The Deepest Tower is currently the centerpiece of PoE 2’s endgame, but feedback has described it as underwhelming and repetitive. Patch 0.3 is expected to either expand this system or introduce new endgame activities.

Key areas of improvement may include:

• Better reward scaling: Players want more loot and meaningful progression from deeper floors.

• Additional challenge tiers: To provide long-term goals beyond the current loop.

• Boss reworks: More mechanics and variety in late-game encounters.

The Atlas Passive Tree, a returning system from PoE 1, has already been expanded in 0.2 and may receive further updates to allow players to specialize in different types of content, bossing, mapping, farming, etc.

Community sentiment suggests that if 0.3 can significantly improve the endgame loop, it could bring back many players who bounced off after reaching the current endgame ceiling.

Developers are aiming for less predictability in the Atlas. They're considering more random encounters inside maps, increasing replayability and reducing routine. There are hints at a possible overhaul of the Atlas system itself, including new ways to unlock progression or new unique challenges.

New pinnacle content will continue to be added, ensuring veteran players always have challenging objectives to strive for.

8. Loot System & Progression Updates

Patch 0.2.0g was a turning point for loot in PoE 2. Prior to this hotfix, players reported feeling starved for upgrades, often going multiple acts without meaningful gear improvements.

Key loot changes introduced in 0.2G included:

• Bosses dropping guaranteed rares

• Improved drop frequency and item quality

• More rewarding Marian Wisps

Patch 0.3 is expected to continue this trend, possibly refining drop tables further and making loot more consistent across Acts. This is especially important with more Acts being added, as players need to feel rewarded as they progress.

The improved loot system has led to more viable crafting and gearing during leveling, which dramatically improves the overall pacing of the game.

9. Crafting System - Still a Work in Progress

Drop rates have been adjusted to better reward dedicated players, addressing previous complaints about some uniques (like Astremendous) being nearly impossible to find. New uniques are being designed to suggest clear build ideas and narrative connections, guiding players toward interesting archetypes.

Crafting systems are being expanded. Some underused methods, such as essences, are being overhauled to keep crafting methods viable and intuitive. There's also a push for more deterministic crafting, reducing reliance on pure RNG.

Storage is being improved, with more stash types and league-specific tabs planned by full release, making organization less of a headache.

10. League Design & Content Cadence

Early access leagues have mostly been reimagined versions of old mechanics. For full release, each league will bring entirely new content. The commitment is to fixed release dates, with new major updates every four months: August, December, April, and so on.

11. Quality of Life & UI

A pause screen overhaul is in the works. Players will be able to hover over monsters to see precise DPS and recent damage counters, providing immediate feedback for optimizing builds. While the idea of a target dummy is considered, the pause DPS readout is preferred for real scenario accuracy.

In-game item filters are planned, but are lower priority for now. Plans are in place for skill-specific VFX culling to reduce on-screen clutter, improving performance and clarity, especially in multiplayer.

12. Multiplayer Performance & Roadmap

Performance improvements are ongoing, with attention paid to ensuring skill effects don't clutter the screen or hurt framerate for other players. The sword class is on track to be released before launch, adding a middle-ground attack speed class and expanding build options.

Patch 0.3.0 aims for greater build diversity and a more engaging experience. The addition of new acts or classes may require trade-offs, but missing ascendancies are still planned for upcoming updates.