The Path 2 Exile Podcast

787Prada joins the podcast this week, and we take another crack at the campaign skip debate, this time with twink gear in the mix.We start off with some Korean MMO talk, then get into Prada's life outside of PoE 2 and the fallout from the Crimson Race. From there it's the main event: the campaign skip debate, twink gear edition, followed by a question that splits people fast: how many players would actually press a 200 Divine button to skip the campaign? Prada also makes the case for bringing back Realm Gates in a rant about boss friction. We look back on our favorite builds from Early Access, get into Bone Shatter tech and the "Build of the Week" curse, talk Ascendancies including Infernalist, Oracle, and the Gemling question, and debate whether Cyclone is actually going to be good. We close with the question of whether Rarity is even necessary.

We settle the biggest debate of Early Access the only fair way: a full ascendancy bracket to find out which one actually wins it all.This week's episode starts with Rabbit's birthday and some HCSSF heartbreak, then Miso's concert life and the MMO itch that comes with it. From there we get into when four month league cycles might come back, the ExileCon countdown, and what the flood of new players could mean for the game. We run through the podcast lineup and give ExileCon copium a reality check, then move on to our league mechanic wishlist (Delve, Legion, or Harvest?), our dream Divination Cards, and everything we want to see from crafting. We close with the main event: The Great Ascendancy Bracket, where we work our way through every matchup to crown the best ascendancy of Early Access.

Jazzarus joins the podcast this week as we get into the big question everyone's asking: what does PoE 2 actually need before it launches?We open with whether you can even properly prep for 1.0, get to know Jazzarus as "the wolf guy," and speculate on what the starting meta might look like once launch hits. From there we run through our favorite ascendancies and debate whether GGG should integrate more third-party tools directly into the base game. We get into why crafting still needs real work, take a hard look at the current state of the campaign, and close out with a hot take on what PoE 2 genuinely needs to launch successfully. We also go through viewer comments of the week and this week's Build of the Week.

Scorpius joins the podcast this week and makes the case that Martial Artist, not Gemling, might actually be the real S-tier ascendancy.We kick things off with the news that Timmy's Hardcore League is coming back, then get into a big-picture discussion on Endless Atlas progression and the tension between bloat and specialization in build design. From there we cover the current Sword hype (and the accompanying Dagger copium), combo gameplay, and a genuinely heated debate over Bone Shatter, Whirling Slash, and speed-tech. We talk through whether boots should just give move speed outright, our complicated feelings on Sprint, and why GGG needs to get a handle on the Cast-on-X meta. The back half is all ascendancies: ranking the ones nobody talks about, making the real case for Martial Artist over Gemling, roasting the mogged ascendancies, and closing out with a hot take on whether "perfected" builds are ruining the game.

aer0 joins the podcast this week and we get into some real talk about where the Atlas endgame still falls short.We open with aer0's take on the PoE1/PoE2 cycle and get into a genuinely interesting debate about what actually counts as a league starter, plus a deep look at how strong Disciple of Varashta really is. From there we dig into the Atlas endgame rework and why the Atlas Tree still doesn't offer much real choice, the state of the Tablet market, and some Tablet loadout and inventory gripes that have been bugging us. We also talk about whether the community has gotten too "div-per-hour" brained, run through Cities, Delirium, and Expedition, and get into why Ritual still has issues. We close out with a discussion on league fatigue and burnout, the grind to level 100, and whether anyone actually farms the game's alternative content anymore.

Dreamcore joins the podcast this week to talk through everything coming out of Gamescom and the big question looming over the game: is PoE 2 actually ready for release?We start with a Gamescom recap and dig into the new Sword and combo gameplay before getting into the bigger systemic stuff — Uber boss design, gear variance, and how gem levels stack up against caster scaling. From there we get into whether uniques or gem levels matter more right now, recent standout uniques like Constricting Command, and what lessons PoE 2 should be taking from PoE 1's approach to defenses. We also dive into the "campaign sucks" debate, campaign restrictions and respecs, crafting bench access, the ongoing Artificer's Orb shortage, and changes to Ritual, Gas Grenade, Trial of Chaos, and Expedition. We close it out with league starter recaps, a full breakdown of the new Atlas Point system, viewer comments, and this week's Build of the Week.

Fresh off qualifying for ExileCon, GuyThatDies joins the podcast to break down the campaign speedrunning meta and everything that got him there.We get into the grenades-to-Twisters swap that won him his qualifier, a full history of the campaign speedrun meta, and his ranking of the fastest league starters this patch. From there we dig into secret tech in Grenades vs. Twisters, the Earthquake twink build, and why nobody ascends early when speedrunning. Guy also gets into the debate around race rules, permadeath, RNG, and freezing balance changes before ExileCon, plus his advice for casual players who just want faster campaign clears. We round it out with balance talk on Pounce and Wolf Form's dodge-roll exploit, a hot take on complaining vs. just playing the game, and this week's Build of the Week featuring Orb of Storms and Plasma Blast.

Patch 0.5.5 is finally here... and there's a LOT to talk about.

In Episode 58 of The Path 2 Exile Podcast, we break down everything revealed in Patch 0.5.5, discussing what we think GGG absolutely nailed, where the update fell short, and what it means for the future of Path of Exile 2.

Rabbit also shares his experience attending Gamescom 2026, giving us some behind-the-scenes insight into the event before we dive into the patch itself.

We spend a good portion of the episode discussing the highlights of Patch 0.5.5, followed by an equally in-depth conversation about the parts of the update that left us disappointed. We also put on our tinfoil hats to discuss whether GGG originally planned to reveal Swords during the livestream, or if the Gamescom leak may have changed their plans.

From there, we speculate about the future of Path of Exile 2, including whether Swords and the Duelist will be the only new additions at Version 1.0, discuss Mark's recent comments on the state of Tablets, share our first impressions of Swords and the Duelist, and finish with a deep dive into one of the most iconic melee skills in ARPG history—Cyclone.

Path of Exile 2 is heading to Gamescom 2026, and with a new reveal on the horizon, the big question is: what exactly is GGG going to show us?In Episode 57 of The Path 2 Exile Podcast, we're joined by Lolcohol and BlazeworksTV to make our predictions for the upcoming Gamescom reveal and discuss what could be next for Path of Exile 2 as we move beyond Patch 0.5.Before getting into our Gamescom predictions, we catch up with Lolcohol and talk about his recent challenge runs, how we approach PoE build guide formats, and the huge variety of league mechanics that Path of Exile has accumulated over the years. We also discuss Mirage and the new Wisp Strongbox mechanic — including whether it's strong enough that a nerf is inevitable.We then look back at Patch 0.5 and the current state of crafting, including the removal of Omen of Corruption and how crafting has evolved throughout the patch.From there, it's prediction time. We discuss what we think GGG could reveal at Gamescom 2026, what we want to see from Patch 0.5.5, and where Path of Exile 2 could be heading as we get closer to its eventual full release.Finally, we tackle two major endgame discussions: whether the Level 100 grind is too difficult in PoE 2 and our biggest problems with the current implementation of Expedition.

How do experienced Path of Exile 2 players actually make their own builds? Where do they start, what do they prioritize, and how do they know when a build is "finished?"In Episode 56 of The Path 2 Exile Podcast, we're joined by  @FunkehChicken , one of the most respected build creators in the Path of Exile 2 community, to dive deep into the process behind making successful builds.We kick things off by discussing our recent experiences in Hardcore, Trade, and Solo Self-Found, including whether Async Trade has ultimately been a positive addition to PoE 2 and how our first Hardcore deaths have shaped the way we approach the game.The heart of the episode focuses on build creation. We discuss how we actually design our builds from the ground up, the differences between creating builds for Softcore versus Hardcore, what players should realistically expect from a "budget build," and the constant balancing act between maximizing damage and investing in defenses.We also talk about the unique challenges of creating build guides in Hardcore, why communication can sometimes be one of the hardest parts of content creation, react to community hot takes, and finish with another round of Comments of the Week.