Path of Exile 2’s 0.4.0 patch, The Last of the Druids, shakes up the whole campaign, and it hits you the moment you log in and start looting PoE 2 Items. If you are rolling a fresh Druid on 12 December or just jumping into the Fate of the Vaal league, the main thing that slows people down is not the bosses, it is the XP curve. The game really hates it when you are more than four levels under the zone before level 40. At that point your XP gain falls off hard, so those cool high-level monsters you are rushing into are basically a trap. If you notice you are slipping too far behind, it is way faster to hop back an act, farm a couple of tight layouts, and come back on level. Keep an eye on the zone level on your map; if you sit in that sweet spot, the campaign flies by.
Early Gear And Clear Speed
In the first two acts, people often overinvest in armour and life rolls because they feel squishy, but that is not what carries you. Damage and clear speed do. You want your gold and scraps going into your weapon first, then a couple of offensive rings or amulets. A blue crossbow with decent flat damage or attack speed does more for you than a rare chest with mediocre defences. If you are on Druid, Wolf form is your best friend: leap into packs, blow them up, leap out. You do not need to facetank if the mobs die before they really get going. Also, do not ignore Artificer’s Orbs now that you can salvage shards from them. Spend them early on “forever” slots like a belt or amulet; that small bump in power, plus the shards you get back later, adds up over the whole run.
Key Quests You Should Not Skip
The new layout makes some side content feel optional, but a few pieces are just too strong to pass on. In Act 1, go kill Beira in Clearfell every time. That permanent +10% cold resistance looks minor on paper, but once you hit the later acts with all the freeze and chill nonsense, you will be glad you did it. In Act 2, the Valley of Titans now rewards a charm slot, which is a straight-up power spike; it is worth the detour even if your build feels slow. While you are levelling, look out for blue magic packs and never skip them. They are chunky XP, much better than the same time spent on scattered white mobs. By Act 4 you should be strong enough to hunt down Omniphobia so you can grab those extra weapon set points and start playing around with different setups.
First Steps After The Campaign
Once Kitava is down and you move into mapping, your first Atlas points set the tone for your whole league. A lot of players dump them into generic map sustain, but going straight into Essences or Ultimatums is a better way to build up crafting juice fast. Essences give you reliable early gear, and Ultimatums are a great place to test your build under pressure while stacking currency. If you hit a wall on links or just do not have the time to grind, plenty of people grab some extra currency and upgrades from PoE 2 Items for sale, slam an Exalt or two on a decent base, then go back to mapping. Once your hideout is unlocked and your tablets are set up, that little bump in power can be enough to push you into higher tiers while everyone else is still fighting with mid-act gear.
