Dawn of the Hunt Guide and Release Date
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The Dawn of the Hunt league introduces a new Huntress class and 100 new Uniques in Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2). Read on to learn more about all the content found in the Dawn of the Hunt, the release date, as well as FAQs in this guide here!
List of Contents
All Dawn of the Hunt Guides
New Class and Ascendancies
| New Class and Ascendancies | ||
|---|---|---|
 HuntressNew Class |
 Ritualist(Huntress) |
 Amazon(Huntress) |
 Smith of Kitava (Warrior) |
 Tactician (Mercenary) |
 Lich (Witch) |
Dawn of the Hunt Leveling Builds
New Weapon and Skills
| All New Spears and Skills | |
|---|---|
 List of Spears |
 All Spear Skills |
New Items, Support Gems, Uniques
| All New Gems and Uniques | ||
|---|---|---|
 Items |
 Support Gems |
 Uniques |
New Features and Endgame Content
| All New Features and Content | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corrupted Nexus | Rogue Exiles | Twilight Reliquary Key | |||
| Azmerian Wisps | Fracturing Orb | ||||
Dawn of the Hunt Release Date
Released on April 4, 2025
The Dawn of the Hunt league was released on April 4, 2025 and will end on August 29, 2025 as soon as the Rise of the Abyssal league starts. Do note that a new league will reset the economy and will require you to create a new character for the current league.
Dawn of the Hunt Content Overview
| Dawn of the Hunt Content Highlights |
|---|
|
|
New Huntress Class
The Huntress class makes her debut in the Dawn of the Hunt update as mentioned earlier. She specializes in a hybrid play style by engaging enemies in melee and long-range combat.
Huntress Ascendancies
| Ascendancy | Summary |
|---|---|
 |
・Sacrifices the life force of enemies and herself to gain buffs and plague. ・Uses plagues to damage multiple enemies. ・Can equip an extra Ring. |
 |
・Favors combat with Spears. ・Can reveal the weaknesses of Rare and Unique enemies to deal more damage against them. ・Can infuse her weapon with Cold, Fire, and Lightning by consuming charges. |
Huntress Ascendancies and Class Guide
Taming Beasts as Companions
“They come with all the powers they had while they were Rare, so you're going to probably keep an eye out for what kind of beasts you're going to have.”
Jonathan Rogers, during Dev Q&A
The Huntress has the ability to tame beasts but can only have one companion at a time. Tamed beasts retain their modifiers, making it crucial to watch for potential companions with exceptionally powerful modifiers to unlock more build possibilities.
Spectres are different from Beasts as they do not retain modifiers, they only accompany you as their base form.
New Spear Weapon Type
The Spear is the primary weapon of the Huntress, and is able to dish out damage from melee and long-range, making for a unique play style.
New Weapon Types to be Added Alongside New Classes
“We're going to be adding new weapon types each time we add a new class.”
Jonathan Rogers, during Dev Q&A
New weapon types will only be added to the game when new classes are introduced. This ensures that weapon additions align with class updates.
Blacksmith of Kitava, Tactician, and Lich Ascendancies
| Ascendancy | Summary |
|---|---|
 |
・Forges weapons and armor for boosts in combat. ・Summons living weapons that fight alongside you. |
 |
・Plays a supportive role by buffing allies. ・Provides covering fire by pinning enemies and unleashing AoE attacks. |
 |
・Specializes in Chaos damage and Curses. |
There are three new Ascendancies for the Warrior, Mercenary, and Witch. Each new Ascendancy allows players to experience these existing classes with fresh and unique play styles.
Ascendancy Respec Being Considered
“We kind of want to see whether or not it turns into a big deal or not. We prefer not to allow it because I think the Ascendancy class is like a core part of the identity of the character.”
Jonathan Rogers, during Dev Q&A
The ability to respec Ascendancy remains a possibility, as the developers have not entirely dismissed the idea. They are still evaluating whether to implement it, based on how significant it becomes.
List of Classes and Ascendancies
100+ New Support Gems
| Support Gem | Effect |
|---|---|
 Derange |
Supports Skills which you can use yourself which can deal damage. Supported Skills gain an Energy Shield cost equal to your Intelligence, while also dealing more non-Ailment Damage over time based off of your Intelligence. |
 Volcanic Eruption |
Supports Melee Strike Skills. Supported Skills trigger Volcanic Eruption on Hit against Ignited Enemies. |
 Embitter |
Supports Skills which can Damage Enemies with Hits. Causes all sources of Damage Gained to instead be treated as Damage Gained as extra Cold for Supported Skills. |
 Concoct |
Supports Skills which you use yourself which Damage enemies with Hits. Supported Skills consume a percentage of your maximum Life Flask charges, inflicting more Powerful Bleeding based on Life Flask charges consumed. |
 Commiserate |
Supports Skills you use yourself which can cause Damaging Hits. Supported Skills inflict more powerful Ailments if you are afflicted with those ailments at the time of use, while also removing from you any Ailment that they inflict. |
 Battershout |
Supports Warcry Skills. Supported Skills trigger Physical Damage explosion on Enemies within their range who have Fully Broken Armor but cannot themselves Break Armor. |
 Perfection |
Supports skills which have a benefit for Perfectly Timing their use. On successfully executing Perfect Timing with Supported Skills, gain Perfection (6-second, 3-stack buff granting 5% more Damage per stack), which is a powerful damage buff. However, failing to execute any Perfect Timing (even with skills not supported by Perfection) will remove all Perfection on you. |
The Support Gems listed above are just a few examples introduced in Patch 0.2.0.
There will be at least a hundred new Support Gems will be added to augment the existing Skills and will surely shake up the meta for best builds!
100+ New Unique Items
| Unique Item | Modifiers |
|---|---|
 Prism Guardian Intricate Crest Shield
|
・% increased Armor and Energy Shield
・+ to Dexterity ・+% to all Elemental Resistances ・+1 to Maximum Spirit per 50 Maximum Life |
 The Deepest Tower Spiritbone Crown
|
・% increased Armor and Energy Shield
・+ to Maximum Life ・+% to Chaos Resistance ・Enemies in your Presence count as being on Low Life |
 The Bringer of Rain Decorated Helm
|
・% Increased Armour and Evasion ・+ to Accuracy Rating ・Life Regeneration per second ・Can't use Chest armor ・You can wield Two-Handed Axes, Maces, and Swords in one Hand |
 The Hammer of Faith Giant Maul
|
・% Increased Physical Damage ・% Reduced Attack Speed ・+% to all Elemental Resistances ・% increased Mana Regeneration Rate ・Gain a random shrine buff every 10 seconds |
The Uniques listed above are just a few examples introduced in Patch 0.2.0. The new Unique items are designed to enhance both midgame and endgame viability.
Weapon Lock Feature
The new Weapon Lock feature is a quality-of-life enhancement that lets you lock your main hand, off-hand, or both, so that you can use the same item or items between both weapon sets.
This allows you to have the same equipment on both weapons sets while utilizing two different configuration of the Passive Skill Tree.
Atlas Skill Tree Improvements
Multiple new nodes have been added for the following mechanics:
- Rogue Exiles
- Azmeri Wisps
- Essences
- Shrines
- Strongboxes
These nodes are found in the regular Atlas Passive Skill Tree, and points can be obtained by completing the new Corrupted Nexus maps.
Passive Skill Tree Guide and List of Passives
Tower Improvements
Towers have received significant improvements that make them more rewarding and give players even more agency when taking them on.
The number of Towers have been drastically reduced but are far more powerful in exchange. Towers can now spawn all endgame mechanics and even bosses. Players can now also use up to 3 Tablets in a Tower for convenience and efficiency.
Endgame Guide: What to Do After the Campaign?
Azmerian Wisps
 |
|
| Wisp Type | Buffs Provided to Enemies |
|---|---|
| Bear |
・Increased HP ・Increased Stun |
| Winter Owl |
・Increased Cold Damage ・Gains Energy Shield ・Summons Wind Vortices on death |
| Wild Cat |
・Increased Critical Strikes ・Gains increased Evasion ・Summons Feline Spirits |
| Cunning Fox | ・Converts enemies to the next rarity tier (e.g. Normal to Magic, Magic to Rare, and Rare to Boss) |
Azmerian Wisps are a new mechanic found in the Campaign and Endgame that players must follow and then defeat. They infuse enemies upon contact, granting them various buffs, depending on the type of spirit.
These wisps are also capable of dropping talismans, now referred to as Idols, that can be socketed on specific items with slots.
New Intro to the Endgame
Players will be eased into the Endgame by Doryani with the Corrupted Nexus mechanic, replacing the grind for maps. Map modifiers have also received a full pass to smoothen out the gameplay experience.
Atlas of Worlds Endgame Explained
No Plans for Campaign Skip
“It just isn't gonna happen. I would even go so far as to say that ARPGs that do allow that, ultimately will not have as much longevity as ones that don't.”
Jonathan Rogers, during Dev Q&A
Players must complete the Campaign to access the Endgame. The developers have no plans to introduce a feature that allows skipping it, as they believe it would be a problem for the game's longevity.
Full Campaign Walkthrough and List of All Acts
Fracturing Orbs
Fracturing Orbs return as one of the strongest crafting options, just like in the first game. Using a Fracturing Orb on an item causes one of its modifiers to be Fractured, making it unmodifiable by any means.
Fracturing Orbs can be obtained from maps that are cleansed by clearing Corrupted Nexus in corrupted areas.
Absence of Alterations and Reforging
“The problem with alterations is they realy made it too easy to be able to get a specific mod that you wanted. I don't think they have a place in POE2's crafting.”
Jonathan Rogers, during Dev Q&A
Reforging currencies such as the Orb of Alteration in POE1 won't be returning to the game as the developers think it makes crafting too easy.
This is also a solution to the problem in POE1 where some drops are not worth picking up anymore.
New Maps for Endgame
There are new endgame maps that you can tackle while exploring the Atlas. Seven new maps was added to the endgame with each map featuring its own unique encounters and rewards.
| Phaaryl Megaliths Map Explained | Fractured Lake Explained |
| How to Find a Corrupted Nexus | Cleansed Maps Explained |
Corrupted Essences
Greater Essences found in the new Essence-based maps can be corrupted by using a Vaal Orb to create Corrupted Essences.
Each Corrupted Essence has its own unique mechanic. For example, the Essence of Insanity causes enemies to split into clones, and you must find the real one before you get blasted by a devastating explosion.
Rogue Exiles
Rogue Exiles are a new enemy type with the same Skills and equipment as players, making battles against them closely resemble PvP encounters. They drop their gear as a reward for defeating them.
Rogue Exiles Have Their Own Unique
“Each Rogue Exile can have different Uniques that they can spawn with. We wanted to make sure that in the pool of Uniques, there was some kind of character who felt like their personality fit what those Uniques can do.”
Jonathan Rogers, during Dev Q&A
Each Rogue Exile has a Unique item they are tied to. They also have AI that can fully take advantage of their Unique.
Rogue Exiles Are Smarter Than Regular Enemies
“I don't think we've ever made monsters that had AI as complicated as the Rogue Exiles have. They're like dodge rolling around and WASD moving. I think they really should feel like PvP combat.”
Jonathan Rogers, during Dev Q&A
Rogue Exiles are much more dangerous than common enemies as they can also perform dodge rolls, have smart pathfinding, and smart targeting.
New Unique Strongboxes
New Unique Strongboxes are available for players to find during gameplay, and will come with their own unique mechanic in order to be unlocked.
Respawns Now Available in Mapping
Players can now respawn when mapping, up to a total of 6 times. However, the respawn count goes down when more modifiers are added to the Waystone. This change should help players who have difficulty in sustaining their Waystones.
Another change related to character death is that dying to a Pinnacle Boss no longer incurs an Experience penalty, although Pinnacle Bosses also no longer grant Experience.
Deadlier Boss Encounters
“We want to make sure that people are fighting bosses more often. Bossing is going to be more of a thing in the endgame, we want bosses to feel more powerful.”
Jonathan Rogers, during Dev Q&A
With the introduction of respawning in maps, the developers are adding more boss encounters and making them more engaging by significantly increasing their difficulty. This gives them more knobs to turn to tune the game's balance.
Bosses are one of the most praised aspects of the game and it's clear why the developers prioritize them so highly to make the endgame more compelling.
The Number of Portals Now Represent Respawn Attempts
“You will now be able to enter and exit your Maps as much as you like as long as you haven't died. The number of portals is now representative of the number of revives you have during the Map, so if you are able to survive you can come and go as you please.”
Dawn of the Hunt Map Portals Clarification
In addition to respawning during mapping in the Atlas, an overhaul on how the portals work have been made. Portals now represent the number of respawns you have in a map and will only be reduced when you die in the map. This means you can now freely enter and leave a map without consuming a portal until you've died enough to consume all of them.
Recombination Mechanic
Recombination will be added as the crafting mechanic to the Expedition Endgame activity. This mechanic allows players to merge two items into one, hopefully with the best modifiers from both.
Improved Visuals and Clarity
Several visual upgrades have been implemented to improve game clarity, making skill effects, environmental details, and endgame content easier to read.
Twilight Reliquary Keys
Twilight Reliquary Keys are now available, likely to be part of the global drop pool, and are extremely rare. These keys are used to open Twilight Order Chests which contain Foil versions of Unique Items.
Players who bought the higher tier Supporter Packs were the ones who chose the drop pool of the Twilight Order Chest.
How to Get Twilight Reliquary Keys
Content Availability in Leagues
All the new content are available for existing characters in the current league, which means players can directly experience the new content when the patch drops.
Starting Fresh with a New League
“One of the main reasons that you want to start over is because we've made so many balance changes.”Jonathan Rogers, during Dev Q&A
A new league will be added, which includes an economy reset. This new league is also ideal for players who wish to experience the extensive balance changes.
League Guide and List of All Leagues
New Supporter Packs
 |
 |
Two new supporter packs will be available for purchase which are the Paladin Series and the Penance series. Both packs will grant the full game and can be purchased for $90.
Dawn of the Hunt FAQs
| 0.2.0 FAQs |
|---|
|
|
How to Start the Dawn of the Hunt League
You can start playing in the Dawn of the Hunt League by selecting the Dawn of the Hunt banner when creating a character.
Is There Content Exclusive to the Dawn of the Hunt Leagues?
No, there won't be any exclusive content in the Dawn of the Hunt. Everything in Dawn of the Hunt will also be available in the base game.
Is There Predownload?
Yes, predownload will be available a day before the launch.
What Other Information Will Be Released Before Launch?
Full Patch Notes, information about Item Filters, what to expect at launch day, and new Twitch Drops will be announced later this week before the launch.
Will There Be New Cosmetics and Microtransactions?
Yes, there will be new cosmetics and microtransactions that will be launched during the release weekend of Dawn of the Hunt.
Do You Need to Create a New Character and Start From the Beginning?
No, you don't need to create a new character and start the game from the beginning in order to experience the Dawn of the Hunt League. You can still play your existing character and experience all the new content in the upcoming update.
Path of Exile 2 Related Guides
League Guide and List of All Leagues
List of Leagues
| Fate of the Vaal | Rise of the Abyssal Guide |
| Dawn of the Hunt Guide | - |
Game Mode Guides
| What is Solo Self-Found (SSF)? | - |
Rise of the Abyssal Guides
| Well of Souls Guide | - |
Fate of the Vaal Guides
| Atziri's Temple Guide | - |
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