PoE 2 0.4 Release: Start Date, New Class & Items in The Last of the Druids

Path of Exile 2 is gearing up for its biggest Early Access update yet. Patch 0.4, officially titled The Last of the Druids, arrives December 12, 2025, with a full reveal coming during GGG Live on December 4 at 11 AM PST. After weeks of speculation, data-mining hints, and community predictions, we finally have a clearer picture of what this massive update is bringing—and it looks like a defining moment for PoE2’s identity. Let’s break down everything confirmed, hinted, and reasonably predicted about PoE 2 0.4: The Last of the Druids.

When Will PoE 2 0.4 Release?

Many players assumed Patch 0.4 would slip into January because of GGG’s famously long New Zealand holiday break. Even the community’s more optimistic predictions pointed toward an early-December launch.

But GGG surprised us:
The new league launches December 12, with only about 10 days of developer availability before the studio goes on holiday. That suggests either:

• the patch is nearly complete and stable, or

• GGG is comfortable letting the community explore the new systems for a couple of weeks before heavy tuning begins in January.

Either way, it’s a bold date—and it means we’re getting new content this year.

PoE 2 0.4 New Druid Class

The new season is literally named after it—The Last of the Druids—so the big star of Patch 0.4 is the introduction of PoE2’s sixth playable class: the Druid.

What to Expect

While GGG hasn’t officially revealed the class, leaks, icons, and internal strings strongly point to:

• Multiple shapeshifting forms (likely animal-based)

• Nature-themed mechanics and skills

• Potential synergy with claw, unarmed, or hybrid melee archetypes

• New weapon bases exclusive to the Druid fantasy

One open question is how shapeshifting interacts with the passive tree:

• Will forms count as unarmed and tie into Monk-style nodes?

• Will new claw or brute-style passives appear on the southwest side of the tree?

• Will the Druid share certain support gems with Warrior or future melee classes?

The Druid’s addition could become the turning point for PoE2’s entire melee ecosystem—especially because…

Patch 0.4 May Redefine Melee—Before More Melee Classes Arrive

Every unreleased PoE2 class after the Druid (Templar, Marauder, Duelist, Shadow) leans into melee or hybrid combat. Because of that, it makes sense for GGG to tighten up melee identity, supports, and skill density before rolling out the rest.

Expect:

• New melee support gems

• Rebalanced skill interactions

• Adjustments to Warrior pathing on the passive tree

• Possibly new stance, infusion, or resource mechanics tied to shapeshifting

This patch might quietly be the biggest melee update PoE2 has seen.

PoE 2 0.4 Endgame Leaks

GGG has confirmed via interviews that 0.4 is their endgame-focused patch, and internal tags/data mining have hinted at some very ambitious additions.

1. A New Tablet System

Rumors suggest:

• A new tablet-like PoE 2 item that stacks up to 20

• PoE 2 Orbs that roll the tablet, giving it up to two modifiers

• A second orb, dropped by Citadel-tier bosses, that upgrades or corrupts the tablet

This could become a “choose your map rewards” system—similar in philosophy to Scarabs or Atlas Tablets in PoE1, but more compact and currency-driven.

2. Abyss Pits → A New Underground Atlas

A major leak claims: Defeating an Abyss boss inside a Pit may open your Atlas into a new subterranean Atlas with its own enemies, bosses, and loot ecosystem. If true, this is essentially PoE2’s take on Delve. And speaking of Delve…

PoE 2 0.4 Delve 

Delve content has been quietly hinted at since before PoE2 launched into Early Access. Patch 0.4 may finally be the moment:

• Data-mined tags referencing Delve-like biomes

• New lighting/underground assets

• Abyss ties that match PoE1’s Delve origins

None of this is confirmed—but the puzzle pieces fit suspiciously well.

For players who never experienced Delve in PoE1 or who loved its infinite progression, this could be the biggest new content addition of 0.4.

PoE 2 0.4 Map Control and Biome Targeting

Another credible leak suggests players may soon be able to influence:

• What biome they want

• What type of maps they prefer

• Which Atlas themes they want to run

If so, this is the direction PoE2 needs. Early Access endgame currently offers variety, but little agency. More control means better farming, better min-maxing, and a healthier SSF experience.

Will We Get New League Mechanics in POE 2 0.4?

The community is split on predictions, but high-level guesses include:

• A Breach-adjacent mechanic (since PoE1 just had a big Breach update)

• A Delve-style or Abyss-style exploration system

• A new campaign-side mechanic similar to Wisps or the current Breach system

GGG rarely ships a patch without a mechanic, so expect something new—even if the focus is still on endgame and the Druid.

Ascendancies & Trials in Path of Exile 2 0.4

One major feature cut from Patch 0.3 was the Ascendancy Trial: League of the Ancients. It was postponed with the note that it would return “soon.”

Patch 0.4 seems like the perfect moment:

• New class

• New melee adjustments

• Endgame overhaul

• More character power needed to test the new systems

It aligns almost too well.

Concerns About the Holiday Release

There is one red flag:

GGG only has about 10 days to fix major issues before going on a long break. If the Druid ships with bugs (and it will), or the endgame overhaul needs balancing (and it will), we may have to wait until early January for fixes. Still, players generally prefer December releases over delays—so the excitement outweighs the risk.

Looking Ahead: Patch 0.5, 0.6, and Full Release

Based on GGG’s patch cadence (every ~4 months), here’s the most likely roadmap:

Patch 0.5 – April 2026

Predicted features:

• Act 5 finally added

• Templar class released

• More endgame cleanup

• Possibly the final campaign structure before launch

Patch 0.6 – August 2026

This could be: The Full Release Patch, according to past interviews. Not all classes will be finished at launch. But GGG wants:

• All acts

• A stable, polished endgame

• A complete progression loop

Remaining classes (Marauder, Duelist, Shadow) would release post-launch as league content.