What Did Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.5 Change?

Path of Exile 2's patch 0.5.5 delivered a new league designed to carry players toward the 1.0 release later in the year, according to DualShockers' breakdown of the update. While the outlet described this league as smaller than its predecessor, it still shipped a substantial list of changes spanning boss design, endgame mapping, new item types, and a full rework of the Trial of Chaos.

The patch introduced fresh challenges, a new economy, and new reward paths for players re-leveling characters or experimenting with builds. Sportskeeda separately confirmed that the same patch featured a major rework to the Trial of Chaos, including a new category of Wager modifiers layered on top of the existing room modifiers.

A follow-up hotfix, version 0.5.5b (client version 1.123), arrived on September 11, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, addressing spawn and drop-rate issues introduced alongside the update, per UpdateCrazy's patch notes.

How Was the Trial of Chaos Reworked?

The Trial of Chaos received what Sportskeeda called a major rework in patch 0.5.5. The update removed gear as the primary reward and replaced it with currency items, with gear now delivered after every room through a separate reward chest that players can claim immediately.

Players can also restart the trial after completing 10 rooms, and per Sportskeeda, end rewards can grow substantially after 30 rooms thanks to the new modifier system.

The headline addition is the Wager mod category. These modifiers can double pending rewards while simultaneously raising the difficulty of the ongoing trial. Examples documented by Sportskeeda include Wager of the Present, which raises all previously chosen modifiers by one tier and doubles all pending currency item rewards, and Wager of Chaos, which upgrades two previous modifiers and gives every room an additional reward.

Which Wager Modifiers Can Appear in the Trial?

Sportskeeda's full modifier list shows Wager mods occupy their own risk-reward layer inside the trial. Wager of Rarity destroys all pending rewards in exchange for 100% more item rarity, while Wager of Ruin sets a stalked player's Ruin to 5 with an invulnerable Shade but makes unique trial bosses drop a rare unique item.

Other entries include Wager of Mystery, which hides all offered modifiers while making all offered rewards lucky, and Wager of Danger, which offers boss-room modifiers at their maximum tier alongside an additional boss-room reward.

Alongside the Wagers, the standard modifier pool spans tiered effects such as Reduced Resistances, Drought, Escalating Damage Taken, Prismatic Monsters, Chaotic Monsters, Deadly Monsters, Temple Traps, and Time Paradox, each scaling across multiple tiers.

What Are Sacred Blooms and the Viridian Wildwood?

According to DualShockers, patch 0.5.5 introduced items called Sacred Blooms, which are found after completing rituals and can be purchased with Tribute. Using a Bloom in an area spawns a Viridian Wildwood, a unique map type.

Inside the Viridian Wildwood, players collect a series of wisps. Upon finishing the map, every map within that area is affected by the type of wisp collected. DualShockers characterized this as a way to apply map-wide effects and earn larger rewards.

The new league challenges are also more Ritual-themed, according to the same report, including completing all ritual gauntlets in the campaign, securing unique items from Rituals, using Omens, and reaching level 90.

How Did Endgame Mapping Change in 0.5.5?

Several endgame systems were adjusted in the patch. DualShockers reports that Corrupted Nexus encounters now allow players to retry the final boss after a failure, rather than losing the entire corrupted map run.

Abyss content also expanded: Abyssal Ravines can now appear as players expand their endgame map, functioning similarly to the existing Abyss mechanic.

The previous league's Runes of Aldur moved into the standard rotation. Tablets that spawn expeditions can now be found for maps, with a maximum of four tablets active at once, each granting extra bonuses, and the third tablet granting a second Kalguuran Expedition. New expedition modifiers were also added, and Farrow becomes available in the hideout after completing his Act 4 quest.

Which Bosses and Soul Cores Were Rebalanced?

Boss resistance design shifted in 0.5.5. DualShockers reports that bosses such as the Arbiter of Ash and Divinity, Omniphobia, and the Raven Trickster no longer carry a blanket elemental resistance. Their resistances are now thematic: the Arbiter of Ash resists fire and is weak to cold, while the Arbiter of Divinity resists lightning and is weak to fire.

New Soul Cores were also added. The Jiquani Cores socket into weapons and increase the level of skills sharing a specific tag, such as the Soul Core of Abundance adding +1 to all Plant Skills or the Soul Core of Munitions working for Grenade Skills.

Atziri Soul Cores grant buffs scaling with the amount of Corrupted gear equipped; for example, the Soul Core of Vitality gives a 1% increase to maximum health per corrupted piece, which DualShockers notes outperforms the Jiquani option when more than five corrupted pieces are equipped.

What Did Hotfix 0.5.5b Fix?

The September 11, 2026 hotfix (client version 1.123) addressed several issues from the patch, as documented by UpdateCrazy. Expedition can once again spawn naturally in the Endgame, and drop rates were increased for Expedition, Temple, and Delirium Tablets.

Players who fail a Chimeral Inscribed Ultimatum can now obtain another from The Trialmaster at the entrance of The Temple of Chaos. After defeating Ketzuli in the Temple of Kopec, players are guided to complete the ritual.

The hotfix also resolved a visual issue with Verisium Remnants staying highlighted between Expeditions, a Delirium mirror blocking spawn issue in the Seepage map, missing Mastodon Tusk drops from Ekbab and Iktab in The Bone Pits, couch co-op HUD display problems, controller stash-tab reordering issues, and four client crashes.

FAQ

What is a Wager mod in the Trial of Chaos?

Wager mods are a new modifier category added in Path of Exile 2 patch 0.5.5 that can increase pending rewards, such as doubling currency item rewards, while raising the trial's difficulty through upgraded or additional modifiers, per Sportskeeda's modifier list.

How do Sacred Blooms work?

Sacred Blooms are purchased with Tribute after completing rituals. Using one spawns a Viridian Wildwood where players collect wisps, and finishing the map applies the collected wisp type to every map in that area, according to DualShockers.

Did patch 0.5.5b change tablet drop rates?

Yes. UpdateCrazy's patch notes confirm that Expedition, Temple, and Delirium Tablet drop rates were all increased in hotfix 0.5.5b, which also restored natural Expedition spawns in the Endgame.

Can you retry a failed Corrupted Nexus boss?

Yes. DualShockers reports that patch 0.5.5 lets players retry the final boss of a Corrupted Nexus instead of losing the run after a death.