What Is Path of Exile 2: Return of the Ancients?

Return of the Ancients is the next major update for Path of Exile 2, delivered as patch 0.5.0. Grinding Gear Games has been teasing its contents piece by piece, and the latest reveal, shared personally by game director Mark Roberts, put two unusual new unique items in the spotlight (VPEsports).

According to VPEsports, this is the biggest Path of Exile 2 update since The Last of the Druids arrived in December 2025. The update adds a long list of content: two new Ascendancy classes, a new league called Runes of Aldur, 15 new bosses including 4 Pinnacle fights, more than 50 hours of endgame content, and over 40 new unique items.

The patch is scheduled to go live on May 29, 2026, per the same report. That timing matters beyond the content itself, because GGG has stated that Return of the Ancients is the final full-scale update before Path of Exile 2 leaves Early Access and launches as version 1.0.

How Does the Nightfall Shield Work in Path of Exile 2?

Nightfall is the first of the two teased uniques, and it is a Breach shield tied to Breachlord Tul. Despite being a shield, VPEsports describes it as playing less like a defensive tool and more like a gap-closing weapon, because of how its active mechanic chains together.

The item's skill follows a specific sequence, as laid out in the report:

• You throw the shield forward, and it strikes enemies along its flight path.
• Left alone, it returns to your character automatically.
• If you reactivate the skill while the shield is airborne, your character teleports to it and delivers a downward strike.
• Catching the shield or shattering ice crystals resets the cooldown entirely.

According to the developers, skilled timing lets you chain these actions back to back, a playstyle the report characterizes as an aggressive, momentum-driven loop aimed at players who prefer charging into enemy packs rather than hanging back. VPEsports also notes that Nightfall will drop as a high-level unique, so it is not expected to appear early in a character's progression.

What Makes Redemption a Grenade Launcher Crossbow?

The second teased unique, Redemption, is described by VPEsports as a Terat weapon of absolute destruction. At its base it is a crossbow, but it does not behave like other crossbows in Path of Exile 2: standard ammunition skills do not work with it at all.

Instead, Redemption is built entirely around grenades. Once you have created enough chaos on the battlefield, the weapon's fuller potential unlocks, with three stated effects:

• Grenade skill cooldowns are bypassed entirely.
• Fire rate increases dramatically.
• Mixing different grenade types pushes damage even further.

VPEsports frames the result as a grenade launcher, a weapon type it calls rare in ARPGs and almost never executed with this level of mechanical depth. Notably, Grinding Gear Games built a completely new base item type specifically for Redemption, one that did not exist in Path of Exile 2 before this patch. Like Nightfall, Redemption is slated to drop as a high-level unique (VPEsports).

What Content Arrives With Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.0?

Beyond the two uniques, VPEsports published a breakdown of the wider Return of the Ancients package. The teased items are, in its words, just a small slice of everything arriving in the update.

The two teased uniques will both drop at high level, according to the report. With more than 40 new uniques named for the patch overall, Nightfall and Redemption represent only a fraction of the new item pool players will be chasing when the league begins.

Is Patch 0.5.0 the Last Major Early Access Update?

Yes, according to VPEsports. The report states that Grinding Gear Games has confirmed Return of the Ancients is the final full-scale update before Path of Exile 2 officially exits Early Access and launches as version 1.0.

At that 1.0 point, the report says two things happen: the game goes free-to-play, and the missing campaign acts finally arrive. This makes patch 0.5.0 a transitional milestone, the last major content drop of the Early Access era rather than just another league.

The same coverage positions May 29 as the key date for players planning around the update. Note that this date belongs to patch 0.5.0 specifically; the sources do not tie it to the version 1.0 launch itself.

What Bonuses Can Registered Players Get Before Launch?

Separately from the patch reveals, Grinding Gear Games is running a registration reward campaign ahead of the full release. Per GoHa.Ru, a newly unlocked reward is the Soulflame Weapon Effect, a cosmetic weapon effect that will go to every player who registers for news about the full release.

GoHa.Ru reports that after the game's release on December 11, each campaign participant is guaranteed at least two exclusive cosmetic effects. The developers reportedly do not plan to stop there: up to three more rewards could be unlocked before December 11 Pacific time, if registration numbers keep growing (GoHa.Ru).

To receive the bonuses, players register on the official Path of Exile 2 site. There is one catch, per the report: after entering an email address, the registration must be confirmed. Anyone who submitted an address earlier is advised to check their inbox for a confirmation email.

What Trailers and Videos Accompany the Update?

Path of Exile 2's rollout around this period has been accompanied by a steady stream of video content. IGN India hosts a catalog of official Path of Exile 2 trailers, including The Stonefist: Legends of Wraeclast Pack Trailer, the official Version 1.0 Trailer from gamescom 2026, and the Return of the Ancients Official Trailer (IGN India).

The same catalog lists multiple Return of the Ancients teaser trailers, including the 'Now.. It Is Our Time' teaser, the 'Please... Save Me' teaser, and the Official Announcement Teaser Trailer. Additional videos cover earlier content, such as The Last of the Druids update that added the Druid class and the 0.4 changes, plus ten minutes of Druid gameplay footage.

These videos collectively document the period between The Last of the Druids in December 2025 and the version 1.0 marketing cycle, situating Return of the Ancients within that timeline.

FAQ

When does Path of Exile 2: Return of the Ancients release?

VPEsports reports that Return of the Ancients, patch 0.5.0, is scheduled to arrive on May 29, 2026. It is described as the biggest update since The Last of the Druids in December 2025.

What are the two new teased unique items?

They are Nightfall, a Breach shield tied to Breachlord Tul with a throw, teleport, and downward-strike mechanic, and Redemption, a grenade-focused crossbow that bypasses grenade cooldowns, fires dramatically faster, and rewards mixing grenade types. Both drop as high-level uniques.

Do standard crossbow skills work on Redemption?

No. According to VPEsports, standard ammunition skills do not work with Redemption. It is built entirely around grenades, and GGG created a new base item type specifically for it.

What comes after patch 0.5.0?

Per VPEsports, Return of the Ancients is the final full-scale Early Access update. After it, Path of Exile 2 launches as version 1.0, going free-to-play with the missing campaign acts arriving. Separately, GoHa.Ru reports the game's release on December 11 with registration rewards including the Soulflame Weapon Effect.