Path of Exile 2 Early Access, which received many negative reviews, has released patch notes for Patch 0.3.0, the next major in-game patch following Patch 0.2.0, released on April 4th. This note introduces a host of new content expected to officially arrive in Path of Exile 2 on August 29th, such as the new league mechanic, Rise of the Abyssal, and Act 4.
Of course, in addition to the additions, the developers also modified or even remade the existing content that was not conducive to the balance between the characters in the game. For example, the endgame was not deep enough and the attribute adjustments between each class. But what surprised the players the most was the revision of Support Gem system.
Since support gems are one of the important build options you can choose in the game, any changes to them will change the way players think or approach making quality builds in the next league. Therefore, this guide will give you a detailed introduction to the changes to support gems in POE 2 0.3.0 patch and the impact they have.
Gem Socket Separation
First, the developers have separated slots for skill gems and gem-supporting gems from the item slots used in builds. This means you no longer need to painstakingly find or retain Stacked Stone Slabs picked up during exploration to create complete Gem-links, making the build process much more streamlined. However, this also presents some issues.
Without the help of Slabs, it’s difficult to get three-link or higher gem sets in the early stages of the campaign, and it’s even harder to get five-link sets in the later stages. This is mainly because the drop rate of POE 2 Jeweler’s Orbs, which can adjust the number of slots on weapons or armor in the previous league, has become very low. If this is improved after 0.3.0 patch is released, this shortcoming may be eliminated.
Removing Quantity Limits
Another change that players will appreciate is the removal of the limit on the number of times a single Support Gem can be used. In The Third Edict, you can now use any number of Support Gems simultaneously. This means you can equip both Martial Tempos and Clarities on the same Skill Gem, and you can also use copies of the same Support Gem on different Skill Gems.
In this case, the way to make a character build becomes very diverse, and all builds have received a certain improvement, because the benefits can now be doubled or even tripled! For example, skills with long cooldowns can be quickly and continuously cast with the help of multiple support gems that provide cooldown reduction benefits.
With the support of gems that increase the damage radius and damage ability, skills, which with smaller basic range damage will become easy to deal with groups of enemies that swarm in at once. If you use this buff in some profitable maps, then these greatly improved area damage skills can help you achieve fast and effective PoE 2 Currency and loot farming.
Prior to patch 0.3.0, only Gemling Legionnaire Ascendancy Class could use duplicate support gems, leading many players to speculate whether this Ascendancy would be nerfed after this restriction was lifted. In fact, some changes were made to it in the patch notes, but they were all more inclined towards balance and did not provide significant improvements. This will be a big challenge for players using this type of build.
Clearer Tiers
In this latest patch, the process of upgrading Tier 1 Support Gems to Tier 3 Support Gems has been simplified. For example, if you obtain a Support Gem through combat drops or exploration, you can obtain this Support Gem with Tier 2 and Tier 3 by using higher-level Uncut Support Gems, which is much more convenient than the previous crafting process.
In addition, in some specific cases, the effectiveness of Tier 3 Support Gems may change after upgrading. For example, Faster Casting at Tier 3 will give you a 10% casting speed bonus for each spell cast in the past eight seconds. The benefits it provides, coupled with the fact that there is no limit on the number of support gems that can be inserted, will give some classes that focus on spells a significant boost.
Lineage Supports Added
In addition to revising the existing support gem system, the developers have added a new type of support gem to Path of Exile 2, called Lineage Supports, which are exclusive to the endgame. These gems have a lower drop rate than Uniques, which take weeks to farm, but the power they carry is enormous.
According to some leaked information, Lineage Supports are very similar to Vaal Gems added to POE 1. They can both make interesting changes to existing skills. For example, Dialla’s Desire can add a level to the supported skill and increase its quality by 10%, while reducing its mana or other resource costs; Zarokh’s Retribution will give you twice as many Spell Echoes but increase their cooldown.
However, it is worth noting that these Lineage Supports cannot be obtained directly through Gemcutting. According to the traditional method of adding them in POE 2, they are likely to appear in some specific enemy or boss encounters. The specific details may have to wait for the announcement of the next league.
These are the gemstone reworks and additions that are currently available in Path of Exile 2 Early Access. While there’s no guarantee that these changes will ensure the best gaming experience for all players in this early access sequel, it’s worth noting that the developers are listening closely to all player feedback and comments, and are committed to remedying any previous mistakes made by Path of Exile 2. Therefore, the release of this new patch and the next league is worth anticipating. Have fun playing!
