If you caught that Still Sane Podcast with Jonathan Rogers and TalkativeTri, you probably felt the same thing I did: this 0.4 “Last of the Druids” patch for Path of Exile 2 looks like GGG finally paying attention, and it’s about time people started planning their builds and even their PoE 2 Currency strategy before it hits. Jonathan did not sound like some PR robot; he sounded like a guy who actually plays his own game, knows where it feels clunky, and is willing to admit what did not land in Early Access.

Druid That Actually Feels Like A Druid

The Druid is clearly the headline. A lot of us were worried it’d turn into a lazy minion-summon class and nothing more, but it’s coming across as a proper Str/Int hybrid with a bit of bite. Werewolf form and the wolf packs were apparently underwhelming in early tests, and you could kinda feel that watching gameplay, but they’ve been buffed internally and should feel more aggressive now. The big twist is the Wyvern form. Jonathan casually dropped that its flame breath stacks ignites per hit, and that changes everything for bossing. You can already picture people building ignite-stacking monsters that just erase bosses if they stand still for one second. On top of that, spell totems are staying, but you’re stuck with a charge system instead of endless spam, which should keep caster builds strong without turning every screen into a totem forest.

Endgame Tweaks That Actually Respect Your Time

Endgame players should be pretty happy with what’s happening around the Arbiter of Ash. That whole “hope the right quest pops up” thing was annoying if you wanted to map with a plan instead of gambling your progression on RNG. They’re tightening that up so you can unlock those lines in a more predictable way, while still keeping the rare tablets as the real payoff moments. On the monster side, the pack size drama seems overblown. The so‑called nerf was basically an implementation screw‑up. They’re dialing back the mindless AoE spam on screen, fixing density so it feels less like visual soup, and then bumping rewards so your loot per map stays in the same ballpark. Less clutter, similar returns, fewer random deaths to nonsense you barely saw.

Melee Friction, Map Juice And Prep Work

Melee players are still going to be split, though. GGG’s sticking to the idea that you should not be able to attack while moving, because they want that heavy, committed swing feeling. Some folks hate that, some love it, but at least they are not wobbling back and forth every patch. If you’re thinking about rolling Druid on day one or really juicing maps early, it’s worth planning ahead: having enough gear, flasks, and trade fodder lined up matters more than people admit. You do not want to spend the first weekend stuck scraping basic items while everyone else is already pushing late acts or early endgame.

Roadmap And Why 0.4 Feels Like A Turning Point

Looking ahead, the short‑term roadmap feels grounded instead of overhyped. 0.5 is not some giant expansion dump, but there’s a clear promise: older leagues and systems are going to get brought up to the newer standard instead of being left to rot. That’s a big deal if you care about the game feeling cohesive instead of like a pile of half‑finished prototypes. Right now 0.4 looks like the base they should’ve had from the start: Druid shaking up the meta, endgame that wastes less of your time, and devs who show up and talk plainly about what they’re doing, which makes it a lot easier to justify grabbing some extra poe 2 currency and going all‑in when the patch drops.