Path of Exile 2

Grinding Gear Games has stirred up the Path of Exile 2 community with a teaser that feels more like a puzzle than a straightforward announcement. Update 0.3 is on the horizon, and players are already looking for hidden meaning in every scrap of information. The patch will bring a new season, new content, and hopefully a reason for both veterans and newcomers to try something new. But as always with PoE, the road to that reveal is filled with speculation.

The image dropped on the game's official social media shows a weathered piece of parchment covered in strange markings. Four of the symbols are highlighted, and according to the lore snippet that came with it, they translate to “Beginning,” “Well,” “Winter,” and “Birth.” The note claims it was pulled from an ancient library buried in the ruins of Oriath, with someone trying to decode the symbols before time ran out. That little bit of mystery was all it took for the community to start dissecting every detail.

Some see the markings as a nod to long-rumored new classes. The Druid tops the list of guesses, with the Templar not far behind, since Oriath plays such a big role in their background. Both have been requested for years, and adding either would greatly expand the game's build possibilities.

Others think the teaser is about the campaign's progression, particularly the long-awaited Act 4. NeverSink, known for creating one of the most-used loot filters in PoE, pointed out that the symbols look a lot like early Kalguur runes. That theory lines up with details from the Path of Exile 2 art book, which places Act 4 in Kingsmarch, a Kalguuran settlement. Kingsmarch also has a connection to the “Well of Souls,” which suddenly makes that highlighted “Well” seem a lot more important.

There's another detail in the teaser that has people talking: five of the symbols are circled. Some believe that could mean five full acts will be available after update 0.3 launches. Others think the number might tie into bigger story beats, like major bosses or divine figures.

Then there's the strangest part: the final circled symbol looks like two points reaching upward. Notes on the parchment list noble titles rising from commoner to king, but each is crossed out, almost like someone was searching for a power beyond mortal rule. That's led many players straight to one conclusion: Kitava. Anyone who's played PoE 1 will remember the horned god, and the imagery fits a little too well to ignore.

Whatever the truth, Grinding Gear clearly knows how to stoke anticipation. The studio has a knack for drip-feeding just enough to spark discussion without giving the game away. Between the possible introduction of long-awaited classes, a new act set in unexplored territory, and the lore implications of those cryptic words, update 0.3 is shaping up to be one of the sequel's defining moments.

The countdown is already ticking toward late August. Until then, the community will keep poring over every frame of that parchment, trying to piece together what “Beginning,” “Well,” “Winter,” and “Birth” are pointing toward and how they might reshape the next chapter of Path of Exile 2.