Path of Exile 2

On May 1, Path of Exile 2 introduced a major update that mainly targeted loot and PoE 2 2item drops. For exiles who criticized the drop quality in both the campaign and endgame, this patch finally brings a real sense of progress and value to PoE item hunting. Here's a full breakdown of the update’s details.

Refined Item Rarity
PoE 2 item rarity got a serious rework. Normal items now stop appearing at a certain rarity threshold, which means that most unique bosses no longer drop low-tier gear. Instead of clutter, you’ll find higher-value items more consistently. Tiered Rares have been adjusted across the board: Tier 2 drops are now four times more common, and Tiers 3 through 5 show up 30% more often. These items also roll better modifiers, cutting out a lot of the weak, early-game affixes that used to make them unappealing.

Magic PoE 2 items got similar treatment. Tiered Magics now drop around five times more often. On top of that, their mod pools have been trimmed, so higher-tier versions tend to roll stronger stats, making them a more viable base for crafting or recombination.
PoE 2 gold drops have also changed. Rare Gold piles now appear half as often, but they’re twice as large. This keeps the average gold income about the same while shifting loot drops toward more meaningful gear and currency.

Boss Loot Protection
Most Unique PoE Bosses now guarantee at least one Rare item on death. In the campaign, that only happens on the first kill. In maps and endgame content, the guaranteed drop is permanent. It’s a welcome shift for players who are tired of long fights ending in disappointment.

Wisps and Possessed Monsters
Azmerian Wisps now always guarantee a Rare PoE 2 item when they possess a Rare monster. A lingering bug in Grelwood that caused one of the early Wisps to ignore item rarity has also been fixed, so that area should now feel more rewarding as well.

Chest Overhaul
Magic and Rare chests have been fully reworked. Magic chests now always contain at least one Magic item and have a much better chance of dropping more and higher-quality loot. Rare chests are even better. These improvements scale up in Cruel and Endgame difficulties, so hunting down chests feels a lot more rewarding.

In PoE 2 maps, modifiers that previously increased the chance of chest spawns have been replaced. Now, the modifiers guarantee a set number of Magic or Rare chests instead. So while you might find fewer chests overall, the ones that appear will be much more worthwhile.

Strongboxes and Trials
Strongboxes now match the new Rare chest standards. Every Strongbox guarantees a Rare item and benefits from boosted item quantity and rarity in higher difficulties. Researcher’s Strongboxes in particular are more likely to drop Rare PoE 2 currency instead of basic magic-tier currency, which makes them far more valuable.

Sekhema Trials got a well-needed reward buff. Bronze chests now match Rare chests in drop quality. Silver and Gold chests scale even higher. Key rewards have also been adjusted, increasing the odds of getting Silver or Gold keys instead of Bronze.

In the Trial of Chaos, corrupted Rare items start to disappear as you level up. Instead, you’ll find stacks of Rare PoE 2 currency. Monsters also stop dropping corrupted loot, making it easier to craft the way you want.

Expedition and Delirium
Expedition events follow the same chest rules as other endgame content from now on. Artifact and Coinage drops have increased significantly, and Expedition Remnants that boost item rarity have been fixed, so they now stack properly with the base rarity of the chest.
Delirium rewards also scale much better by depth. Pushing deeper into the fog now gives roughly 2.5 times more item rarity than before, though the upper limit of Delirium difficulty has been brought down slightly from 5x to 3x.

Easier Access to Endgame
Drop rates for Breach and Delirium splinters are way up, making it easier to engage with endgame mechanics. Ritual events are also more likely to include a meeting with the king, adding more frequent opportunities for high-tier loot.

Atlas Progression Improvements
Corrupted Nexus areas now award 5 skill points each, making it much faster to complete your Atlas Passive Tree. Their visibility has also been improved, helping players track them down more easily during mapping.

Conclusion
Drop rates were still a serious concern even in the most recent patches, so hopefully this new system finally delivers a more rewarding experience for players. No game has ever been perfect, but Path of Exile 2 keeps making the right moves. The recent changes feel like another solid step forward.
These were the main highlights of the update, but for the full patch notes, you can check out the official post on the Path of Exile 2 Steam Community page. If you're just jumping back in, the bottom line is simple: loot is better, more plentiful, and feels worth chasing more than ever.