Path Of Exile 2 Patch 0.3.0 Changes To Witch Hunter Ascendancy Class' Passive Skills

Recently, the official Path of Exile 2 0.3.0 patch notes were released. To achieve a balanced state, the developers have released patch notes for classes, Passive Skill Trees, Unique Skills, and Gems over the past few days.

A closer look reveals that one patch has made unique changes to a particular class, which may offer a significant advantage for some players, helping them experience a better gameplay experience, progress more smoothly, and ultimately make them more engaged with the class.

The patch notes reveal some major changes coming to Witch Hunter, and frankly, they're sure to pique your curiosity. Let's take a closer look at what these changes are.

Changes & Impact

Let's take a look at the changes to Witch Hunter. I personally believe these changes will enhance the player experience and provide a different kind of enjoyment than before. Before discussing the specific areas of significant change and why players find it enjoyable and immersive, we first need to understand that one key area of impact in this change is the significant enhancement to Weapons Master passive skill.

Let's briefly explain this. For example, when you open Passive Skill Tree, you originally have 20 weapon set skill points. Clicking on each set skill points will show how you can allocate skill points to different weapons, armor, and other items, tailoring your gameplay to your needs.

Passive Skill Tree has a blue + button. Clicking it allows you to alternate between using one weapon and another, switching back and forth. For example, I want Cold Skills to apply only to this set of weapons. I want Lightning Skills to automatically apply to my second set of weapons. So, if I choose to use Cold Skills, it will automatically switch to my first set of weapons.

Similarly, if I choose to use Voltaic Mark in Lightning Skills, it will automatically switch to my other set of weapons. This allows players to choose the weaponry that best suits their preferences and needs. However, it's worth noting that after setting up your chosen weapon set, for example, you might initially want to apply your weapon set to Passive Skill Tree, but later decide to apply a second weapon set to it.

When switching back and forth between the two weapon sets, you might end up with the weapon set you previously used in Passive Skill Tree. Since both skills are active, both passive skills remain active.

According to the patch notes, Weapons Master's Passive Skill Tree grants an additional 100 weapon skill points in addition to the original 20. This means that with this change, Witch Hunter can convert these 100 passive skill points into weapon set skill points for use in Passive Skill Tree, creating a separate Passive Skill Tree for each weapon.

Since Witch Hunter now has a total of 120 Passive Skill Points, it can essentially create two different Passive Skill Trees, allowing it to use two different and powerful weapon sets.

For example, let's say a Witch Hunter player has a very good weapon like a mace or bow and wants to use its skills in two completely different Passive Skill Trees. You can either use the same Passive Skill Tree or place the same defensive shield in both trees. If you want to further enhance offensive weapons like the mace, you can spend POE 2 Currency to upgrade that weapon type, either for attack or defense.

While Huntress and Witch Hunter, with their base class and upgrade combinations, aren't specifically connected, the changes in POE 2 0.3.0 will introduce interesting interactions. For example, the Huntress's skills can be combined with the Witch Hunter's weapons, creating a damage-focused character who can switch between ranged and close-range combat.

An interesting aspect of this patch is that players can experience which interactions are bugs and which are fun and surprising. This concludes my personal review of Path of Exile 2 0.3.0, along with my thoughts on the relatively positive aspects of the changes.