POE2 Patch 0.5.0 Return of the Ancients Leveling Guide: Best Tips, Runeforging & Pathfinding Tricks

Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.0 Return of the Ancients is undoubtedly the best leveling experience in the game to date. Many in-game features are more user-friendly, eliminating the confusion you might have felt in previous campaigns.

Path of Exile 2 not only guides you silently with clever environmental design, but the new Runeforging Crafting will also give you a tremendous surprise. How you utilize resources and skill configurations is crucial.

To make your journey through the game smoother, I've summarized some valuable tips for Path of Exile 2, hoping to help you avoid some pitfalls.

Pathfinding Tips

Previously, in POE2 campaigns, we often wandered around like headless chickens. Now, in Return of the Ancients, almost every area has terrain or visual cues. For example, in Act 1, Grellwood, glowing tree roots guide you to Tree of Souls, the path of mushrooms points to Grim Tangle Entrance, and the river leads to Red Vale.

Hunting Grounds now features new signposts indicating the direction of Ogham Farmlands, and the three rituals in Freythorn will emit energy pulses to guide you. Additionally, Matlan Waterways in Act 3 of Path of Exile 2 have replaced levers with pressure plates, and the area has shrunk.

Act 1

After entering Hunting Grounds, head straight to Ogham Farmlands and complete Una's Hut to gain two skill points. Then, return and kill Crowbell for two more skill points. Finally, complete Freythorn to gain +30 Spirit and your first spirit skill.

Act 2 

In Valley of the Titans, you need to collect two statues to complete Medallion Quest and obtain a charm slot. Snakes in Keth and hyenas in Mastodon Badlands can drop statues. This extra charm slot is crucial. If you don't get these two statues, you'll need to create a new instance in Path of Exile 2: Return of the Ancients and farm them again.

Act 3 

You need to find the boss Rootdredge in Sandswept Marsh. Defeating him will grant you Skill Gem Level 9. Additionally, there's a group of elite enemies at Orok Campfire; defeating them always drops a Jeweller's Orb. Enter Ziggurat Encampment only after obtaining these Path Of Exile 2 Currency.

Act 4

Upon entering Kingsmarch, immediately head to Arastas. Vendors there sell rare rings and amulets, which are likely better than your current PoE2 gear. You can also go to Ngakanu, where vendors sell rare weapons of far superior quality.

Runeforging Crafting

Unique items for level 55 and below finally come in handy. In PoE2: Return of the Ancients, we'll have Verisium Crafting system, which allows you to transform items like Amor Mandragora, useless after Act 1, into incredibly powerful pieces of equipment.

Verisium Crafting not only enhances items but also adds extra effects, potentially making them ultimate artifacts. And Verisium Crafting system does much more than that. You can also upgrade existing items and add Runic Wards.

A Runic Ward is a new mechanic that prevents you from dying when your PoE2 character has only 1 health point. Your Runic Ward health will then decrease, essentially acting as a second life.

If you survive, you can regenerate health, and your Runic Ward shield will regenerate over time. Furthermore, Runic Ward shield also counts in Trials of Sims, granting your bonus Honor points like an Energy Shield.

XP Penalty

Be careful not to let your POE2 character level fall too far behind, otherwise you'll lose 44% of your experience while exploring areas. Don't worry, though, XP Penalty works very simply.

Before level 16, the level difference between you and the area should not exceed 3 levels; between levels 16 and 32, the difference can be 4 levels; after level 32, it can be 5 levels. 

If you find yourself behind, you can hold down Ctrl and click the map entrance to create a new instance and repeatedly grind monsters to level up your Path of Exile 2 character.

Early Crafting

Where should we invest our early Return of the Ancients crafting resources? Valuable Path of Exile 2 currencies such as Orb of Transmutation, Orb of Augmentation, and Regal Orb are recommended to be used only on three types of equipment in the ancient game: weapons, rings, and gloves.

Whenever you find a higher-tier weapon, you can consider using Orb of Transmutation or Orb of Augmentation to gain at least one attack attribute, such as physical damage, elemental damage, etc. Rings and gloves also provide a significant damage boost in the early stages of POE2. 

Regarding footwear, keep an eye on Path of Exile 2 shops and acquire movement speed affixes as early as possible. Prioritize reserving Artificer's Orb for weapon slot upgrades unless you obtain high movement speed boots, in which case you can use Artificer's Orb to meet the attribute requirements.

Also, remember to search for Quality items in Path of Exile 2 shops. These items can be disenchanted to obtain currency such as Blacksmith's Whetstone, which can be used to upgrade your POE2 weapons.

Use Pounce

Pounce is a level 3 Druid skill. You only need to equip an amulet in your off-hand to use this skill to leap forward. This allows you to jump over ravines, significantly increasing your map traversal speed, making it an essential skill for ancient Path of Exile 2 progression. 

If you're unsure which support gem to equip Pounce with, I recommend using Mark of Syphening. Enemies marked with Supported Skills will drain mana equal to the damage they take. 

This is indeed very effective for merchants, as they are always short on mana, especially in the early stages of POE2. Applying this effect to opponents is never a bad thing.

Build Making & Passive Pathing

In POE2 Patch 0.5.0, searching for keywords in the upper right corner of the talent tree interface will highlight talents related to your build, making it easier to plan your path. All information is easily searchable and readily available. 

If you find it complicated, Patch 0.5.0 also includes a built-in build guide function, which displays the skills required for each build and their annotations. You can simply import them with one click to easily start your journey.

Overall, Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.0 Return of the Ancients significantly reduces the trial-and-error costs of the campaign process and the ancient game. 

Utilizing environmental clues for quick pathfinding, allocating early currency wisely, and managing the experience penalty effectively will make the entire campaign process exceptionally smooth and your leveling process much more efficient.