Summary:
Path of Exile 2 Update 0.5.5, Forbidden Rites, launches September 4 with a fresh economy, revamped Ritual encounters, major Trial of Chaos improvements, POE2 Currency, Expedition entering the core game, new Soul Cores, and significant endgame changes.
Path of Exile 2 Update 0.5.5: Forbidden Rites Is Here
Grinding Gear Games is preparing a major new update for Path of Exile 2 with Content Update 0.5.5: Forbidden Rites. The update launches on September 4 at 1 PM PDT, introducing a brand-new event league alongside major changes to Ritual, Trial of Chaos, Expedition, the Atlas endgame, Soul Cores, user interface features, and numerous bug fixes.
For players looking for a reason to start a fresh character, Forbidden Rites is especially important. The new league provides a completely fresh economy while giving players new challenges, rewards, and mechanics to explore.
Forbidden Rites League Introduces a New Ritual Experience
The centerpiece of Update 0.5.5 is the Forbidden Rites event league. The King in the Mists and his cultists have expanded their influence throughout Wraeclast, creating Ritual encounters across the campaign.
Unlike standard endgame Ritual encounters, campaign Rituals are designed to help players level. They can provide useful currency for crafting equipment as well as additional gear, making the mechanic more valuable during the early stages of a new character.
Twice during each Act, and once during each Interlude, players can also discover special clusters of Ritual Effigies. These encounters are connected to area bosses. After defeating a boss Ritual, that boss is carried forward into the next Ritual, creating increasingly dangerous waves of boss encounters.
Completing the entire sequence allows players to spend their accumulated Tribute on Unique Items, giving the league a strong incentive to engage with Ritual from the beginning.
Forbidden Rites also includes eight league challenges. Players can unlock exclusive rewards such as Locust Footprints, the Locust Swarm Rare Finisher Effect, Wildwood Guardian Pet, and Wildwood Affliction Level-up Effect.
Ritual Gets Major Improvements for Endgame Players
Ritual itself is also receiving several important changes. Party members can now earn their own Ritual Tribute when participating in encounters. Each player receives a limited selection of rewards that can either be purchased or offered to the King in the Mists.
Another major addition is the Sacred Bloom reward. Sacred Blooms can add the Viridian Wildwood to a cluster of Atlas Maps. Inside the Wildwood, players can follow trails of Wisps and collect them. When they return to the Map, those Wisps empower monsters, making them stronger but also more rewarding.
Using multiple Ritual Tablets now has additional benefits. More than one Tablet can add another Altar to a Map while also increasing the quantity of Azmeri Wisps collected inside the Viridian Wildwood.
Trial of Chaos Becomes More Rewarding and Less Punishing
Update 0.5.5 also addresses several long-standing frustrations with the Trial of Chaos.
Previously, starting a run meant players had to finish the entire sequence before leaving. The new update allows players to leave at any point and resume the run later from the same room.
A reward chest has also been added to the end of every room. This means dying is less punishing because players no longer risk losing the entire collection of rewards from a long run.
The final rewards have also been streamlined. Trial of Chaos runs now primarily reward Currency and Soul Cores, while corrupted items have been removed from the reward pool.
The Trialmaster has received quality-of-life improvements as well. His time-stopping interruptions will happen much less frequently, while encounter doors and elevators have been redesigned to make movement between rooms faster and smoother.
