Path of Exile 2’s second major Early Access update, The Third Edict, launches on August 29, 2025—and it’s shaping up to be one of the most important patches in the franchise’s history.
This isn’t just another content drop; it’s a fundamental overhaul that addresses long-standing community frustrations, introduces groundbreaking systems, and redefines how players experience Wraeclast. From asynchronous trading to non-linear story progression, crafting improvements, and a brand-new league, The Third Edict is a bold step forward.
Here’s our ranked breakdown of the 10 biggest features in Path of Exile 2’s The Third Edict update.
1. Async Trading: The End of Trade Friction
The crown jewel of this patch. Path of Exile’s most-requested QoL feature is finally here.
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How It Works: Players set up a shop with the Merchant NPC, Ange, list their items, and log off. Buyers browsing the trade site can teleport directly to your hideout and complete the purchase with Ange—even if you’re offline.
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Why It’s #1: Eliminates price-fixing, drastically shortens gear acquisition time, and makes trading accessible for players worldwide. This is nothing short of a revolution for PoE2’s economy.
2. Act IV & Non-Linear Island Hopping
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What It Is: Explore eight distinct islands in any order, featuring 100+ new monsters, 16 new areas, and 12 new bosses.
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Why It’s #2: A non-linear campaign in PoE for the first time. Exploration and replayability are now part of the journey, making leveling fresh and dynamic.
3. Support Gem Overhaul: Unleashing Build Creativity
This is a massive system rework aimed at empowering players.
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The Changes:
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No more one-per-character limit on support gems.
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Tiered Gems (Regular, Greater, Perfect) introduce scalable power.
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Lineage Gems—40 new ultra-rare drops tied to bosses—transform skills entirely.
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Why It’s #3: Removes restrictions and opens the door to thousands of new build possibilities.
4. New League: Rise of the Abyssal
The first official PoE2 league launches alongside the update.
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Mechanics: Fight Abyssal Fissures, collect the new Bones currency, and craft Abyssal modifiers onto your gear.
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Why It’s #4: Every new league resets the economy and introduces mechanics that keep PoE alive. Rise of the Abyssal promises powerful crafting and unique rewards.
5. Sprint Mechanic: Faster Gameplay Pacing
Traversal just got a serious upgrade.
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How It Works: After a dodge roll, hold the button to sprint, increasing movement speed. Beware: taking damage while sprinting knocks you down.
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Why It’s #5: Speeds up downtime between fights and makes the gameplay loop smoother.
6. Deflect & Armor: Defensive Layer Revolution
Two mechanics reshape defensive builds.
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Deflect: Dexterity/Evasion builds gain a chance to reduce damage by 40%.
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Armor vs. Elemental Damage: Strength builds become more resistant to elemental hits.
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Why It’s #6: These fixes solve longstanding defensive weaknesses, giving more archetypes viability.
7. Endgame Map Additions: An Expanded Atlas
For the players who live in the grind.
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What’s New: 25 new maps, fresh layouts, bosses, and earlier access to mechanics like Breach and Delirium via Atlas tweaks.
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Why It’s #7: Keeps the endgame engaging for hardcore players chasing level 100.
8. Crafting Changes: Tiered Currency & Bones
Crafting just became more deterministic.
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Tiered Currency: Orbs like Transmutes and Chaos now come in multiple tiers.
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Bones Crafting: Add Abyssal modifiers to gear throughout campaign and endgame.
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Why It’s #8: Improves crafting accessibility for casuals while keeping depth for veterans.
9. Removal of Cruel Difficulty
A major quality-of-life fix for campaign progression.
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What Changed: No more replaying Acts I–III in Cruel difficulty.
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The Replacement: Interlude Acts (19 areas, 9 bosses) serve as fresh bridges to endgame.
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Why It’s #9: Cuts tedious grind, streamlining the leveling experience.
10. 150+ New Passive Notables
The passive tree grows even deeper.
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What’s New: 150+ new Notables, roughly 20 per class.
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Why It’s #10: Ensures new build diversity and meta shifts in every league.
Summary of Key Features
| Rank | Feature | Category | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Async Trading | QoL | Revolutionizes the economy |
| 2 | Act IV & Island Hopping | Content | Adds non-linear progression |
| 3 | Support Gem Overhaul | Gameplay | Expands build diversity |
| 4 | Rise of the Abyssal League | Content | Fresh start & economy reset |
| 5 | Sprinting | Gameplay | Speeds up traversal |
| 6 | Deflect & Armor | Gameplay | Fixes defensive gaps |
| 7 | Endgame Map Additions | Content | More late-game challenges |
| 8 | Crafting Changes | Systems | Deterministic and powerful |
| 9 | Removal of Cruel Difficulty | Progression | Removes repetitive grind |
| 10 | 150+ Notables | Progression | Expands customization |
Conclusion: A Defining Update
The Third Edict isn’t just a patch—it’s a statement of intent from Grinding Gear Games.
By tackling trade, campaign progression, defense systems, and build diversity in one stroke, PoE2 is evolving into a more player-friendly, modern ARPG. Whether you’re a hardcore theorycrafter, a casual player with limited time, or someone eyeing the new league, there’s something monumental waiting for you.
With a free weekend event from August 29 – September 1, 2025, there has never been a better time to return to Wraeclast.
What feature are you most hyped for? Did we rank them correctly? Let us know in the comments!
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