I jumped back into Path of Exile 2 after a short break and, yeah, it grabbed me fast. The Fate of the Vaal stuff doesn't feel like "just another league gimmick" either; it changes how you move through zones and what you bother fighting. If you're the type who likes keeping your build online without living in the market all day, slipping a little PoE 2 Currency into your plans can make the early gearing way less of a slog, and you get to focus on the fun part—actually running the content.
Building the Temple, Not Just Running It
The core loop is simple, but it gets weird in a good way. You find Vaal Beacons while mapping, feed them packs, and that charge turns into choices at the Temple Console. It's not random in the lazy sense; it's more like you're drafting your own headache. Pick safer rooms and you'll finish clean, sure, but the rewards feel tame. Lean into trap-heavy routes or currency-tilted rooms and suddenly every decision matters. You'll catch yourself thinking, "One more sacrifice, then I'll lock in the better card," right before something chunks your HP and you're panicking.
Risk, Reward, and That Corruption Itch
Once you step into the temple you built, it's a different vibe from normal clears. Tiering rooms up to 3 is where it starts to sing, because that's when the drops and crafting hooks finally match the danger. Fossils, essences, and those double-corrupt moments show up and tempt you to do something dumb with an item you swear you love. And the league's decay pressure keeps you honest. You can't turtle forever. You have to keep moving, adjust on the fly, and accept that sometimes the "correct" play is to bail and live.
Druid Forms and the New Movement Feel
The Druid is also a big reason people are still logged in. Shapeshifting isn't just a skin; it changes routing. Wyvern form, especially, messes with how you read traps and boss arenas, since you can reposition in ways other classes can't. Bear form lets you eat hits you absolutely shouldn't, and Wolf form makes beacon farming feel snappy instead of like chores. People are already building around it—some are calling it "Wyvern Bomber"—and you can tell the economy's reacting because the efficient setups get expensive fast.
Keeping Up Without Burning Out
What I like most is that it supports different kinds of players. SSF folks can target what they need by shaping their temple runs, while trade players can just chase efficiency and flip upgrades. If your schedule's tight, you can still keep pace by planning short sessions around beacon routes, and, when the market runs away from you, grabbing cheap poe 2 currency can bridge the gap so you're not stuck wearing bad rares while everyone else is corrupting their dream gear.
