PoE 2 0.3.0 New Ascendancy (Class) Release Date and Skill Leaks

The latest discoveries have stirred up a wave of excitement and speculation among Path of Exile 2 fans, especially with the new season right around the corner. Today, we’ll dive into everything known so far about the upcoming PoE 2 Ascendancy, potential new class reveals, and the various leaks related to the highly anticipated 0.3.0 content update.

About Path of Exile 2 Version 0.3 – The Third Edict

As the 0.3 update, titled The Third Edict, approaches, new information and leaks continue to surface regarding the game’s next major evolution. Players can expect updates surrounding the new class developments, expanded acts, reworked support gems, mechanical overhauls, and more – making it one of the most comprehensive updates since the beta began.

New Acts and Campaign Expansion

Among the most thrilling PoE 2 0.3 leaks is the confirmation that Act 4 will debut with this patch. This new act continues the campaign after Act 3, but with a major change — the layout is now non-linear, allowing players to explore a chain of interconnected islands rather than progressing in a straight path. These islands feature varied environments, including cursed ruins, volcanic terrain, and tribal regions.

Altogether, Act 4 introduces 8 islands, 16 new zones, more than 100 new monster types, and 12 bosses, offering a massive expansion to the campaign’s world-building and diversity. In addition, the update replaces the traditional “Cruel” difficulty replay system with a brand-new feature known as Interludes — three smaller acts bridging the main story and endgame content. Each Interlude contains 6–7 zones and 4 bosses, meaning the full content of Act 4 and its Interludes together brings over 35 zones and 24 bosses. While their stories are temporary, the bosses and areas will remain as part of the permanent endgame rotation.

Sprint Mechanic

A highly requested quality-of-life feature making its way into PoE 2 is the Sprint mechanic. After performing a dodge roll, holding down the same button will activate sprint mode, granting a major and continuous speed boost. This change will make exploration smoother and improve combat mobility. However, sprinting introduces risk — taking damage while sprinting knocks your character down, forcing players to think strategically about when to use it. It’s a perfect blend of risk and reward, emphasizing positioning and timing in fast-paced battles.

Support Gems Overhaul

The long-standing support gem system is getting a total redesign. The new system encourages experimentation and flexibility by allowing multiple instances of the same support gem across different skills (but not stacking the same gem within one skill). This opens up countless build possibilities. Additionally, advanced support gems will feature powerful effects like Double Barrel’s auto-reload and Rapid Casting’s multi-spell buff. These changes will deepen customization and introduce fresh strategic layers to character development.

Lineage Support Gems

Perhaps the most exciting addition to the endgame is the introduction of around 40 unique Lineage support gems. These powerful gems will drop only from high-level bosses and specialized endgame encounters, making them rare and valuable. Lineage gems drastically alter skill mechanics — for example, Ratha’s Assault allows automatic reloading on dodge, increases projectile count, and introduces a completely new reload system. These gems represent a groundbreaking shift in how builds evolve past the main campaign.

New Class and Ascendancy

Despite the hype around new character additions, PoE 2 0.3.0 will not introduce an entirely new base class. The long-awaited Druid remains in development and has not received any recent developer teasers. Instead, Grinding Gear Games (GGG) will focus this update on improving existing classes through skill balance changes, playstyle refinements, and new mechanics.

There are still notable updates to some Ascendancies, however. The Blood Mage now starts with Sangomancy unlocked from the start, and the Infernalist’s Demon Form now retains weapon attributes, enhancing both power and consistency. These tweaks aim to make older classes feel more dynamic and viable for multiple endgame strategies.

Abyss and Endgame Content

Although still unconfirmed, community leaks suggest that the Abyss mechanic will play a major role in the 0.3 update, potentially serving as the centerpiece of the new league. There are rumors about a new pinnacle boss named Kulamach — an ancient underworld being who may appear after the Arbiter encounter. This system could intertwine with Delve mechanics, using fossil and resonator-style crafting to introduce new layers of deterministic crafting and progression in the late game.

Crafting and Quality-of-Life Improvements

GGG seems intent on overhauling crafting accessibility this patch. The team is reportedly adding systems inspired by Delve’s fossil crafting, letting players exert more control over modifiers instead of relying purely on RNG. This should make early and mid-game crafting less punishing while still rewarding mastery. Furthermore, armor and shield penalties on movement speed are being reduced, making combat feel more responsive and less clunky — a change long requested by the community.

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New Ascendancy in Path of Exile 2 0.3.0 - PoE 2 Monk Third Ascendancy Release Date

Recent datamining has uncovered three short Monk death voice lines hidden in the PoE 2 game files. One of these lines has never been heard before, strongly hinting that the Monk’s third Ascendancy is officially called the Martial Artist. The Monk currently has two Ascendancies — Invoker and Acolyte of Chayula — with the new Martial Artist expected to arrive in patch 0.3.0 on August 29, 2025. Players will get their first hands-on experience with the class during the Gamescom 2025 demo a week prior, where GGG traditionally showcases upcoming Ascendancies.

The Martial Artist Ascendancy emphasizes fast-paced, unarmed melee combat. Leaked abilities such as Palm Strike and Flame Fist suggest devastating burst damage chains triggered after rapid hits. Players speculate that it might include a combo-based resource mechanic, allowing for powerful finishing moves when executed properly. Unlike the quarterstaff-oriented playstyle of other Monk paths, this one prioritizes close-quarters brawling and fiery melee attacks, with potential skills like Flame Surge. GGG has confirmed that claw gems can now work unarmed, implying that the Martial Artist could repurpose claw-tagged gems with new animations for punches and kicks. Many fans are reminded of the old Hollow Palm Technique from PoE1 — a similar keystone may reappear, scaling with Dexterity or flat physical damage.

PoE 2 0.3.0 New Class: Druid

While the Shadow class appeared briefly in teasers, many content creators and data miners agree that the Druid is the most likely candidate for the next full class reveal. Two years ago, GGG showcased a detailed 10-minute gameplay preview of the Druid featuring bear transformations, wolf summoning, and tornado spells. The fact that GGG publicly demonstrated these abilities indicates the Druid is close to completion.

The current passive skill tree already includes empty slots near the Primal weapon nodes (Staff, Claw, Flail), positioned exactly where a Druid starting area would logically exist. The 0.3.0 update’s internal codename, Verdant Wilds, further reinforces the nature-based theme tied to this class. It’s highly probable that Gamescom attendees will get an early preview before its full release alongside the new league.

The Druid is expected to wield the Staff weapon and transform into different animal forms — a Bear for tank-style melee, a Wolf for summoner builds, and a Storm form for spellcasting. Each form may have its own resource system and skill set, giving the Druid unparalleled versatility across archetypes.

Other PoE 2 Ascendancy Leaks & Expectations

Sorceress – Pyromancer

The Sorceress currently offers two Ascendancies: Chronomancer and Stormweaver. The lack of a fire-themed option has been noticed by the community for years. Recent leaks indicate the addition of a Pyromancer Ascendancy, featuring skill references such as “Flame Surge” and “Immolate.” This fiery specialization could finally complete the elemental trio for Sorceress, potentially launching in either 0.3.0 or 0.3.5.

Warrior – Marauder

The Warrior class has several Ascendancies (Titan, Warbringer, and Smith of Kitava), but none fully represent the dual-wielding berserker fantasy. Data mining has revealed hints toward a Berserker/Marauder Ascendancy, seemingly focused on fast, aggressive dual-weapon combat. Speculation places its release in version 0.4.0 or as part of a large expansion later in the year.

Mercenary – Commander

Following the Tactician Ascendancy added in version 0.2.0, leaks have uncovered references to another Mercenary upgrade — the Commander. This support-oriented subclass reportedly revolves around battle banners and rallying cries, hinting at a party-buffing playstyle. It’s believed to be targeted for a mid-cycle release, possibly arriving with the 0.3.5 patch.

For the latest PoE 2 updates, new class insights, and event rewards, you can always count on Gamer Choice to keep you informed ahead of every major patch and expansion.