Path of Exile 2 just opened another economy, and Forbidden Rites fixes one of Early Access' roughest systems

Starting over is optional this time. Forbidden Rites has its own Standard, Hardcore and Solo Self-Found economies, but existing Early Access and Runes of Aldur characters remain exactly where they were.

Runes of Aldur continues alongside the new event until 1.0. That makes Forbidden Rites a clean restart for players who want one rather than another mandatory seasonal reset.

Every campaign area now has Ritual

The event puts a Ritual encounter in every campaign zone. During levelling, its reward pool is adjusted toward useful equipment and crafting currency rather than relying on the reward structure players normally associate with endgame Ritual.

The stranger part happens in boss areas. Twice per Act and once per Interlude, Ritual Effigies form a chain across the world map. Kill the boss inside one of those Rituals and that boss is carried into the next encounter, gradually building multi-boss waves before the final reward selection.

Party play has also changed. Each player can earn individual Tribute and receives a limited personal reward selection instead of effectively competing over the same pool.

The Wildwood is back

Sacred Blooms can appear as Ritual rewards and attach the Viridian Wildwood to a group of Atlas Maps. Inside, players follow trails and collect Wisps before returning to the Map with those Wisps empowering its monsters.

Primal Wisps can upgrade normal monsters to magic, Vivid Wisps add modifiers to rares and Wild Wisps improve item rarity. Multiple Wisp types can stack their effects on the same Map.

Trial of Chaos no longer owns your entire evening

Patch 0.5.5 lets players leave Trial of Chaos between rooms and resume the same run later. That single change removes one of the Trial's most awkward structural restrictions: starting a serious attempt no longer means committing to the whole thing in one session.

A reward chest now appears after every room as well. Dying later in a run therefore does not erase the entire pile of rewards accumulated along the way.

The encounter mix has been altered too. Escort the Statue, Sacrifice Monsters and Implant the Soul Cores appear less often, while straightforward kill-all and survival rooms are more common. Several rooms, elevators and doors have been adjusted to keep the pace moving.

Modifiers now have more tiers and display actual numerical values. Taking additional difficulty between rooms also increases monster drop quality instead of being pure punishment.

Ten rooms can turn into thirty

Endgame Trial of Chaos runs can continue twice beyond their initial ten rooms, reaching a maximum of 30. The same modifiers and reward quality carry forward.

Players who survive deep enough can collect all three Trialmaster Fragments in a single run. Optional double-or-nothing wagers add another layer of risk by increasing rewards while pushing encounter modifiers upward.

Uxmal's arena has been redesigned as part of the same overhaul, alongside changes to Soul Cores and the Trial's reward tables.

Runes of Aldur leaves pieces behind

Expedition is now core content from Act 4 onward, including in Standard. Farrow and Dannig remain accessible, and Expedition Tablets can appear outside the original Runes of Aldur league.

The Atlas also gains Abyssal Ravines. Maps along a Ravine contain Abyss encounters that become more rewarding as the chain progresses, with an Abyssal boss guaranteed at the end.

Fortress progression has been shortened after the main Arbiter of Divinity questline. Defeating the harder Arbiter can automatically complete the remaining Fortress sections rather than requiring the full original route.

The Duelist still belongs to December

Despite the recent class showcase, the Duelist is not part of 0.5.5. Grinding Gear Games is holding the class and its sword-focused kit for Path of Exile 2's 1.0 release on December 11, 2026.

Forbidden Rites runs until that full launch. Its eight challenges award four exclusive cosmetics at two-challenge intervals, plus a permanent hideout totem recording how far the player got.