I came into Path of Exile 2: The Last of the Druids hoping the endgame would feel brand-new, but most of it still plays like the same loop with fresh paint. The one thing that really lands is the Druid, and if you're planning your first push, grabbing the right PoE 2 Items early can make those form swaps feel way smoother. I've been running it hard, and the class is easily the reason to log in right now.



The Druid Is the Real Patch.
The whole kit revolves around Talismans, and that single weapon type changes how you think about builds. It's not just "new class, new toys" either, because other classes can equip Talismans too, which is where the weird stuff starts. The three forms each scratch a different itch. Bear is simple and satisfying when you want to stand your ground and trade hits. Wolf is for players who like to keep moving, clip packs, and never stop to breathe. Wyvern takes more attention; you're watching corpses, topping up resources, then flipping between caster moments and close-range pressure. You can brute-force one style, sure, but the class feels better when you let it breathe. Shaman and Oracle help a lot, and Oracle in particular nudges you toward crit routes that didn't feel as open before.



Vaal Ruins: Cool Idea, Awkward Reality.
The new League mechanic, Vaal Ruins, sounds like something I'd normally get obsessed with. You roam maps hunting six beacons, unlock the controller, then lay out your own temple run like you're placing pieces on a board. There's also the prosthetic limb system, which is as unhinged as it sounds, and it does push you to actually clear and explore instead of sprinting past everything. The early novelty is real. Then you hit the point where you're asking the same question every time: why am I doing this again.



Endgame Friction and the Same Old Grind.
The biggest mood-killer is the loot flow. With the current rule where leaving the Vaal Temple to stash closes the instance, you end up staring at a full inventory and making awful choices. Do you ditch value on the ground, or do you bail and lose the run. Neither feels good, and it's the kind of "tiny" change that wrecks momentum. Outside of that system, maps are still maps. Packs feel smaller but sturdier, and the removal of Emotion instilling on waystones means the whole experience looks less murky, which I'll take. Even so, the grind doesn't feel meaningfully different, and the pacing in Act 3 still drags, while Act 4 finally feels like the game remembers to move.



Where I'm At After the Hype.
I'm going to finish my Druid goals because the class is just too fun to drop mid-flight, but I can already feel my interest tapering off once the build is "done." If Grinding Gear Games tweaks rewards and fixes the stash-lock headache, I'd happily stick around longer. If not, I'll probably rotate out and see what other ARPGs are doing this season, and maybe even acheter item poe 2 to speed up the last stretch before I take a break.Get high-quality PoE 2 items from U4GM and upgrade your character faster without wasting time on endless farming.