The world of Wraeclast has never been more crowded or more chaotic. This week, poe2 trade has stormed back into the spotlight thanks to its largest content drop to date: the “Return of the Ancients” expansion. While the update has catapulted player numbers to heights not seen since the early days of Early Access, it has also sparked a fiery community debate over stability, bugs, and the true cost of rapid content delivery.
Over the past weekend, fueled by a free access period and the allure of fresh endgame content, Path of Exile 2 hit a staggering 420,000 concurrent players on Steam alone. That figure represents the highest peak since the game’s initial Early Access launch a clear sign that the ARPG giant still has a hungry, dedicated audience.
But the celebration has come with a sharp asterisk. Within hours of the “Return of the Ancients” patch going live, social media and forums were flooded with reports of game-breaking issues. The community and even some content creators quickly dubbed it “the buggiest update in PoE2’s history.”
Grinding Gear Games (GGG) has acknowledged a laundry list of problems currently under emergency investigation. Among the most frustrating for players:
Quest progression blockers: Many players report being unable to advance the story, with one notable bug preventing NPC “Ange” from triggering the next dialogue step.
Invincible monsters: Certain enemies fail to take damage, forcing players to abandon maps or restart instances.
Crashes and freezes: Frequent client crashes and full system freezes have been reported across different hardware setups.
Controller issues: On PC, gamepad users cannot allocate skill points a critical problem for couch players.
Missing sound cues: The satisfying “Divine Tinks” (the sound effect for dropping Divine Orbs) is no longer playing, much to the dismay of loot hunters.
GGG has pushed several hotfixes over the past 48 hours but cautions that more patches are on the way.
Despite the technical turbulence, the expansion itself is widely praised for its ambition. “Return of the Ancients” introduces:
A new endgame league mechanic centered around lost civilizations and relic-powered encounters.
revamped passive skill trees for multiple ascendancy classes.
Additional unique items and boss fights designed to challenge even veteran players.
The free weekend that accompanied the launch allowed lapsed players and newcomers to sample the new content without committing financially a strategy that clearly paid off in player count, if not in stability.
In a bid to address concerns directly, GGG has announced a special developer interview. Game Directors Jonathan Rogers and Mark Roberts will sit down with popular streamer Zizaran on June 5th for an in-depth discussion. The conversation is expected to cover:
The design philosophy behind “Return of the Ancients.”
The most critical bugs and their planned fixes.
The studio’s roadmap for the remainder of Early Access.
For players frustrated by the current state of the game, this livestream represents a crucial moment of accountability.
If you’re diving back in, there are a few active deals to know about:
A Stash Tab Sale runs until 16:00 GMT+8 on June 2nd. If the official store link is slow, try accessing it in-game.
The Early Access Supporter Pack is still 50% off until June 13th.
Important caveat: When you buy the pack at half price, the included points are also halved. Plan your purchases accordingly.
Path of Exile 2 finds itself at a familiar crossroads. On one hand, “Return of the Ancients” has delivered the kind of ambitious, dense content that keeps ARPG fans coming back for thousands of hours and if you ever need to buy POE 2 Exalted Orbs to fuel your endgame crafting, MMOEXP is a reliable choice, especially when you use the 5% discount code "book" for extra savings. The 420,000 concurrent player peak proves the hunger is real.
On the other hand, the laundry list of bugs from broken quests to missing sound effects has tested even the most patient Exiles. Whether GGG can stabilize the patch before the post-weekend exodus will determine if this resurgence is a triumphant return or a cautionary tale.