Path of Exile 2 update 0.5.5 launches on September 4, adding the Forbidden Rites event league as a prelude to the 1.0 release, along with changes to the Trial of Chaos, faster Atlas progression, and new endgame activities.

Forbidden Rites marks PoE2’s first event league, kicking off ahead of the game’s 1.0 launch.

World Map Ritual Effigies appear as special clusters offering unique rewards, while Sacred Bloom unlocks a Wildwood entrance in maps and triggers a timed challenge to collect Primal, Vivid, and Wild Wisps that boost monster difficulty and rewards, with a rare Sacred Wisp possible.

Viridian Wildwood mechanics center on collecting Wisps to empower Map monsters and modify rewards, with Ritual Tablets increasing Wildwood Wisps found.

Endgame changes speed up Fortress completion by granting access to additional halls for keys to a harder Arbiter, then reward Atlas Passive Points after finishing the Fortress; Abyssal Ravines are added to the Atlas with progressively tougher Maps and a guaranteed final Abyssal Boss encounter.

Fortress and Abyss-related content receive improvements: faster path to Arbiter of Divinity and progressively higher rewards with a guaranteed final boss in Abyss maps.

Expeditions are introduced from Act 4 onward, featuring Expedition Tablets and the possibility of multiple Remnant and Expedition encounters within the same zone.

The Forbidden Rites mini-season centers on the Ritual mechanic, adds co-op enhancements, and guarantees boss encounters in mapped Ritual clusters leading to powerful unique drops.

The existing Runes of Aldur league continues in the background during the bonus event, allowing ongoing endgame play while the new league supports fresh starts.

The Trial of Chaos undergoes a major rework to reduce brutal modifiers, improve loot quality, and make it a more approachable path to an Ascendancy class.

Tribute earned from encounters can be exchanged for rewards, with players earning and spending Tribute individually to prevent hoarding by one player.

Mixed reactions exist, as some players skip the league, while others view it as an opportunity to try new mechanics and a melee-focused Duelist class ahead of 1.0.