Lord of Hatred has made Sanctuary busier, stranger, and far more interesting, with War Plans, Talismans, Seals, the Horadric Cube, and enough build drama to keep the forums sounding like a cursed town hall meeting.
But ARPG momentum is never safe for long. On May 29, Path of Exile 2 launches Return of the Ancients, a major 0.5.0 update built around a large endgame overhaul. For Diablo readers, that matters for one simple reason: the loot war is getting noisy again.
PoE2 Is Coming for the Endgame Conversation
Grinding Gear Games says Return of the Ancients launches at 1PM PDT on May 29 across supported platforms, alongside the new Runes of Aldur league. The update also brings a fresh economy, new league-specific mechanics, rewards, bosses, and a reset Atlas for Standard Early Access players.
That is not just “new patch, new numbers.” It is a direct attempt to fix the part of Path of Exile 2 that has always mattered most: what happens after the campaign stops holding your hand and the map starts looking like a cursed airport diagram.
According to PC Gamer’s preview, the update restructures PoE2’s post-campaign grind with new endgame questlines, boss fights, a reworked Atlas passive tree, league mechanic regions, and clearer long-term goals.
That Should Sound Familiar to Diablo Players
This is exactly where Diablo 4 has been trying to improve.
Lord of Hatred has made Diablo’s endgame feel more directed. War Plans give players routing. The Horadric Cube gives gear more manipulation. Talismans and Charms give builds more texture. It is still messy, occasionally cursed, and sometimes held together with forum complaints and emergency hotfixes — but it has shape now.
That is why PoE2’s update matters. It is not just adding more monsters to hit with increasingly unethical math. It is attacking the same problem Diablo 4 has been working on: how do you make the endgame feel structured without making it feel like homework?
Diablo Has Accessibility. PoE Has Depth.
The rivalry remains brutally clear. Diablo 4 is easier to read, easier to jump into, and better at letting players feel powerful without demanding a minor in passive-tree theology.
Path of Exile 2, on the other hand, wins when players want depth, friction, theorycrafting, and the kind of endgame systems that look like they were assembled by a brilliant wizard who hates free time.
If Return of the Ancients lands well, it could pull hardcore ARPG attention right as Diablo 4 is trying to prove Lord of Hatred was not just a temporary glow-up.
The ARPG Fight Is Good for Everyone
The best part? Diablo does not need PoE2 to fail. It needs PoE2 to push it.
Strong competition is how ARPGs get sharper. Diablo 4 has the name, the polish, and the broader audience. Path of Exile 2 has the systems hunger and the hardcore crowd. Both are now fighting over the same holy grail: an endgame that players want to live in for hundreds of hours without quietly becoming furniture.
So yes, Diablo 4’s Lord of Hatred honeymoon has been real. But on May 29, another endgame monster enters the room.
And this one is not from Hell. It is from Wraeclast.
