Grinding Gear Games is going to expand Path of Exile 2’s Early Access version with new content, a few months after its launch.

Here’s what you need to know about Path of Exile 2’s Dawn of the Hunt update, so brace yourself. It’s a huge content drop.

New Class: The Huntress

The Huntress is a spear-wielding class that can switch between melee and ranged attacks. She has a ton of skills that alternate between both, making it fun to enter and exit melee range with the appropriate attacks. Choice attacks include Whirling Slash; performing it will summon a whirlwind circle that blinds enemies, and explodes for damage when you exit it. She can also parry attacks with a buckler in her off-hand equip. She even has elemental spear throw attacks that come in various flavours, making her quite a versatile fighter looking for a hybrid ranged/melee class.

Moreover, she can also tame certain beasts and have them fight at her side. You can only have one companion accompanying the Huntress though.

New Ascension Classes

Just like any major update, PoE 2 will feature new Ascension classes for both the Huntress and existing classes in the launch version. The Ritualist is a Huntress Ascension class that uses ritual sacrifices on slain enemies for buffs (via the As the Whispers Ask skill), and uses plagues like Blood Boil for effective damage-over-time effects that spread like contagion.

The Amazon is another Huntress Ascension class that gives you special buffs against Rare and Unique enemies, as well as boons to your Critical Hit Chance (via the Critical Strike passive skill). Both these Ascension classes sound great, though I’m more of a traditionalist and just go for the Amazon for raw damage, especially against PoE 2’s boss count that’s higher than usual.

Three of the existing classes will get new Ascendancy classes. The Smith of Kitava (Warrior Ascendancy class) lets you Temper Weapon for Fire and Explosion-infused attacks, or even add your own bonuses and modifiers for your armour on the fly.

The Tactician is a Mercenary Ascendancy class that uses literal support fire to hamper enemies. These include Suppressing Fire which builds Pin for your projectile attacks, and Right Where We Want Them skill which makes pinned enemies unable to perform actions. He also has co-op skills to buff his allies if you plan on going in with a party.

The Lich is a Witch Ascendancy class that turns you into an undead sorceress with curse and necromancy skills up the wazoo. She can also sacrifice her life to buff up her Energy Shield, or use skills like Crystalline Phylactery to give part of your soul to a skill slot jewel to amplify its bonuses. The price? Your mana cost will shoot up by 50% if you have no Energy Shield.

100+ New Unique Items & Support Gems

Like with any action RPG, Path of Exile 2 has a ton of loot to farm for and support gems to amplify your playstyle further. The new update will add in even more, along with the game’s first-ever Unique Charm. Check out some of items here on this separate feature.

You Get To Ride A Rhoa Mount

For the first time in Path of Exile history, you get a mount. And it’s a gritty Rhoa bird that’s pretty fast.

Dawn Of The Hunt’s League Mechanic: The Azmerian Wisps

Just like with the previous game, Path of Exile 2 will have League play with new gameplay mechanics. In PoE 2’s first update, players will get to follow new creatures called the Azmerian Wisps that will empower enemies and bosses, but at the same time up the loot drops tenfold. Basically throughout the campaign’s stages, you’ll come across an Azmerian Wisp. Touch it to let it go a set path, empowering enemies along the way with buffs and modifiers. When it reaches the end of its destination, it’ll set itself onto an Elite or Boss-type enemy. Kill it to gain your rewards and additional experience, as well as new mods to add to your weapons.

New Atlas Endgame Content

The endgame for PoE 2 is boosted further, as there are now seven additional maps to play on including the Azmerian Ranges and the Pharaoh’s Megalith. The latter has its own new mechanic: you power up Runed Monoliths littered throughout the map. As you reach the end called the Grand Henge, you can start an encounter that triggers a wave of bosses; up to ten. Each of them get more difficult with each increment, but if you get through all of them, you get exclusive rewards not found elsewhere.

Speaking of bosses, you also get to fight Rogue Exiles: these enemies are basically corrupted versions of the base classes, each with their own AI and attack patterns and builds. Think of these fights like a player-versus-player match, but the winner runs off with a Unique item.

Also, the Atlas Skills tree is getting 10 new skills, further buffing you if you’re in it for the long haul. Strongboxes are also present and for unlocking, provided you can defeat the challenges stated on its description. Some will summon 30 waves of enemies, while others will summon and revive a boss monster a few times, each with a new modifier.

The Atlas Map endgame also has a few quality-of-life updates: you can respawn and return to a map when you die, continuing from where you left off. You get 6 total attempts per map. If you add more Waystones to a map, the number of respawn attempts decrease.

Path of Exile 2: Dawn Of The Hunt will be out on 5th April 3am GMT+8.