Patch 0.4.0 for Path of Exile 2 changes the pace of the whole campaign, and if you want to be in maps while everyone else is still fumbling with keybinds, you have to lean into it instead of playing like it is PoE 1, especially when it comes to experience gains and even how you think about PoE 2 Currency. The game really punishes people who ignore zone levels. Before level 40, if you drop more than four levels under the monsters, your XP just dries up. You can feel it right away: kills look fine, bar barely moves. So keep glancing at the waypoint level, and if you are behind, swallow your pride and loop a dense area for a bit. It feels like a detour, but staying inside that sweet spot saves a chunk of time later when others are stuck grinding dead zones with a heavy penalty.

Leveling Pace And XP Tricks

Once you have run the campaign a few times, you start to notice where people waste time. A lot of players rush story bosses and ignore blue packs, which is the exact opposite of what you want. Blue monsters are walking XP jackpots; whites are just there to keep the map from feeling empty. I usually skim through areas, beeline to every blue pack I see, and only stop for rares that look quick to kill. On top of that, the permanent bonuses in each act matter more than people think. In Act 1, Beira in Clearfell gives you a flat +10% cold res for good. That is not just a nice-to-have; it lets you be a bit lazier with gear and still tank cold hits later. Skipping that to “save time” often just means dying more in the next act.

Gear, Gold And The Druid Start

Gear-wise, it is all about speed in the early acts. You are not building a tank yet, you are trying to erase screens before they react. I dump my early gold into weapons and a couple of high-impact slots instead of random armour pieces. Every time I level, I check vendors for better crossbows, wands or whatever my build uses, and cheap damage rings. Blacksmith’s Whetstones go straight onto weapons; the quality bump pushes skills like Escape Shot into a different tier for very little cost. Artificer’s Orbs are the exact opposite: I treat them like they are rare drops. Since they refund shards, I only use them on stuff that will last, like a good belt or amulet that will ride with me into the higher acts. If you are trying the new Druid, you will see pretty fast that Wolf form’s leap is the backbone of your clear speed, so getting even a modest movement roll on boots makes the whole build feel smoother.

Routing Through Acts And New Boss Stops

The route through the acts has shifted a bit with this patch, and small decisions add up. In Act 2, you really want to swing through the Valley of Titans for that extra charm slot; in 0.4.0 that slot is a big damage and utility boost rather than a tiny bonus. Later on, in Acts 3 and 4, you are basically juggling resist caps and timing your power spikes. Picking up the +10% fire res from Blackjaw gives you some room to stay aggressive while the story piles on more fire damage. In Act 4, I tend to clear islands from the lowest level upward to keep XP efficient and avoid those awkward under-leveled stretches. Journey’s End is now a key stop because Omniphobia drops two weapon set points, which is huge if you like swapping between clear and bossing setups without scuffed keybinds.

Passive Tree, Links And Crafting Power Spikes

On the passive tree, do not overthink the endgame version during the campaign. Early on, flat damage and attack speed nodes around the Warrior-style clusters do a ton of work, and you can always pivot into crit or defence around level 65 when you have enough refund points and the build actually comes online. One trick that still feels busted is grabbing any 4–6 linked item you can and throwing an Exalt at it. When it hits a decent mod, the jump in power is crazy and will carry you through the rougher Vaal encounters with room to spare. If your drops are awful and the whole thing stalls, you can lean on trading or sites that sell things like poe2 currency buy, but for most players, careful vendor gambling, unlocking your hideout quickly, and getting those early crafting benches is enough to keep the run moving and make the new shapeshifting builds feel way more fun than they have any right to be.