Path of Exile 2 has been a madhouse since patch 0.4.0 landed, and if you logged in right when the servers opened, you probably felt that wave of excitement the moment the new Druid class came alive on screen. It only takes a few fights to notice how fast you switch between forms, especially once you start experimenting with Talismans, and grabbing the right PoE 2 Items early on makes that flow even smoother. One second you are casting roots to pin a pack down, and the next you are roaring in as a Bear or gliding above the action as a Wyvern. The game just feels quicker now, not only because of the form swapping but also because the performance boost finally gives the combat the snap it always needed.

Early Progress and Gear Priorities

During the first hour, most players rush so hard that they forget how much power sits in basic gear choices. If you are pushing the league start, it is worth taking a short detour to farm the Mud Flats or reset vendors until you find a Bear or Wolf Talisman base. These things scale your damage way more than people expect at low levels. Uno’s flasks help a ton too, especially when you are sitting at a few hundred life and everything in Act 1 hits harder than you remember. Players often ignore energy shield pieces early on, but grabbing a helmet with a decent ES roll feels surprisingly good when you get pinned in tight areas.

The Builds Players Are Leaning Toward

Right now, most players seem to be drifting toward Bear Slam Shaman as their comfort pick. It is simple, sturdy and gives you that feeling of momentum as your Rage stacks climb. Maul builds the Rage, Rampage clears packs and Furious Slam crushes bosses without asking much from your gear. If you are more into mobility and timing your hits, the Frost Wolf Oracle path has its fans too. Tagging enemies with Pounce and letting your spirits tear through them can be fun, but it has a bit more risk when you are undergeared or playing on your own.

Working the League Mechanic

Fate of the Vaal pushes you to think ahead in a way that the campaign usually does not. Each ruin you open shapes the next few rooms, so your choices matter more than you expect during the first playthrough. If you hit a Sacrifice room early, it is usually worth diving in because the unique drops can save you a lot of crafting currency later. Some players like farming for hours before moving on, but others prefer gearing up fast through trades or by picking up cheap PoE 2 Items when they just want to get their build rolling without losing half a day to bad drops.