Breach is getting nerfed in Path of Exile 2 Dawn of The Hunt, GGG confirms

In the entirety of Path of Exile 2's Early Access period so far, Breach has been the most desirable endgame mechanic. One could argue it's too popular, to the point where other mechanics seem leagues behind. In terms of map-juicing, running Breaches right now is a mandatory factory setting to get value out of your Waystones.

Patch 0.2.0, otherwise titled Path of Exile 2 Dawn of The Hunt, finally has a chance to do sweeping balance passes with an economy reset. Naturally, as some players may have expected, GGG will take this opportunity to bring the nerf-hammer to the Breach.

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Breach was not originally intended to be the loot-blender it is in Path of Exile 2

GGG thinks Breaches are overtuned (Image via GGG)

Breach is among the more straightforward but effective endgame mechanics in Path of Exile 2. You find a giant purple hand sticking out of the ground, you click on it to open a rift to the Breach-dimension, and a swarm of monsters start charging at you.

By default, Breach is actually the occasion for the highest monster density in Path of Exile 2. It is the ultimatum of an ARPG power fantasy to mow through swarms of monsters, dozens at a time, and see your map fill up with loot particles.

Other than a neurone-activation trigger for the average ARPG player like myself, this de facto swarm mode is also the most rewarding in terms of dropping crafting currencies and general loot. Breach at its pre-0.2.0 form is the perfect win-win condition — but you do need the right build for it.

The developers "certainly wouldn't want to remove" Breach, admitting that it's inherently fun to fight the swarm. However, there have been indeed some balance changes to it, as Game Director Mark Roberts mentioned in a Q&A session after the Dawn of The Hunt content reveal this Thursday:

"I mean... it was spawning too many monsters. Lets just say that, without a doubt. Currently on PoE2, it's just too out of control. It needs to chill."

The balance issue is not that Breach is too rewarding; it's just how easily the meta allows for busted builds that can exploit it. The original idea for Breach was a gruelling back-against-the-wall struggle to survive the swarm rather than a lucrative opportunity for loot-goblins to cash in. Mark Roberts went on to explain this dynamic, saying:

"It was a little bit of an assumption to make where this was like, wow, you'll get overwhelmed by monsters, and it's a matter of survive as long as you can. And then, of course, because you get self-propagating Herald builds... The power of the characters kind of distorted the League balance in a way where it's like, we'll have to, you know, make some changes. So yes. It's coming down a bit."

For now, we don't have any specifics other than it's "coming down a bit". We'll only get the details when the patch notes drop next week (sometime after March 30).

The developers have signaled that it's a nerf-fest, and many builds are getting nerfed. Take the aforementioned "Herald builds," for example. Herald effects no longer self-propagate, so the Herald of Ice and Thunder combo will no longer be a thing.

Check out more on Path of Exile 2 Dawn of The Hunt:

• PoE2 Huntress class: Overview, Skills, and Ascendancies
• All new Crafting options in Path of Exile 2 Dawn of The Hunt
• All new Ascendancies in Path of Exile 2 Dawn of the Hunt
• Every new League mechanic in Path of Exile 2 Dawn of the Hunt (0.2.0)