Path of Exile 2 patch 0.5.2 brings Delirium nerfs, new catalysts, and endgame tweaks

Grinding Gear Games dropped Path of Exile 2 patch 0.5.2, targeting endgame navigation, Delirium difficulty, and Runes of Aldur reward quality. It's a broad balance pass rather than a single headline change.

On the endgame side, a new On the Wind Keystone Atlas Passive lets you pick between two Azmeri Spirits options — 50% increased Movement Speed, or stopping them from dematerialising when no players are nearby. The Partial Translations Atlas Master option is redesigned: instead of a flat 20% chance at double Tablet modifier effect, it now randomly grants between 0 and 40% increased effect. Mortuary Map, only accessible via the Unexpected Missions Jado Atlas Master option, now lets you replace a Limb at the end of the Map Boss fight, the same mechanic used in Atziri's Temple. Two new catalysts arrive — Necrotic Catalyst and Refined Necrotic Catalyst — both adding quality that enhances Minion modifiers on rings and amulets, available through the Genesis Tree. Controller players get a quick-action menu on the Endgame Map via press-hold X/Square.

Delirium gets a meaningful difficulty cut. Unique enemies in the Fog lose half their Toughness, and Normal, Magic, and Rare enemies in the Fog take half the Increased Damage they previously gained. Delirium Shards on the Bar now spawn exactly at the correct depth instead of slightly early, and they're placed better to avoid landing directly on the player. Mirror Shards from depth targets no longer persist after a Delirium encounter ends.

Runes of Aldur sees the biggest structural changes. Remnant Encounter rewards in Tier 14-plus maps are significantly improved — many 3-slot runic inscriptions no longer appear at those tiers, with reduced chances starting from Tier 10. Runefather's Alloy and Runebinder's Alloy now drop as 8-slot runic inscription rewards. Bond Rune is rebalanced to spawn fewer Rare Monsters overall but ramp up their modifier count per wave. Prismatic Rune loses Always Shocks and has its monster resistance bonus reduced, but gains Flammability and Ignite Magnitude for monsters. Every ocean section revealed by an Expedition Logbook now guarantees at least one Grand Expedition.