Path of Exile 2 patch 0.5.3 overhauls endgame and Delirium systems

Grinding Gear Games dropped Path of Exile 2 patch 0.5.3, a broad endgame update touching Runes of Aldur, map progression, and Delirium — all aimed at making investment feel more rewarding and giving risk-versus-reward decisions more weight.

Grand Expeditions got a significant rework: Remnant counts now scale with Waystone Tier, peaking at Tier 15+ maps. Basic weapon and armour chests are gone, replaced by an abundance of Currency, Unique Item, and Waystone chests, plus new mysterious chests and trinket chests that both roll with a very high Rarity bonus. The Explosives limit drops from 20 to 15, making each placement more meaningful. Styrn, Fallen Knight of Aldur, now always drops an Expedition Logbook. Runic Modifiers granted by Runic Inscriptions have been roughly doubled in most cases — and significantly more in others. Transcendent Alloy works on Foci and Wands again, giving the same effects as on Staves but at lower values. Runeforging high-level non-Unique Armour now costs about 20% less defence, Runic Ward gain stays the same, and existing items update automatically.

On the broader endgame side, previously attempted maps now also carry a 50% Experience penalty on top of the existing reduced Item Rewards. The Crux of Nothingness maze now has Followers of the King in the Mists hunting players as they try to escape. In Delirium, Simulacrums now start at 100% Delirious and scale to 200% — this was always supposed to work from 0% to 100%, but was completely broken. Simulacrum Maps no longer spawn the moment you spread Delirium fog on the Atlas; they now appear when the fog bank hits 100% Deliriousness. Atlas maps covered in fog also now show their special Mirror Shards on the Delirium Progress bar with a player distance indicator — purely visual.

The Notable Delirium Passive "You can't just wake up from this one" now also grants Simulacrums spawn Shards between Waves, and adds a single-pick choice between three options: Escalating Threats adds an extra modifier with added danger and reward, Apex Predators adds an extra boss, and Pure Emotions adds more monster packs. The patch also includes performance improvements to the Fragments of the Past mortar explosion effect and reduced blur on that effect.