Path of Exile 2 Runes of Aldur Guide: What Changed in Return of the Ancients

Return of the Ancients is the Path of Exile 2 0.5.0 season update and the start of the Runes of Aldur league. For players coming back after a break, the important point is simple: this is not just a new reward layer. The season changes how early league progression, farming choices, build planning, and endgame routing should be approached.

The headline mechanic is Runes of Aldur. Public guides describe a route that begins around early campaign encounters and grows into deeper expedition-style objectives, Grand Expeditions, crafting decisions, and pinnacle goals. That means the best plan is not only "rush maps and buy gear". You want to understand which parts of your character are league-ready, which runes or crafting outcomes matter for your build, and whether your current damage/defenses can handle the content you want to farm.

What Runes of Aldur changes for players

Runes of Aldur adds seasonal progression that can affect both power and planning. Players should expect new resources, new crafting decisions, and new reasons to revisit gear assumptions from older build guides. Even if a build looked stable before patch 0.5.0, rune interactions and endgame changes can shift which upgrades are actually worth paying for first.

For league start, the safest approach is to separate three questions:

• Can your current character clear the seasonal encounters comfortably?
• Are your resistances, recovery, and movement good enough for longer farming sessions?
• Do you know which upgrades are mandatory for your target build and which are luxury items?

That matters because early season prices move quickly. A currency pack, rare item order, build kit, or farming service should be matched to a concrete goal instead of a vague idea like "make my character stronger".

Early progression checklist

Before pushing hard into seasonal content, players should prepare a small checklist. First, decide whether you are playing the current Runes of Aldur league or Standard. Second, define your target activity: campaign completion, atlas setup, farming, boss access, build completion, or direct currency delivery. Third, collect practical details before ordering help: character name, league, realm, current progress, build link, and any access requirements.

For farming services, the most useful notes are your current map/atlas state, preferred farming target, online window, and whether the booster should focus on currency, waystones, boss fragments, or a custom objective. For boss services, specify which boss is unlocked, whether you need a carry or completion help, and whether you are in Softcore or Hardcore.

How this connects to Imperial Boost orders

For the Path of Exile 2 game page, the strongest internal route is simple: send readers from this guide to the game page, then to the service that matches their situation. Players who are still deciding can use Custom Farming Session. Players who need quick tradeable resources can use Currency Packs. Players with specific boss walls can use Boss Kills. Players copying a new build should use Build Check before buying a full setup.

This season is especially suited to build review content because older guides can become partially outdated after patch 0.5.0. If a player wants a custom build order, ask for a planner or build link. For example, a Mobalytics build URL like https://mobalytics.gg/poe-2/builds/coc-spark-comet-recoup-infernalist-by-ignatius gives the manager a clear reference for skills, gear priorities, and the intended playstyle.

Editorial angle

This article should stay helpful and concrete. Avoid claiming a single best farm while the economy is still moving. Instead, explain how to choose a route, what information the player should prepare, and when it makes sense to order farming, currency, bosses, or build help. Update the article after the first week with live price/market notes and the most common support questions from order chats.