A month into Patch 0.4.0 for Path of Exile 2, the vibe is pretty clear: some builds didn't just get "balanced," they got left behind. You log in, run a couple maps, and that old rhythm is gone. If you're already thinking about respecs, gear swaps, or even stocking up on PoE 2 Currency to salvage a character, yeah, you're not the only one feeling it.

1) Hollow Palm and why it feels awful now

Hollow Palm is the one that hurts the most, because the whole point was speed. Not "kinda fast," but absurdly fast. Patch 0.4.0 took that identity and sanded it down. Charge Regulation losing the "more" attack speed is a big deal, because that multiplier is what made the build scale like crazy. On top of that, rune limitations mean you can't patch the gaps the same way anymore. You'll notice it right away: attacks don't chain smoothly, your clears slow down, and even basic pacing feels clunky instead of snappy.

2) Life stacking, Blood Leech, and the end of easy immortality

Next up is the Life Stacking Blood Leech setup. It used to be the kind of thing people whispered about in chat like it was some forbidden tech. Stack enough, and you were sitting on a life pool that just didn't feel fair. Now there's a hard cap on that life stacking talent, and regeneration got reshaped in a way that breaks the old math. If you were leaning on Rathpith-style synergy to turn that tankiness into power, it doesn't land the same. You can still play it, sure, but it's not the "turn brain off and never die" package anymore.

3) Movement melee problems and the Deadeye drop

Mobile melee got hit in a quieter way, but you feel it every second. Losing movement mitigation tools, plus weaker boot rune value and missing chest options, turns Whirlwind-style builds into a slog. It's like your character's boots are stuck in wet sand. Deadeye Bow also took a rough fall: Tailwind stacks giving tiny skill speed is whatever, but losing the damage reduction is the real issue. You can't stand in anything, can't trade hits, and the damage doesn't compensate unless your gear is already cracked. Crossbow Multishot and Twister Rolling suffer too, mostly because global attack speed nerfs mess with the "smooth loop" those builds need.

4) Bleed, Invoker, and what players are doing instead

Bleed didn't get deleted, it just got ignored while elemental and crit setups sprinted ahead. So it feels like you're working twice as hard for the same results, especially on bosses. Minion Invoker is in a similar spot: mapping is fine, but the Unbound Avatar nerf guts that punchy burst window people built around. A lot of players are reacting the same way: pivoting toward faster-scaling elemental cores, or just rolling something that doesn't rely on one big gimmick. And if you do decide to reroll, it helps to plan ahead—whether that means stashing leveling gear, or lining up resources like poe2 gold buy so the transition doesn't feel like starting from nothing.