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<p>Return of the Ancients looks like the kind of Path of Exile 2 patch that makes people rebuild their plans overnight. The 0.5 update isn't just adding a few numbers to old gear. It's pushing new ways to play, especially with grenade launcher crossbows, Kalguuran rune tuning, and uniques that behave more like build engines than simple drops. Players already watching the market for POE 2 Items will want to pay close attention, because Nightfall and Redemption could shape early endgame prices fast.</p><p>Nightfall Turns Blocking Into Movement</p><p>Nightfall is tied to Tul and brings a strange, very tempting shield skill called Soaring Midnight. You throw the shield first. Cast again, and you blink to it with a heavy slam. If you don't recast, the shield comes back on its own. That sounds simple, but the clever part is the cooldown. Catching the returning shield, breaking Frost Wall crystals, or forcing certain return interactions can refresh the slam. So you're not just standing there with a shield up. You're moving, aiming, catching, and crashing into packs. It has projectile, melee, and area tags too, which means scaling can get messy in a good way.</p><p>Why Frost Wall May Become The Key Setup</p><p>The build people keep coming back to is the Frost Wall version. You drop the wall, throw Nightfall through it, smash the crystals, and use the reset to slam again. It's a little busy, sure, but PoE players love busy when the payoff is worth it. Projectile speed matters more than it first appears, since it affects how far and how quickly the shield travels. Area investment makes the slam feel better in dense maps, while cold support choices can add control and damage. The downside is obvious: if your timing is sloppy, the build loses rhythm. It'll reward practice more than passive button-mashing.</p><p>Redemption Brings Real Grenade Gameplay</p><p>Redemption is aimed at players who want the Mercenary to feel like a walking artillery crew. It uses the new grenade launcher base, not the older crossbow style, and its big trick is Explosive Fervour. After enough grenade skill uses, the weapon enters a burst state where cooldowns fall away and attack speed jumps hard. That opens a short window where you can pour out grenades without the usual pacing. Fire Grenades, Cluster Grenades, utility grenades, then the biggest damage skill once the buff is active. It's not subtle, and it probably won't be cheap to run either. Mana costs may become the real boss fight.</p><p>Rare Launchers Still Matter</p><p>One thing worth remembering is that Redemption won't be the whole story. Rare grenade launchers can roll specialised explosive modifiers, and that gives crafters room to work. Some players will chase boss damage. Others will build safer mapping tools or cheaper league starters before moving into a unique. That's healthy for the meta, because it means grenade builds don't live or die by one drop. Nightfall has the same kind of appeal from another angle: it gives defensive characters a reason to play aggressively without giving up the shield slot. Both items should create more build variety, not less.</p><p>What Players Should Watch First</p><p>Nightfall is expected from Tul-related Breach content, so high-density maps and Breach-focused Atlas choices should matter early. Redemption's source is less clear, but Trarthan content, pinnacle bosses, and high-tier mapping all look like sensible places to prepare for. If these uniques land as strongly as they look on paper, prices will spike while players test real builds instead of theorycrafting in spreadsheets. Anyone planning around cheap POE 2 Items should keep some flexibility, because the best purchase in week one may not be the obvious chase unique, but the support gear that makes it actually work.</p><p>U4GM keeps PoE 2 players tuned in with practical tips, fair market updates, and gear talk for Return of the Ancients. Check <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="text-blue-600 underline" href="https://www.u4gm.com/path-of-exile-2/item">https://www.u4gm.com/path-of-exile-2/item</a> for Path of Exile 2 items, then plan smarter around Nightfall, Redemption, grenade builds, Breach farming, and endgame upgrades without wasting your grind.</p>