After months of waiting, we finally have news about the next major update for Path of Exile 2. Patch 0.5.0, officially named Return of the Ancients, will be fully revealed on May 7th.

However, in an unexpected twist, the patch won't go live shortly after the reveal stream as usual. Instead, players will have to wait until May 29th - three weeks after the announcement. This is clearly different from the official plan, and it may have some impact on the official release of Path of Exile 2.

An Unusual Release Cycle

This marks the first time since the launch of Path of Exile 1 and 2 that a patch has arrived more than eight days after its announcement. Typically, the reveal is scheduled about a week before release, so revealing all the details on May 7th is rather uncommon.

The developers have already hinted that the core focus of Patch 0.5.0 is the endgame, claiming it will be the largest update ever.

Impact of Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred

The release date of PoE 2 Patch 0.5.0 clearly breaks the developers' earlier promise of a new league every four months. Following that schedule, the update should have started around the end of April. Instead, players are being asked to wait an extra month.

One can't help but consider whether Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, launching in late April, played a role. Although, from a player perspective, the audiences of Diablo 4 and Path of Exile don't entirely overlap - Torchlight: Infinite shares more with PoE, while Last Epoch is closer to Diablo 4 - the clash between the December release dates of Diablo 4 Season 12 and Patch 0.4.0 did have some impact on both games.

Since this is one of Diablo 4's biggest updates to date, PoE 2 team may have wanted to avoid a repeat of past scheduling conflicts (Diablo 4's Paladin class was revealed in Season 12, and the new class for Season 13 is Warlock). Delaying by a month would help stagger the releases.

Teaser Content

The first teaser trailer, only 30 seconds long, appears to show the area where the endgame boss, Arbiter of Ash, resides, as Burning Monolith rises.

Given the patch name and the teaser, Patch 0.5.0 seems to revolve around Precursors, who are deeply intertwined with the core story. Many endgame elements - Precursor Towers, Precursor Tablets, the weapon the player assembles in Act 4, even Arbiter and Flame Seed he guards - all originate from Precursors.

Until May 7th, it's hard to say exactly which endgame mechanics will be featured. However, the developers have leaked an image related to Patch 0.5.0, and that image points directly to Keepers of the Flame league from PoE 1.

The developers have previously experimented with an asynchronous trading system(allowing players to trade PoE 2 currency offline) in PoE 2 before bringing it to PoE 1, so it wouldn't be surprising to see them take designs from PoE 1 and bring them back to PoE 2. Therefore, we might speculate that Patch 0.5.0 will include a rework of Breach mechanic.

ExileCon

The third ExileCon will take place in November this year. Hosting such a large event naturally means there will be major announcements. The most likely candidate is the full 1.0 release of Path of Exile 2.

Some believe it will launch in December, about a month after the convention. Considering how packed this year's schedule already is - even if Patch 0.5.0 arrives in early May, the developers might have only one more update before needing to prepare for PoE 2 Patch 1.0 toward the end of the year. By then, the game would likely remove its access fee and become free-to-play, with a complete campaign.

This would mean the developers won't follow a steady, incremental patch cycle - they might jump directly to the official release after Patch 0.6.0.

But one thing to keep in mind is that an event like ExileCon requires planning far in advance, often 12 to 18 months. When they started preparing for it, they simply couldn't be sure whether Path of Exile 2 would be ready for a full launch by then.

After all, at the second ExileCon in 2023, they announced that early access would begin nearly a year later, in June 2024. That date was eventually pushed back twice, finally landing in December 2024.

It's very likely that when they were planning the second ExileCon, they had hoped the game would be in a more polished state, allowing them to announce a closer release date. But things didn't go as planned - development doesn't always align perfectly with expectations.

When Will 1.0 Arrive?

Patch 0.5.0 is set for May 29th, which to some extent disrupts the developers' original timeline. If version 1.0 really is targeting December, that leaves only a 6-month window - far too tight for just two updates.

If the plan is still to launch the full game this year, the team will likely pour all their efforts into developing version 1.0 from now on, ensuring it lives up to expectations as a massive content drop.

The developers will almost certainly announce a complete launch plan for Path of Exile 2 at this year's ExileCon. But the exact timing remains unclear. It could be December, or it could just as easily be planned for summer 2027, or even December 2027.

Ultimately, much will depend on how the community reacts to Patch 0.5.0. If the response is positive, they might accelerate work on the remaining campaign acts, add one or two new classes, and aim straight for a December 2026 release window. But if the reaction is lukewarm, that could disrupt the plan - and then a backup strategy would kick in.

In summary, Patch 0.5.0 is bound to affect both their original update schedule and the release timing of Patch 1.0. But for players, that's a good thing - you won't have to choose between PoE 2 and Diablo 4 anymore.

A new week has begun! However, MLB The Show 26 hasn't released any new Programs yet; so, if you want to continue making progress and earning rewards in the game through Program-oriented play, Mexico City Series Event is your best option.

In fact, this program was just launched last Friday, April 24th. If you didn't get to play much over the weekend, it's still brand new to you and the rewards are excellent.

Below, we'll provide a detailed breakdown of the program's missions and rewards, along with the best strategies for completing them.

Mexico City Series Event duration

This program went live on April 24th, but it isn't a long-term MLB 26 fixture; it is scheduled to end on April 28th or 29th (depending on your time zone). So, if you haven't unlocked all the rewards yet, now is the perfect time to make a final sprint!

What rewards can you earn?

The program features four rewards, listed here in ascending order of XP required to unlock them: Game XP, Player Cards for Michael King and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and a Deluxe - Random Pack:

• 10 XP: 10,000 Game XP
• 25 XP: Michael King
• 50 XP: Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
• 75 XP: Deluxe - Random Pack

Among these, Mexico City Michael King card is a 92 OVR Diamond card featuring three quirks: Homebody, Night Player, and Break Outlier.

If you miss the opportunity to earn him by progressing through the program, you'll have to consume at least 16,000 Stubs to acquire him later. However, if you work hard and end up earning a duplicate copy of the card, selling it on the market is also a great option.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.'s card attributes and market value are roughly on a par with Michael King's, but he boasts five Quirks: Road Warrior, First-Pitch Hitter, Breaking Ball Hitter, Bad Ball Hitter, and Night Player.

Since the amount of Program XP required is relatively low, you really shouldn't miss out on these rewards. Even if these two player cards don't appeal to you, you might just pull something even better from Deluxe Pack!

How do you earn program rewards?

In Mexico City Series Event, completing missions is the only way to earn Program XP. There are a total of seven missions available, each requiring you to play games during the program's active period to achieve specific objectives:

• Accumulate 15 Total Bases: 5 XP
• Accumulate 10 Extra-Base Hits: 10 XP
• Accumulate 15 Runs Scored: 10 XP
• Earn 5,000 Parallel XP using Legend players: 10 XP
• Earn 5,000 Parallel XP using Flashback players: 10 XP
• Accumulate 30 Hits: 15 XP
• Accumulate 5 Wins: 15 XP

A quick calculation reveals that if you complete each of these missions exactly once, you will unlock every single reward available in the program.

However, if you find a particular mission especially difficult, you also have the option to repeatedly complete the missions you excel at instead.

Other content worth noting

April Spotlight Drop is a weekly-updating mini-series program introduced in MLB The Show 26 this April. The latest installment, April Spotlight Drop 4, launched on the very same day as Mexico City Series Event.

While these programs typically run for a standard seven-day duration, April consists of only 30 days; consequently, you have just six days to participate in this specific installment.

April Spotlight Drop 4 offers six distinct rewards, including 2,500 XP, three player cards, and two themed packs; however, the overall value of these rewards is not quite as high as that of Mexico City Series Event.

Fortunately, there are more ways to earn Program XP in April Spotlight Drop 4, and some of its missions overlap with those of Mexico City Series Event, allowing you to make progress in both simultaneously.

Nevertheless, if your time is truly limited, and you can realistically only focus on one program in the short term, we still recommend prioritizing Mexico City Series Event.

Which players is the program system best suited for?

Theoretically, programs are an integral part of MLB The Show 26 Diamond Dynasty mode. However, as illustrated by our breakdown of the specific programs above, the method by which you complete them often depends heavily on your level of engagement in other game modes.

Therefore, generally speaking, these programs are best suited for MLB The Show 26 players who have ample free time and possess strong organizational and planning skills. Such players can strategically tackle both long-term and short-term programs in tandem to maximize their overall rewards.

Conversely, if you lack the necessary time, you simply won't be able to complete most of the limited-time programs; and if you struggle with planning, you may find yourself expending a great deal of effort for very little return.

Of course, if you aren't concerned about rewards and simply enjoy occasionally hopping into MLB 26 to have some fun with virtual baseball, then feel free to play however you like!

As we head into May, we can expect the launch of more new programs and other mini-series. If you're interested, now is the time to focus on honing your skills so you can complete those missions and earn XP even faster when the time comes! Good luck!