PoE 2’s new Rogue Exile NPCs fight like players—and they’ll probably beat you

Path of Exile 2‘s deadliest combatants might not be the bosses you’re facing, but the foes that come to third-party you. With the Dawn of the Hunt update, Rogue Exiles can appear in your maps. These ruthless NPCs act just like players—dodge-rolling and shiny Uniques included.

These new NPCs have one of the most complicated AIs in PoE 2 so far, according to game director Jonathan Rogers. They have access to the same tools as the players, and fighting a Rogue Exile might be the closest to PvP in the game for now.

If you face one of those foes, the name of any noteworthy gear they have will appear under their health bar. It might be an early tell about their behavior, or it might just be the promise of shiny loot.

These coveted items aren’t just for show. The team at Grinding Gear Games programmed specific AIs for different Uniques, so expect these enemies to wield those items deftly. Their loot is yours if you beat the Rogue Exile—but if you fall by their hand, they’ll teleport out and take any gear with them.

The addition of Rogue Exiles comes in tandem with the changes to the endgame, where players can now respawn up to six times per map depending on their Waystones. With Dawn of the Hunt, dying won’t end a map early, but the team wanted to maintain the cost of losing to a Rogue Exile and add to the danger of those enemies. In a map, you only have one shot against them, and it ends when one of you dies.

Dying to a Rogue Exile won’t instantly end your map, but players using higher-tier Waystones have fewer respawns. In those cases, finding one of those deadly combatants can be the end of your run—or you can go back through the portal with high-quality loot in hand.

Each of the 12 Rogue Exiles has its own personality and build. If you see a familiar name, they may fight somewhat similarly to last time, though different gear could change how they behave. You can find them once Dawn of the Hunt releases at 2pm CT on April 4.