Path of Exile 2 has clawed its way back into the rankings after a nearly three-month hiatus. The break was long, but it made a rather emphatic statement by snagging 15th place, showcasing a formidable upward trajectory. With this resurgence, Path of Exile 2 has now officially outpaced both its direct competitors, the Diablo siblings. Portal search volume, PC bang playtime, and personal broadcast viewership have all skyrocketed, indicating an explosive surge in both domestic and international interest.

The driving force behind this climb originates from the new expansion, 'Ancient Return', which launched on May 30th. The most significant overhaul is to the endgame (Atlas) itself. Where the previous endgame felt bogged down by repetitive combat, it now guides players through story-driven exploration of colossal fortresses to reach the ultimate boss. Furthermore, the Atlas passive tree has been revamped, allowing for strategic play by combining various mechanics while earning rewards.

One of the key reasons Path of Exile 2 struggled was the aforementioned endgame issue. Even after pushing through the more difficult acts compared to its predecessor, the repetitive combat continued into the endgame, making it hard to set specific goals. The addition of a guide-like progression system and supplementary challenges to provide a sense of accomplishment has proven effective. Coupled with the new 'Aldur's Rune' league content, a free-to-play period until June 2nd, and a hefty 50% discount, the game has seen a rapid ascent.

Grinding Gear Games announced during a broadcast on May 8th that Path of Exile 2 will transition to a full release by the end of this year. With the foundational elements of the endgame content, which was previously a point of concern, now firmly in place, we can anticipate performance akin to its post-early access state, especially with the addition of new acts and further content.

Aion, which soared an impressive 10 spots last week, has fallen back to its original position in just seven days. This week, it's down 9 places to 26th. Aion had previously captured players' attention with its remake update, highlighted by a complete class overhaul, and the opening of the new server 'Deva' supporting auto-play. However, a significant drop in major metrics this week, particularly search volume, indicates it failed to maintain its momentum.

A common point of frustration for many users regarding the Deva server is the auto-play functionality, which still requires characters to manually pick up dropped items, proving somewhat inconvenient. Additionally, there are concerns that the instance dungeons only support auto-matching, making it difficult to play with friends who have formed a party. NC is currently operating a dedicated forum on the Deva server to gather user feedback. The crucial factor now is whether they can swiftly address these issues based on the collected feedback.

In the mid-tier rankings, the Diablo siblings experienced divergent fortunes. Diablo 2 climbed 3 spots to 17th following the launch of its new season on the 23rd, while Diablo 4 dropped 7 places to 23rd. Diablo 4 saw a decrease in PC bang usage this week; the intense focus on Diablo 2 and Path of Exile 2 appears to have led to some player attrition, impacting its ranking.

Several Netmarble titles have entered the lower ranks. Leading the charge is the new MMORPG 'Sol: Enchant', set for release on June 18th, alongside Raven 2 and Seven Knights Re:Birth. While Netmarble is betting on a high volume of releases again this year, its new titles launched in the first half have struggled with player retention. With Sol: Enchant's imminent arrival, the company needs to shift the narrative by leveraging existing titles bolstered by major updates.