Quick Answer
Guildrun Pollen Fae's Kiss is the current Poison-focused Pollen specialization. Demo 0.5.6 changed Sanctuary of Bloom's Poison Mana Regen scaling from one Poison per eight Mana Regen to one per five. The developer said Fae's Kiss had struggled compared with Pollen's other specializations when played on the board, while remaining a strong late-game Backup option.
Choose Fae's Kiss when the run can supply Mana Regen and protect Pollen long enough for Sanctuary of Bloom to tick. Do not treat the patch buff as proof that it is always the best Pollen route; the official note is specifically about improving its relative performance.
The Confirmed 0.5.6 Change
The important number on this page is the Poison scaling interval. The official patch changes it from 1 per 8 Mana Regen to 1 per 5 Mana Regen. That makes each point of relevant Mana Regen more valuable for the Poison portion of Sanctuary of Bloom, but the full current tooltip, base Poison, field duration, and other rank effects are To be confirmed unless checked in-game.
This is why the page separates confirmed facts from build advice. A reader can safely use the patch change to understand why Fae's Kiss deserves another test. They should not infer an exact damage breakpoint or claim a guaranteed Endless placement from that single change.
Sanctuary of Bloom
Sanctuary of Bloom creates the space in which Fae's Kiss matters. The field's value is delayed and repeated, so Pollen needs time, safe positioning, and allies who can benefit from the field rather than immediately leaving it. When the field is interrupted or the fight ends before enough ticks, the specialization's Poison investment is less efficient.
The official public notes do not provide a complete tool-tip table. Keep any additional Poison, Shield, heal, Stall, and Magic values To be confirmed until they are observed in the current demo. This page can still answer the player's core question: Fae's Kiss is the Poison-scaling choice, and the current buff improves how Mana Regen feeds that plan.
Mana Regen and Team Shape
Mana Regen is the clearest priority because it is named directly in the patch. It can help Sanctuary of Bloom reach its active cycle more often and now improves the Poison scaling more efficiently. Exact item combinations are not official in the patch notes, so choose a source-backed Mana Regen or survival option only when it also helps the current board.
Fae's Kiss wants a team that gains from time. A durable frontline, a carry that can finish enemies after Poison has accumulated, and a relic that reinforces status pressure make the route more coherent. The Pollen hero page covers the broader team job, while the Guildrun relics guide explains how to evaluate status and economy choices without a fixed list.
On-Board or Backup
The developer note explicitly says Fae's Kiss can remain strong as a late-game Backup option. That matters because an on-board support hero and a Backup hero solve different problems. On board, Pollen needs to stay safe and let the field influence the current fight; as Backup, the route may provide value without taking a combat slot, but the exact Backup behavior should be verified in the live tooltip.
Use on-board Fae's Kiss when the team needs Poison now and can protect the field. Consider Backup when the frontline and main carry are already working and Pollen's delayed Poison can improve the later part of the run. Do not claim a universal placement rule; the precise value is To be confirmed by the current board and mode.
Red Rift and Endless
The official 0.5.6 notes do not publish separate Fae's Kiss rankings for Red Rift and Endless. The patch framing does suggest a direction: the route needed help as an on-board option but retains late-game Backup value. In Red Rift, test early survival and whether the field creates enough pressure before the next boss; in Endless, test the longer scaling window and repeated Poison value.
If the run is losing to immediate burst, adding a delayed Poison route is unlikely to solve the root problem. If the run survives but cannot scale, Fae's Kiss becomes more attractive. This is editorial advice based on the confirmed timing model, not an official ranking.
What Is Still To Be Confirmed
The current public official sources do not list every Pollen rank effect, all event choices that can support her, or exact item breakpoints. Those details should be filled only from a current game capture or a later official source. Until then, keep them labelled To be confirmed rather than copying a secondary database's tooltip without provenance.
The same rule applies to claims such as “best relic,” “best starting bonus,” and exact Poison totals. Search users benefit more from a truthful patch-scoped answer than from a complete-looking table that becomes wrong after the next update.
Current Verdict
Guildrun Pollen Fae's Kiss is the current Poison and Mana Regen route, strengthened by Demo 0.5.6's 1-per-5 scaling change. It is worth testing on board when Pollen can survive and the team can wait for Sanctuary of Bloom, and it remains a credible late-game Backup option according to the developer note. For current values, use the official patch notes and treat unlisted tooltip details as To be confirmed.