Path Of Exile, like soccer, is a recreation of two halves—its prolonged important story marketing campaign and its sprawling, non-linear Atlas Of Worlds endgame. I’d in all probability watch extra soccer if the primary half concerned deicide on an enormous scale and the latter was a dimension-hopping hunt for loot and glory, however I digress: the essential factor is that Path Of Exile’s latter half is due for a shake-up, and Grinding Gear Video games purpose to ship that with the free Siege of the Atlas growth, touchdown on February 4th.
Path of Exile’s Atlas Of Worlds is a multidimensional nexus the place all issues can and can occur. In gameplay phrases, it’s a second marketing campaign, much less structured than the primary, however throwing all of the content material from the primary recreation (and a sack of latest stuff in addition to) into the combination for nigh-endless replayability. First launched in 2016, it has seen three main expansions since, every with their very own story arc and a slab of latest content material. Siege of the Atlas is the fourth, and one of many largest shake-ups mechanically.
One of many massive issues defining Path Of Exile is its quarterly ‘problem leagues’. Each three months, a brand new side-story or gameplay modifier is thrown into the combination to assist clean up the expertise of getting by way of the primary story for brand spanking new characters. Whereas a few the oldest and least in style leagues have lately been retired, the overwhelming majority are nonetheless playable by way of the Atlas. A serious focus of this growth is letting you create your individual endgame expertise by letting you choose and blend previous league content material into the Atlas as you progress.
Whereas PoE’s important story has remained largely static (stability tweaks apart) since 2017, the Atlas has been a a lot livelier place, going by way of a number of story arcs, every introducing new extradimensional villains to beat up and loot. Siege of the Atlas introduces two extra, each set on devouring all of existence.
The Searing Exarch is fire-themed, planning on burning actuality to a crisp, and the Eater Of Worlds is an all-consuming Cthuloid kind that prefers its universes uncommon. Every one additionally has a equally themed second-in-command that you simply’ll should take down earlier than you’ll be able to consider difficult the large unhealthy.
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Fairly than lurking in particular places, in every Atlas tour you’ll have the ability to choose which of the 2 new villains to pursue. Their affect will enhance on every hunt, finally resulting in their respective boss battles. The Atlas had grown a bit overcomplicated in earlier expansions, with unlocking new areas being gated behind accumulating Watchstones and slotting them into the Atlas itself. Now development is less complicated and extra freeform, with every of the 4 present ‘pinnacle’ bosses (the 2 new ones, plus the Maven and the Uber Elder) dropping Voidstones which you should utilize to lift the extent of all content material within the Atlas, or disable if you wish to take it straightforward.
If that sounds too easy for Path Of Exile—it’s.
Each single map on the Atlas has a bonus goal, and finishing it earns you a degree to spend on a big ability grid of Atlas modifiers. Fairly than alter your character, it modifies the content material encountered throughout the Atlas. Favored the large battles of Legion? Choose upgrades that increase the possibilities of Legion content material showing anyplace in your Atlas, together with some perks to extend the standard of the loot you’ll get from it. There are solely so many factors to go round and an enormous variety of potential unlocks, so every participant ought to find yourself with their very own personalised endgame, with their favourite monsters & loot sprinkled into each setting kind.
New content material means new loot, too, and new methods to tinker along with your current objects. Every of the brand new bosses has an opportunity to drop their very own distinctive gear, and monsters in areas underneath their affect have an opportunity to drop new Eldritch foreign money objects, which can allow you to imbue common objects with new perks of various strengths. Objects can maintain one perk every from the brand new flame and abyss-themed swimming pools associated to the brand new bosses, supplying you with incentive to go after each and opening up new min-maxing choices.
And if it appears a bit unusual that I’ve gone all this time with out speaking concerning the new problem league, it’s as a result of there’s not a lot to speak about. The Archnemesis league scatters 4 petrified mini-bosses into each space within the recreation. They are often woken up and fought by modding them with numerous perks and loot modifiers that drop from common enemies. Every successive miniboss fought in an space has the mods from earlier ones already activated.
Preventing all 4 means you’ll get the rewards from the primary modifier 4 instances, the second modifier thrice, the third twice, and the fourth modifier as soon as, doubtlessly giving early-game gamers mountains of additional gear. You gained’t even must sacrifice additional stock area for these monster modifiers, both. The Archnemesis league introduces a brand new league-specific stock panel particularly for them. It is a cute quality-of-life enchancment.
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Not even Path Of Exile can develop infinitely, and with Siege of the Atlas, Grinding Gear Video games are retiring one more older problem league. This time it’s the Prophecy content material, so that you gained’t be accumulating silver cash to commerce in for tiny sidequests anymore. I do not assume many gamers will miss it, however we can be saying goodbye to Navali and her spooky monkey pal.
Past that, nothing else is getting axed. The earlier story bosses within the Atlas are nonetheless accessible (albeit by way of obscure means, in some circumstances), and Grinding Gear Video games even discovered time to tune up the issue a bit on Act 2 of the primary story, so you’ll be able to put these FOMO worries to mattress.
All of it appears to be constructive progress with this growth. Whereas there’s been a pair minor nerfs thrown at a few game-breakingly highly effective character builds, the builders have principally been targeted on buffing up some underpowered archetypes.
The one concern I’ve with Siege of the Atlas is that it requires gamers to get by way of the primary recreation to entry nearly all of the brand new content material. Once I talked with studio head Chris Wilson, he admitted {that a} fully new participant moving into blind and figuring every part out as they go is dozens of hours of play to complete the primary story. Nonetheless, information is energy in Path Of Exile, and people who search for guides and beneficial character builds may have a a lot simpler time. Even operating within the punishing Solo Self Discovered mode (disabling co-op, buying and selling and stashes), gamers incessantly clear the story in a single afternoon.
The Path of Exile: Siege of the Atlas growth launches as a free replace on February 4th. A brand new character can be wanted to affix the Archnemesis league, however the Atlas Of Worlds adjustments can be found to all.
