“fundamental changes to how loot drops”: Path of Exile’s free expansion arrives November 13
Path of Exile’s next free expansion, Covens of Umbra, will arrive November 13 Pacific time with a new challenge league and major changes to its endgame. Grinding Gear Games says the update will replace Scarabs, reshape the Atlas passive tree and rework loot drops.
The announcement concerns the original Path of Exile, not Path of Exile 2. Its sequel’s full launch is planned separately for December 11 Pacific time. The new expansion for the first game will be free across its available platforms, according to the developer.
Grinding Gear describes “fundamental changes to how loot drops” but its initial overview does not quantify how rewards will change for a particular build. Players should wait for detailed patch notes before relying on specific drop-rate assumptions.
Image: Grinding Gear Games
Players can change a boss encounter’s risks and rewards
During the new challenge league, players encounter members of a coven attempting to summon their queen. After defeating them, they can select a Fate for the area’s boss. Each Fate applies effects that increase both the difficulty and rewards of that encounter.
Image: Grinding Gear Games
Players can use Viscera obtained from an empowered boss with a Wickerman to claim some of that boss’s power. A separate Grim Fates system can empower some of the Atlas’s toughest bosses, with Pinnacle Boss Viscera among the prizes described by the developer.
Those systems will arrive as part of the expansion’s challenge league; the announcement does not establish how they will work in every existing character setup.
Image: Grinding Gear Games
Threads of Creation replace Scarabs in the endgame
The developer says Scarabs are being removed in favor of Threads of Creation. Players place Threads in the map device to apply a chosen league mechanic while scaling monster rarity and difficulty. Spending more Threads increases the chance of additional powerful effects.
The Atlas passive tree is also getting a new layout and additional choices. Other planned revisions include returning Mirages, changes to Beyond portals and a different way to encounter Harvest content in maps.
November 13 is the date given in Pacific time, not a confirmed launch hour for every region. Check the full release notes and local launch time before planning around a build or the existing league.
