Path of Exile’s new expansion expands the playoffs

Path of exileIn the 2020 updates, there are some unique leagues for players to discover, such as Harvest and Heist. But the first expansion for 2021 includes more than just a handful of activities, new loot and new buildings. Echoes of the Atlas expand Path of exile‘s endgame with new bosses, systems and skill trees.

A new live stream from developer Grinding Gear Games unveils the upcoming expansion and the accompanying league, Ritual.

After Path of exile players reach the current version of the game’s endgame, some of the new Echoes of the Atlas a mysterious entity known as The Maven demands to watch players battle bosses in different arenas, making the battles more difficult with her presence.

As players eventually impress The Maven, she will take on the challenge and ask them to defeat famous bosses simultaneously – up to ten at a time. The Maven will eventually challenge players to a duel. As she is the most powerful being that players have faced so far, The Maven has the victory with powerful, unique rewards, such as the ability to build a new kind of skill tree.

Path of exile is notorious for its ridiculous skill tree – a web of options to completely customize each character in a unique way. But the new Atlas Passive Skill Trees, for which players get points by defeating The Maven, is a little different.

Image: Grinding Gear Games

Instead of contributing directly to the power of a character, the Atlas Passive Skill Trees form the Path of exile experience. Players can invest points in a specific type of activity. In the Lex Proxima region of the Atlas Passive Skill Trees, players who love Harvest activity can invest points that help them find more Sacred Groves (random Harvest events) or earn more Sacred Groves rewards. Other regions offer similar benefits for certain activities, such as the increasing experience of Beyond Monsters.

This new customization system is a way for players to choose the type of endgame content. Both Heist and Harvest return to Path of exile as part of the core game, which adds even more random encounters to the world on which players can stumble. Of course, some players will enjoy these activities more than others. With the Atlas Passive Skill Trees, players can invest heavily in an activity they love, such as Harvest, while deviating from upgrades for activities they dislike, such as Heist.

In addition to Atlas Passive Skill Tree points, players can pick up new Waystones from The Maven, or a special item that allows them to change the properties of their items.

Echoes of the Atlas also revises numerous Ascendancy classes – advanced versions of the base classes that players can choose after reaching a certain point in the game, giving them further customization options and skill trees. The Elementalist, the Inquisitor, the Deadeye and the Slayer will all see improvements with Echoes of the Atlas. These reworks add new skills, while more clearly identifying the identity of each Ascendancy.

Image: Grinding Gear Games

Although it was a massive expansion on the playoffs, Echoes of the Atlas also comes with a new Challenge League: Ritual. As with all other challenge leagues, players can choose to start Path of exile with a fresh character and the race to the playoffs, tackling new challenges.

With Ritual, players can descend on Altar Scattered around the world. After killing the monsters around the Altar, players can activate the Altar to bring the enemies back to life, empowered by the mysterious magic. Subsequent Altars will then spawn their unique enemies and the enemies of the previous Altars in the area. Players can increase the difficulty of their rituals – and the rewards – with items called Ritual Vessels.

Image: Grinding Gear Games

Depending on the ritual, players earn a new currency called tribute. Players can pay tribute to buying new items from the defeated Ritual. Players lose their homage when they leave an area, so it is impossible to collect it. If players find a desirable item that they cannot afford, they can make a partial payment to postpone the item. This ensures that the desired item will appear cheaper again in a later ritual.

Echoes of the Atlas also comes with a slew of new unique items and skill gems, which players can use to craft powerful new buildings. This expansion also includes 11 new cards that players can play with.

Grinding Gear Games Begins Away from Exile: Echoes of the Atlas on January 15 for Windows PC and January 20 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.