Significant new content and features have arrived in the Path of Exile with the latest patch and expansion.
The new expansion, Conquerors of the Atlas, will feature five new endgame encounters, powerful rewards, new currencies, and new ways to modify the Atlas.
There are plenty of changes in the upcoming expansion, but the major ones are noted below:
1) Metamorph Challenge League – monsters across Wraeclast will drop flesh samples for the player to collect. Combining the samples will allow the player to create powerful, transforming bosses: Metamorphs. The more difficult the encounter created, the higher the rewards.
New Currency for the Metamorph League – the Catalyst, is available only by creating and defeating these powerful new foes. Catalysts can be used to increase the quality of your rings, belts, and amulets in specific ways, enhancing certain types of modifiers.
The new challenge leagues include a set of 40 new challenges. When you complete 12 challenges, you will receive the Metamorph Footprints effect. When you reach 24 challenges, you will receive the Metamorph Weapon effect. At 36 challenges completed, you’ll receive the Metamorph Portal effect. These microtransactions are only obtainable in this league.
2) Three new dexterity skill gems: Artillery Balista, Shrapnel Balista, Ensnaring Arrow, and three new dexterity support gems: Greater Volley Support, Arrow Nova Support, and Barrage Support.
3) New currency – Orb of Awakening. This item can be used on any item with influence (such as a Shaper-influenced Ring), and then any item of the same type (a ring in this case) to transfer that influence to the new item. The original item will be destroyed as a result of this process, but some of the original item’s mods may be carried over to the destination item. An item can have two Influence type attached to it if they are transferred in this way.
4) 16 new Unique Items.
5) 35 new Awakened Support Gems, which are more powerful versions of existing Support Gems. These Gems are only available from the Conquerors of the Atlas content.
6) 14 new Divination Cards, designed by our Supporters.
7) Multiple visual improvements to abilities to make performance smoother. (ex. Firestorm, Frostblink, Freezing Pulse, Heavy Strike, Magma Orb, Summon Skeletons, all the Warcry skills, Lightning Tendrils, Flesh Offering, Arc and Sunder)
8) Atlas changes – the Atlas was reworked, and the player starts at the center and explores a new storyline outwards.
9) New mechanic – Watchstones: These can only be obtained by defeating one of the new Atlas bosses. They can be used to raise the tier of all maps in a particular region of the Atlas, causing all maps of those base types to drop at the new higher tier.
10) Sextants can no longer be applied to individual maps, and no longer have a radius. They are now applied to Watchstones instead and affect every map in that Watchstone’s region. They are not restricted by map tier, and if two or more Watchstones contain the same Sextant modifier, only one will apply. Also, they’ve been renamed.
11) Blight has been added to the core game! You will have a 10% chance to encounter Cassia and her beautiful singing while exploring the Atlas. Each Blight encounter will award at least one Oil or Blighted Map.
12) Multiple skill reworks.
13) Two new areas connected to the Epilogue town have been added. They can be accessed by progressing through Kirac’s quest.
14) Several critical bugfixes.
Grinding Gear Games delivers again with new content updates. The changes announced are received positively by the community, which want to explore new item builds and experience the updated Atlas, and the new expansion encounters as soon as possible.
While a book could be written about the new content and all the modifications, it is better that you, the player, log in and experience the new expansion yourself without being spoiled about all the minor details happening in the new expansion!
