Path of Exile replace 3.20 has been revealed by Grinding Gear Video games, and it centres round a brand new roguelike dungeon coming to the RPG sport referred to as The Forbidden Sanctum. As well as, the replace is transforming a number of huge techniques together with the Atlas Tree and Eldritch altars, in addition to offering some huge buffs to underused distinctive weapons. It’s going to additionally see the introduction of recent Path of Exile monster mods to interchange the controversial Archnemesis system, and the complete rollout for a Ruthless mode aimed toward hardcore Diablo 2 veterans.
Path of Exile: The Forbidden Sanctum centres across the titular roguelike dungeon. Very similar to many earlier PoE expansions, this dungeon is designed to combine properly with the Path of Exile leveling expertise – that means you’ll have the ability to dive into its lethal depths early on in your journey, although it’ll possible take you a lot makes an attempt to make it all through. With each new space or map you discover in the principle sport, you’ll have the ability to enter the Sanctum.
Your journey into the Forbidden Sanctum is set by a brand new useful resource referred to as Resolve – producer Chris Wilson explains that the workforce wished to distinguish your progress from participant well being, which might fluctuate wildly from second to second. Getting hit by monsters or environmental hazards will cut back your Resolve – in some circumstances, extra dramatically so than they really impression your character’s well being. Which means it’s doable to lose a run within the Sanctum with out really dying, which might be welcome reduction for these on hardcore characters.
As with most of the greatest roguelike video games, you’ll plot out a course as you go, selecting between completely different room sorts that every have completely different results in your run. Some rooms gives you Afflictions that may apply debuffs that accumulate as your run progresses. You’ll be able to even run into Main Afflictions at sure factors, which might have very dramatic results similar to halting your Resolve restoration altogether. On the flipside, yow will discover Boons – and Main Boons – that offer you advantages to counter these detriments.
At sure factors, you’ll run throughout Fountain rooms that may replenish your Resolve, within the vein of video games similar to Hades (which Wilson cites as a key affect for the mode, together with the likes of The Binding of Isaac, FTL, and even classics similar to the unique Rogue itself). Fountains can restore much more resolve – however at a value. As you progress, you’ll additionally accumulate a brand new foreign money referred to as Aureus cash that may be spent at retailers, however aren’t carried over between runs.
In true roguelike vogue, you’ll typically be provided the choice to take an Accursed Pact. These will give you three highly effective boons, however with heavy prices similar to dropping hefty chunks of your Resolve or taking over a number of unfavorable Afflictions. You’ll be able to choose any one in every of them, although Wilson reassures us that you just do have the choice to move them up altogether if the danger sounds too nice for its related reward.
As for what you’ll be able to count on to get out of the Forbidden Sanctum, there are three key takeaways. Firstly, you’ll have the ability to get common merchandise drops from monsters within the Sanctum very like you’ll in common play, so there’s nonetheless a superb likelihood you’ll discover some first rate improve alongside the best way. Secondly, some rooms will supply a foreign money reward with a twist – you’ll be able to select to take it instantly, or gamble it for a better payout do you have to clear the present flooring, or a good larger reward when you can beat the entire run. Wilson jokes that the preliminary rewards are very beneficiant, however that the workforce hopes the temptation to gamble for even larger payouts will show too sturdy to disregard.
Lastly, you will discover Relics over the course of the run that act as a meta-progression of types and will be positioned right into a particular altar to make your future Sanctum runs stronger. Ultimately, you’ll come throughout a particular Sanctified Relic with mods that may instantly have an effect on your character’s construct – these can’t be crafted or modified by means of typical means, however they are often altered by sure rooms you’ll encounter whereas exploring the Sanctum, as a reward for individuals who conquer its challenges.
The Forbidden Sanctum is definitely probably the most thrilling new function coming within the Path of Exile 3.20 enlargement, nevertheless it’s removed from the one one. There’s additionally a revamp to the Atlas Tree, permitting gamers to focus extra on specialisations, and modifications to Eldritch Altars to be extra specific about which rewards you’ll earn from them.
This specific change displays the aforementioned introduction of a brand new monster mods system set to interchange Archnemesis mods. As mentioned within the pre-update stability manifesto, this goals to interchange mods which have a number of completely different results with ones that every have one particular, clearly said impact, serving to to enhance on-the-fly readability for gamers to shortly recognise what a monster can do and what may make it harmful.
Additionally launched with Path of Exile 3.20 are a number of new talent gems – Volcanic Fissure is a fiery slam assault that may chase enemies round corners earlier than erupting, whereas Frozen Legion summons a hoop of icy statues round your character that every one assault in an enormous sweeping cleave along with your presently geared up weapon. Frozen Legion builds up a number of stacks, that are all consumed on use to summon that many statues concurrently for large burst injury throughout a number of overlapping hits.
There are additionally new Vaal melee abilities, which proceed the pattern of Vaal talent gems. These assist you to acquire souls as you kill enemies, unlocking a particular Vaal variant of the talent that can be utilized as soon as sufficient souls have been collected. Vaal Flicker Strike glints dozens of additional occasions – it’s a dangerous manoeuvre, as you’re susceptible in the course of the course of, however when you survive till the tip then you definitely’ll unleash large injury in opposition to each enemy hit.
In the meantime, Vaal Cleave has two distinctive buffs: one which triggers whenever you kill a uncommon enemy that lets you briefly steal its mods and use them as your individual, and one which triggers whenever you kill a uncommon or distinctive enemy, buffing your common Cleave dramatically. With sensible utilization, Wilson means that gamers ought to have the ability to maintain this Cleave buff up nearly indefinitely with repeated makes use of of Vaal Cleave.
Together with a variety of recent distinctive objects – some from the Forbidden Sanctum, and others merely discovered within the base sport – Path of Exile 3.20 additionally introduces some heavy buffs for sure distinctive weapons. Usually, these are objects that are typically underused, and Wilson tells us that the main target is sort of all the time an enormous buff to their injury stat, with “round ten iconic underused distinctive weapons” being focused.
There’s additionally some rebalancing for Curses to make them stronger in opposition to distinctive monsters and pinnacle bosses, and beforehand introduced updates to Jewels that ought to make them a greater supply of ailment mitigation for gamers to utilize. Gamers also can count on some good high quality of life modifications – vitality shields at the moment are proven as a separate bar above your character, somewhat than overlaid in your well being, and Beastcrafting recipes that add mods to flasks will now really say precisely what the mod will do.
Lastly, the much-touted Path of Exile Ruthless mode, which is an extra character toggle that permits much more merchandise shortage, will change into out there to all in 3.20. Wilson says this elective mode is focused at old-school Diablo 2 gamers and people who actually wish to ensure that each improve feels significant, however notes that the workforce might be aggressive in rebalancing it throughout this preliminary, experimental rollout.
You’ll be able to watch the Path of Exile: The Forbidden Sanctum reveal under:
The Forbidden Sanctum definitely seems like an thrilling addition, and we are able to’t wait to strive it out when Path of Exile replace 3.20 The Forbidden Sanctum releases on December 9.
It’ll be attention-grabbing to see what different updates observe this as Grinding Gear Video games continues its march in direction of Path of Exile 2, which Wilson tells us is making good progress. Within the meantime, we’ve obtained extra of the very best video games like Diablo that you could play on PC.