While Grinding Gear Games continues to cook up improvements for Path of Exile 2 Dawn of the Hunt, attention has now finally returned to its beloved predecessor. The Path of Exile 3.26 league, Secrets of the Atlas, has been a long time coming – more than a decade since it first launched, the original PoE still remains the greatest and most substantive ARPG around for the time being, but it's sat on the back burner for almost a year due to the PoE 2 launch. Now, GGG is ready to bring us back, and it's already unveiled some fundamental changes.
The first teaser for the new RPG. Requested for many years, there's always been a smidge of division around the feature making certain elements 'too easy,' but GGG's sequel has provided a strong solution.
While Path of Exile will now auto-pause if you pull up any full-screen menu or if the game detects sufficient lag (ideal for preventing those agonizing disconnect deaths in the single-life hardcore mode), there are exceptions. To preserve the challenge of the game's toughest encounters such as pinnacle boss fights, these areas are designated as no-pause zones (so you can't repeatedly halt proceedings to study where the next safe area is at your leisure).
Endgame changes also seem certain in 3.26 given the update's name, and they begin with adjustments to the Atlas and the map device that acts as your hub. Orbs of Horizon can now be used to reroll elder and conqueror guardian maps, shuffling both the zone and the guardian found there. A new inventory grid on the map device acts as the perfect place to drop a selection of areas that you intend to run in sequence, or wish to craft with in quick succession.
These are just the first teases, but if they're anything to go by then we can expect plenty more reasons to return to the seminal ARPG. If you're waiting for Path of Exile 2 to become a free Steam game once it leaves early access, you should definitely give the original a try. It's already playable without spending a thing, and even with many strong challengers to its crown launching in recent years, PoE 1 remains the peak among them all if you can get over its early learning curve.
Path of Exile 3.26, Secrets of the Atlas, releases Friday June 13. You can play for free on Steam, or via the game's standalone launcher. A full reveal showcase is due on Thursday June 5 at 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9pm BST / 10pm CEST, and we'll be sure to bring you a full breakdown of everything you can expect.
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