As is typical with expansions

As is typical with expansions

Into the Abyss
As is typical with expansions, War for the Atlas also introduces a new challenge league for players to start new characters in. This one is called the Abyss and works similar to last year's community favorite POE currency trade , Breach. In the Abyss league, you'll have a random chance to happen upon cracks in the earth teeming with nasty enemies. By following these cracks as they spread and killing the monsters that crawl out, you'll eventually find a gaping hole with hordes of baddies to kill. Slay them fast enough, and new cracks will form leading you to a new hole. Each Abyss hole that you clear consecutively will make the next one more challenging and reduce the time limit you have to kill everything.

Wilson says there's a lot more to unpack about the Abyss and how it works, but he's leaving that for the community to figure out. Still, the rapid pace of chasing cracks and clearing holes sounds like a fun challenge. Since most of the expansion is focused purely on the endgame, the Abyss league is the only major change that new players will feel directly.

War for the Atlas certainly isn't as big of an expansion as Fall of Oriath was, but its massive upheaval of the endgame is promising. As with all expansions, this one will be completely free. If you've never tried Path of Exile before, now is a great time to jump in. I finally pushed through the veil of complexity that surrounds it, and it's quickly become one of my favorite games this year.

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This article first appeared in PC Gamer magazine issue 358 in July 2021. Every month we run exclusive features exploring the world of PC gaming—from behind-the-scenes previews, to incredible community stories POE orbs for sale , to fascinating interviews, and more.