The Searing Exarch is fire-themed planning on burning reality to a crisp

The Searing Exarch is fire-themed planning on burning reality to a crisp

 


Path of Exile's Atlas Of Worlds is a multidimensional nexus where all things can and will happen. In gameplay terms, it’s a second campaign, less structured than the first, but throwing all the content from the main game (and a sack of new stuff besides) into the mix for nigh-endless replayability. First introduced in 2016, it has seen three major expansions since, each with their own story arc and a slab of new content. Siege of the Atlas is the fourth, and one of the biggest shake-ups mechanically POE currency trade . 

One of the big things defining Path Of Exile is its quarterly ‘challenge leagues’. Every three months, a new side-story or gameplay modifier is thrown into the mix to help freshen up the experience of getting through the main story for new characters. While a couple of the oldest and least popular leagues have recently been retired, the vast majority are still playable through the Atlas. A major focus of this expansion is letting you create your own endgame experience by letting you pick and mix past league content into the Atlas as you progress.

While PoE’s main story has remained largely static (balance tweaks aside) since 2017, the Atlas has been a much livelier place, going through several story arcs, each introducing new extradimensional villains to beat up and loot. Siege of the Atlas introduces two more, each one set on devouring all of existence.

The Searing Exarch is fire-themed, planning on burning reality to a crisp, and the Eater Of Worlds is an all-consuming Cthuloid sort that prefers its universes rare. Each one also has a similarly themed second-in-command that you’ll have to take down before you can think of challenging the big bad.

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Rather than lurking in specific locations, in each Atlas excursion you’ll be able to pick which of the two new villains to pursue. Their influence will increase on each hunt, eventually leading to their respective boss battles. The Atlas had grown a bit overcomplicated in previous expansions, with unlocking new areas being gated behind collecting Watchstones and slotting them into the Atlas itself. Now progression is simpler and more freeform, with each of the four current ‘pinnacle’ bosses (the two new ones, plus the Maven and the Uber Elder) dropping Voidstones which you can use to raise the level of all content in the Atlas, or disable if you want to take it easy.

If that sounds too simple for Path Of Exile—it is.

Every single map on the Atlas has a bonus objective, and completing it earns you a point to spend on a gigantic skill grid of Atlas modifiers. Rather than alter your character, it modifies the content encountered across the Atlas. Liked the big battles of Legion? Pick upgrades that boost the chances of Legion content appearing anywhere in your Atlas, along with some perks to increase the quality of the loot you’ll get from it. There are only so many points to go around and a huge number of potential unlocks, so each player should end up with their own personalized endgame, with their favorite monsters & loot sprinkled into every environment type Path of exile currency .