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Path of Exile’s whole thing is that it’s an action RPG in the style of Diablo 2. It’s extremely dense and filled with so many different items and skills that its most dedicated players do all their buildcrafting in a program outside the game. It’s for the true sickos who feel left behind by all the modern games that try to simplify the genre. And even though developer Grinding Gear Games released a soulslike sequel to PoE in early access last year, it’s still committed to expanding the first game on a regular basis.
Secrets of the Atlas is PoE’s 31st free expansion and it comes with a list of new additions to the game, but one of them is something every great action RPG eventually adds: mercenaries. When the update hits on June 13, a new league (PoE’s name for seasons) will begin that is all about tracking them down.
Each mercenary of Trathas is unique and wears a full set of gear you can inspect upon meeting them. Then you have to decide whether you want to hire them on the spot, duel them for one of their items, or exile them so you might run into more favorable types of mercenaries. They’re basically like other players with their own gear and builds, making the fights look like a proper PvP duel.
They carry around unique items and stats that you can’t get anywhere else, so your main goal will be trying to find as many as you can during the league. Choosing to hire one will let them fight beside you and provide you passive buffs, like a warcry that taunts and groups enemies up.
The real draw is the entirely new layer of buildcraft they introduce. Each mercenary can be equipped with all the same items players can wear, which means you’ll essentially have a whole second character to think about as you refine your build. You can make them into tanks, supports, or something in between.
The spotlight is on the mercenaries for the new league, but Secrets of the Atlas will also add a new endgame storyline, monsters who drop temporary powers to use, new bosses, new crafting items, and a bunch of quality of life features.
During the announcement stream, Grinding Gear Games said delaying the expansion helped it focus on getting PoE 2 to a place that will let it balance updating both games. It expects to update PoE with about as much stuff as this expansion every four months.
Secrets of the Atlas launches on June 13.
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