Best Forbidden Rite Build In POE 3.20
Forbidden Rite is a chaos skill that trades higher base damage compared to other spells in exchange of inflecting Chaos Damage to you whenever you cast it. It can be played as both low life and for life as long as you invest heavily into chaos resistance.
We have already tried both options and that leaves us with Chaos Inoculation. Now, I didn't want to try that as Forbidden Rite deals extra damage based on our Maximum Life and Chaos Inoculation sets that to 1. However, with that we no longer have to invest into Chaos Resistance and hence we can focus on damage somewhere else the result double damage while we are not as tanky as the live version with capped Gas Resistance and Divine Flesh Keystone. We deal 41 million Single Target Damage. We also have lots of Energy Shield and an amazing clearing speed thanks to the Occultist Ascendancy.
Passive Tree
First, we begin with Void Beacon. This node shapes 20 Cold and Chaos Resistance from all nearby enemies. Best part of it is not considered a Curse and hence will apply its full effect back to all monsters including Uber bosses.
From here, we pass to Withering Presence. This load increases our final Chaos Damage by 15 and passively applies with our debuff on all nearby enemies. Wither increases the Chaos Damage that enemies take by 6 percent and can be stacked up to 15 times. It also reduces the damage over time dealt by enemies withered by you by 15, which is specifically useful against Uber Elder and Sirus.
Next, we got Profane Bloom, which does not cause enemies that are affected by your Curses to explode dealing and has damage to everything around them. When they die, the strong part about this effect is that it can be scaled by Chaos Damage, Area Damage and Area Effect. And hence to go along with it, we have taken Forbidden Power. This node increases our damage and area of effect per Power Charge we have.
In addition, we gain one additional maximum Power Charge with it and yeah that was it for our tendency. Now, let's take a look at our Passive Tree. Our focuses are on Energy Shield, Power Charges, Spell Damage, Area Damage, Area of Effect and of course Chaos Damage.
Next, we got one large Cluster Jewel setup. Going this one adds the following notables: Touch of Cruelty and Unholy Grace.
Next, we got one medium Cholesterol that we use to boost our Area of Effect. This one adds the following notables: Vast Power and Magnifier.
Now, for Mastery Choices, we got 25% to Critical Strike Multiplier against Unique Enemies. Discipline has 25% increased Mana Reservation Efficiency. Gain 3% of your Maximum Mana as Extra Maximum Energy Shield. 20% increased Effect of Withered. 3% increased Damage per Endurance, Frenzy and Power Charge. We have 1% increased Spell Damage per 16 Intelligence. Stun Threhold effects are based on over 50 percent of our maximum Energy Shield instead of Life. And five percent increased Attributes.
Items
Now, we are done with our Passive Tree. Let's talk about items. First, we are dual wielding two Void Batteries. It's a pretty standard choice for any Power Charge stacking belt. I'll would have loved to use a rare one with plus 2 levels as a change of base. However, crafting ones is unnecessarily difficult in this game. I also doubt that the damage difference would be worth it anyway.
Next, we got Ashes Of The Star's Onyx Amulet. While it's not the best in slot option, the extra Mana Reservation Efficiency allows us to fit one more Aura. In this build that Aura can be anything from Determination, Grace or Purity of Elements. The plus one level to all gems and 30 additional quality also plays a big role in improving Forbidden Rites performance. Don't forget to anoint Infuse on your Amoled for the last Power Charge that we couldn't manually allocate on the Passive Tree.
Our next item is Crown Of The Inward Eye Prophet Crown. Unique helmus plus one to maximum Power Charge corruption, this is what I would call the Jack of all trades Helm for literally any Spellcaster build. It's very good on its own even without the corruption and becomes blessing slot option once it gets it.
Next, we have a chest with over 600 Energy Shield, 1.5 extra special chance and lots of Resistances anyway. Next for our gloves, we have Blight Hold Sorcerer Gloves with Energy Shield, Resistances and Intelligence. I bought this pair already influenced. Ideally, you don't want it to be like that instead it should be uninfluenced so that you can add some useful Eldritch Implicit to it like chance to unnerved enemies on hit, which increases the Spell Damage. They take by 10 percent.
Our next item is a rare belt with lots of basic stats like Strength, Dexterity and Energy Shield. You can get Dexterity on belts via Essences, which is the only way to get Dexterity. There otherwise you will have to invest for it on your Passive Tree.
Next, we are using a pair of Precursor's Emblems. The first one has plus one to maximum Power Charges. These rings can roll other useful modifiers. Each increasing in power based on how many Power Charges we have. I decided to go with Movement Speed, but you can go with other stuff like Critical Strike Multiplier if you are rich.
Our second ring isn't too different but this one does not have plus one Power Charges because the mod is quite expensive. Instead, I went with defensive modifiers like increased Energy Shield per Power Charge we have.
Last but not least, we got the Viper Track Sorcerer Boots that has Movement Speed, Tailwind, lots of Energy Shield and some Resistances. Ideally, you want to enchant this boot with 18 reduced Mana, cost of skills if you have been hit recently. Because simply casting Forbidden Rites will register you being hit recently even if you are immune to Chaos Damage. This is useful because Forbidden Rites Mana cost is very high and there are very few ways to reduce it without sacrificing too much damage. But with that we are done with our items.
Gems
Now, let's talk about gems that goes inside of them for our main 6-Link. We have Forbidden Rite, Awakened Void Manipulation, Greater Volley Support, Awakened Spell, Echo Bar, Power Charge On Critical Support and Increased Critical Damage Support now. If you are rich, you can use Awakened Geater Multiple Projectile Support in a state of Greater Volley for that extra projectile anyway.
Next, we have the 4-Link setup that has couple of Auras. These are Divergent Despair, Awakened Blasphemy Support, Anomalous Purity of Elements and level 4 Enlighten.
Next, we have another 4-Link setup with some Auras in it. These are Vaal Discipline level 20, Clarity level 1, Precision and level 3 Enlightened.
Last but not least, we have a 3-Link damage support setup. This one contains Wither Spell Totem and Multiple Totem Support. This setup will help you inflect all 15 stacks of wither in just one second given that you have summoned all three totems already. But yeah that was it for our gems.
Related: Path Of Exile 3.20: The Best Melee League Starter Build
Jewels
Now, let's go over our jewels. First, for our Watcher's Eye, we have 40 faster start of Energy Shield Recharge while affected by Discipline and gain 10 percent of Maximum Mana as Extra Maximum Energy Shield. While affected by Clarity, the first mod is mandatory while the second one is optional.
Next, we have one militant five times Jewel that mentions High Templar dominance. This one grants us Inner Convection Keystone, which increases our Spell Damage by three percent for every Power Charge. We have again pretty standard for any Power Charge stacking belt.
Finally, any remaining dual socket you have left should be filled with your normal rare Jewel. We are looking for energy Shield Spell Damage and as much Critical Strike Multiplier as possible. Now for Bandit Quest, we are going to help Alira as we need all three bonuses she provides us.
All in all, if you want to make a good build, the role of POE Currency is also crucial. Now, if you want to get enough Divine Orbs, Chaos Orbs, Exalted Orbs, Mirror of Kalandra and more, and want to earn some pocket money, you can browse Affiliate Program opened by POECurrency.com, and you will get what you want! For details, see https://www.poecurrency.com/affiliate
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Breach Fortresses is a great farming strategy for currency in Path of Exile Patch 3.29, and its biggest advantage is its simplicity.
It doesn't require a particularly complex process; most of the time you just need to clear mobs and collect loot. If you want to farm a lot of currency while watching TV, this mechanic is perfect for you.
This guide details how to run this Path of Exile Patch 3.29 Breach Fortresses farming strategy.
Advantages
Unstable Breaches were heavily nerfed in POE Patch 3.29, but Breach Fortresses were largely unaffected. They remain in excellent condition, and Scarab's cost for running this farm is very low. Therefore, in the current Curse of the Allflame League, Breach Fortresses remain the best way to farm Path of Exile Currency.
Each map's fortresses spawn many Wombgifts and Hiveblood, allowing you to kill wave after wave of monsters and obtain a wealth of random loot.
Combining this strategy with Tier 16.5 maps, especially 8-Mod maps, PoE maps with more currency mods, or even 8-Mod Tier 16.5 and Delirium Orbs, will further enhance the rewards.
High pack size and quantity allow you to kill more monsters and obtain substantial amounts of raw currency, raw divines, and other high-value currency. In addition, Genesis Tree remains very powerful and is another important source of income for this strategy.
Different types of Wombgifts can be further converted; Foulborn unique items are very valuable, and even some basic PoE crafting bases, with the right item base and suitable fracture, can sell for 5, 10, or even 15 divines. This is also a very interesting playstyle, serving as an alternative to the basic Path of Exile tower defense mechanic like Blight. And currently, the returns from Breach Fortress are far higher than Blight's .
Workflow
Upon entering the map, the classic workflow is to first use Boss Rush to exclude Boss Altars from the flow. You can then hire a mercenary, as this strategy utilizes the extra damage from mercenaries.
Mercenaries are especially effective in the last phase of Breach Fortress because they can continuously deal damage from a fixed location, essentially gaining extra free damage. Upon entering PoE map, prioritize finding Quant Altars; if you encounter Duplication Altars, you can use them directly. After completing these preparations, enter Breach Fortress.
Scarab
The only Scarab required for this PoE farming strategy is Breach Scarab of the Marshall, which transforms Breach Hives into Hive Fortresses and is the core of the entire playstyle.
The remaining Scarabs can be adjusted based on your budget and character strength. Monstrous Lineage is the most direct option, increasing Magic Pack Size and allowing more monsters to spawn in Breach Fortress, thus improving the rewards of the final Loot Explosion.
If your character is strong enough, you can also add Scarabs of Wisps to increase the number of wisps for numerous monsters. While the enemies you encounter will be more dangerous, Breach Fortress itself has enhancements from Aith, so the overall difficulty is usually still manageable.
If you don't want to increase the combat difficulty, you can use 8 Mod Map Farming instead. Combining it with Cartography Scarabs of Escalation and Cartography Scarabs of Corruption will reliably yield more 8 mod maps, increasing the value of Breach Fortress's output.
Maps
There are no strict restrictions on the maps used for Breach Fortress Farming. 8 Mod Maps are the ideal choice, and you can also challenge yourself with 8 Mod Delirious Maps. If your character's strength is insufficient, you can also use 6 Mod Maps, but the overall rewards will be lower.
The more map mods you have, the higher Quantity and Pack Size, resulting in more Blood and Gifts. Therefore, high-difficulty maps are usually a better choice. Tier 16.5 maps, in particular, often offer higher pack sizes, and more monsters mean a higher final loot.
This playstyle has an additional advantage: some map ground effects don't fully take effect within Breach Fortresses, but the map's inherent Quantity, Pack Size, and other attributes still apply.
Therefore, some seemingly cumbersome map mods don't have as significant an impact on the core combat areas of Fortresses in PoE as one might imagine.
Atlas Passive Tree
Path of Exile Atlas Passive Tree should be built around the benefits of Breach Fortresses. You don't need to aim for 100% Breach Chance, as the map itself provides a base spawn probability. Combined with Blocker Nodes, you can usually achieve a relatively stable Breach Chance.
You should prioritize Hives, Fortresses, Hive Blood, Womb Gifts, and Nodes that increase monster numbers. Protracted Siege is also worth investing in; it increases waves of Hiveborn Monsters, allowing Fortress battles to last longer, while also providing more monsters and loot.
If using Templar Astrolabes, consider Speaker of Dead to reduce the number of Tormented Spirits surrounding Path of Exile bosses. Finally, if you plan to repeatedly farm the same map, choosing a familiar map with efficient traversal is crucial; stable routes and shorter completion times directly impact overall farming efficiency.
Genesis Tree
Another important source of income from Breach Fortress is Genesis Tree. Farming Breach Fortress yields a large amount of Womb Gifts; different types of Womb Gifts are used for different PoE crafting purposes.
In Path of Exile, Ancient Wombgifts are more valuable, while Mysterious Wombgifts are primarily used to further convert into Ancient Wombgifts through Genesis Tree.
Provisioning Wombgifts typically have a higher yield, but the direct value of a single gift is relatively limited. A common use is to craft equipment with Provisioning Gifts and to find marketable Crafting Bases through mechanisms like Fracture.
Unique Tree offers a higher yield cap. You can adjust relevant nodes to increase the drop rate of unique items in specific slots, such as belts, jewels, and shields.
These slots have the potential to yield high-value Foulborn unique items. The specific slots chosen should be adjusted based on Curse of the Allflame League economy and your personal farm goals.
If you prefer to directly obtain PoE Currency, you can choose Currency branch of Genesis Tree. Fertilising Genesis Trees grants a Lucky effect to Currency Rolls, increasing the chances of obtaining rarer Currency results.
Prodigal Offspring focuses on increasing additional output. Both improve overall returns from the perspectives of currency quality and quantity, respectively. You can choose different RNG directions based on market conditions and your personal risk tolerance.
It's important to note that because the final result is affected by RNG, currency rarity, and league economy, it's difficult to definitively say that any one configuration yields the highest return.
Path of Exile Patch 3.29 Breach Fortress combines simple controls, a stable number of monsters, and a large number of loot. As long as your character can reliably handle the enemies in the fortress, you can repeat this process continuously. This playstyle is particularly enjoyable for players who prefer low-skill, high-efficiency farming.
Path of Exile 2 uses Tablets in place of PoE 1's Scarabs to make maps more rewarding, but this system does not work as well as Scarabs did and has several issues.
These problems have become even more noticeable in PoE 2 Patch 0.5.0. Although the official team wants PoE 2 to have more differences from PoE 1, addressing these issues and providing players with a better experience should be more important.
Tablet Problems
Tablet Power
The gap between high-quality Tablets and low-quality Tablets is enormous. Maps using high-quality Tablets can generate PoE 2 currency roughly 20 to 30 times more efficiently than maps using ordinary Tablets.
Unfriendly to New Players
This is particularly unfriendly to new players, as they may not understand the differences between Tablets and simply place three Magic Tablets into Atlas. As a result, they can run 30 to 40 maps and get almost nothing in return, effectively wasting their time.
In addition, players must first defeat Arbiter of Ash to craft Rare Tablets. Rare Tablets have four modifiers, making them at least twice as powerful as Magic Tablets.
This means new players are already at a significant disadvantage the moment they enter Atlas. That is harmful to the game's long-term health as well as the stability of its economy.
High-Quality Tablets Are Difficult to Obtain
Another issue is that top-tier Tablets are extremely powerful, while their best modifiers are exceptionally rare. This pushes the entry requirements for high-end farming strategies to an astonishing level. Once a particular farming strategy becomes popular, the value of Tablets required for it quickly rises.
If you are facing a shortage of high-quality Tablets, you can actually buy PoE 2 Currency at PoEcurrency.com to skip the accumulation phase and start farming directly with high-value Tablets.
Because Tablet modifier pool contains a large number of useless modifiers, while the weights for desirable modifiers are set too low, supply and demand inevitably become unbalanced. Players either cannot obtain enough Divine Orbs to acquire good Tablets, or they decide that the investment simply is not worthwhile.
City Maps
The advantage of City Maps is that they provide a fourth Tablet slot, which roughly translates into 33% more map drops. They are far more rewarding than other ordinary maps, to the point that players have little incentive to run regular maps.
Difficulty Finding High-Quality Tablets
As mentioned above, Tablet modifier pool contains many useless modifiers, which keeps the supply of high-quality Tablets extremely limited.
To pursue efficient farming, players have to spend a great deal of time filtering through and acquiring high-quality Tablets on trading websites before they can even begin mapping. Sometimes, finding suitable Tablets takes longer than the actual farming itself.
If you choose not to acquire Tablets in pursuit of maximum returns, you are effectively wasting your time running maps with inferior rewards.
The chance of finding a Tablet with four excellent modifiers is comparable to finding an item with six Tier 1 modifiers. It is almost impossible to have one sitting in your stash. Either way, the system disrupts your farming rhythm and wastes your time.
Tablet Modifiers
Obtaining the best combinations of Tablet modifiers is extremely difficult, and they cannot be crafted through targeted methods. This directly causes high-quality Tablets to be worth several or even dozens of Divine Orbs. In some cases, this can make certain high-yield farming strategies completely impractical because Tablets required to start the strategy cost more than the potential returns.
On the other hand, because Tablets can be reused multiple times, using an average Tablet means losing out on the enormous returns that the same map could have generated with a high-quality Tablet. This makes the system less flexible than Scarabs.
Solutions
Increase Weight of Desirable Modifiers
The biggest problem with Tablets is that desirable modifiers appear too infrequently, while there are too many useless ones. The official team could increase the weights of desirable modifiers while removing most of the unnecessary modifiers.
Alternatively, some low-value modifiers could be moved to Tablet implicits. Examples include increased Gold Find, Increased Experience, and a higher chance for Shrines to appear.
If these were turned into base implicits and Divine Orbs could be used on Tablets to reroll their implicit modifiers, this could directly increase the supply of high-quality Tablets on the market while also creating a new way to consume Divine Orbs.
Add More Tablet Crafting Options
In PoE 2 Patch 0.5.0, with Jewel system already receiving support from more crafting currencies, Tablets are essentially the only part of the game still stuck with the primitive crafting process of throwing an Exalted Orb or a Transmutation Orb at them and using an Orb of Scouring when the modifiers are poor.
If some PoE 2 currencies specifically designed for Tablets could be introduced, they could not only increase the supply of high-quality Tablets on trading websites but might also create entirely new farming strategies.
Special Biome Bonuses
The official team could add interesting Tablet-specific bonuses to different biomes. This could make other areas of Atlas just as appealing and exciting as City Maps, giving players more choices when farming.
Increase Tablet Charges
This change would have both advantages and disadvantages. It could increase the value of high-quality Tablets, but having to replenish Tablets every 10 maps is certainly somewhat annoying.
Increasing the number of charges would allow players to spend more time actually farming maps instead of constantly having their rhythm interrupted while searching for the next set of three high-quality Tablets.
Tablet Preset Slots
Map Device could add Tablet Rows, allowing players to switch between three different Tablet configurations.
This would allow players to prepare three or four different Tablet combinations based on the content they discover while exploring Atlas, helping maximize returns.
This would be a major Quality of Life improvement that would make the endgame mapping experience much smoother.
Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.0 can be considered quite successful, as different strategies offer solid returns and players have plenty of choices. However, Tablets have been a major source of frustration for a long time. If this issue can be addressed in Patch 0.5.5 or Version 1.0, the endgame experience could become much better.
Among the many classes in Path of Exile 2, Monk is one of the most popular melee classes due to its high degree of freedom and high damage output. Therefore, it also boasts many powerful builds.
Among these Monk builds, one particularly powerful one utilizes both Herald of Ice and Herald of Thunder, and leverages Concussive Runes support gems added in Patch 0.5 Return of the Ancients. This build elevates Monk's map clearing efficiency and damage output to new heights.
This build has been named Whirling Assault Invoker Build by its creator. I will now explain the workings of this build in detail from four aspects.
Core Mechanics
As mentioned at the beginning, in POE 2 Patch 0.5, the core of this build is the utilization of Herald of Ice and Herald of Thunder.
The effect of Herald of Ice is that when the player kills a frozen enemy, it triggers a frost explosion, causing area-of-effect cold damage to surrounding enemies.
However, the cold damage from the explosion itself cannot inflict the freezing effect, meaning Herald of Ice cannot create the conditions for its own activation.
Similarly, Herald of Thunder unleashes chain lightning upon killing an electrified enemy, but its Lightning Damag also cannot inflict the electrification effect.
On the surface, these two Herald abilities do not seem to synergize. However, players can combine their mechanics using Infusion Support Gems:
Players need to connect Lightning Infusion Support to Herald of Ice to convert some of the cold damage into lightning damage, allowing the frost explosion to inflict the electrification effect;
Simultaneously, connecting Cold Infusion to Herald of Thunder converts some of the lightning damage into cold damage, allowing the chain lightning to inflict the freezing effect.
After this modification, a perfect chain reaction is formed between Herald of Ice and Herald of Thunder:
Herald of Ice explodes, killing enemies and inflicting electrocution; electrocution kills enemies, triggering Herald of Thunder, which releases lightning and inflicts freeze; freeze kills enemies, triggering Herald of Ice again, achieving a screen-clearing effect with a single explosion.
Activation Device
It's important to note that to activate this chain, the player still needs to kill a frozen or electrocuted enemy using other methods as a "activation device". Specifically:
Concussive Runes
POE 2 Patch 0.5 modified Herald abilities, making them untriggerable by kills from other Herald abilities.
Fortunately, we have the new support gems introduced in POE 2 Patch 0.5 - Concussive Runes. Its effect is: when the supported ability inflicts Heavy Stun on an enemy, it consumes Runic Ward and releases a Runic Shockwave.
This Runic Shockwave will be treated as an attack by system, not a Herald skill effect, thus fully meeting Herald skill's trigger rules.
However, to ensure Concussive Runes trigger reliably, this build requires players to invest significant resources in stacking Stun Buildup until the panel value reaches 940%.
Whirling Assault
There's an important, easily overlooked issue here: cold damage cannot cause Heavy Stun. Therefore, this "activation device" needs something that can deal lightning damage to complete Heavy Stun task.
This is where Whirling Assault comes in. It's Quarterstaff's exclusive Strike skill, its effect being: performing a series of spinning attacks on surrounding enemies while moving, and inflicting Heavy Stun on target.
Thus, we've met Heavy Stun condition and can successfully activate Concussive Runes to release Runic Shockwave.
Runic Ward
Besides stun accumulation, managing Runic Ward is equally crucial. As a new defensive resource introduced in PoE 2 Patch 0.5, it is an essential consumable for triggering Concussive Runes.
To maintain continuous triggering of Runic Shockwave, this build requires a minimum Runic Ward cap of 300 points, continuously replenished through equipment such as Call of the Void.
Concussive Runes can only function stably as a "activation device" when both Heavy Stun triggering and Runic Ward resources are available.
Class Selection
Monk players using this build should choose Invoker as their Ascendancy Class.
This is because Invoker focuses on Elemental Damage and Elemental Ailments, and its Ascendancy skill tree contains several passive skills that highly synergize with this build:
First, I am the Thunder provides 10% Damage as Extra Lightning Damage and grants a 25% chance to create Shocked Ground when an enemy is electrocuted, directly enhancing Whirling Assault's lightning damage and electrocution capabilities.
Second, I am the Blizzard provides 10% Damage as Extra Cold Damage and creates Chilled Ground when an enemy is frozen, providing a stable source of freeze activation for Herald of Ice.
Gear Strategy
Finally, you'll need some gear or affixes to complete Whirling Assault Invoker Build. This build has no mandatory equipment. You only need to craft or exchange gear that meets the following conditions using POE 2 Currency:
First, because Herald of Ice and Herald of Thunder consume a large amount of Spirit, players must solve the problem of Spirit resource sustainability.
Since players can activate Ascendancy Passive Skill Lead me through Grace to gain Spirit - which provides Spirit proportionally based on the chest armor's Energy Shield and Evasion Rating - players need to wear POE 2 Uniques chest armor, which offers high evasion and a high shield.
Regarding gear selection, Quarterstaff is undoubtedly the best choice, but pay attention to affixes: prioritize affixes with high base damage, attack speed, critical strike chance, and additional lightning or cold damage.
For the amulet and rings, stack critical strike damage, attack speed, and elemental damage percentage.
This concludes the detailed introduction to Whirling Assault Invoker Build in Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5 Return of the Ancients. This is a build perfectly suited for clearing maps, and its capabilities will leave a lasting impression.
Players, Path of Exile 3.29.3 was updated on August 12th. This patch not only brings new gameplay depth but also contains crucial adjustments that will affect the course of the league.
For every Exile who has ventured into the endgame, the impact of Patch 3.29.3 is far more complex than the literal meaning of the announcement.
Essence of Desolation Source Completely Closed
The most notable negative change in Patch 3.29.3 is undoubtedly the complete closure of Essence of Desolation source.
This type of Essence existed in PoE 3.28, but after 3.29, players could only obtain it through a specific method. However, some players still hoarded them and used them to craft top-tier gear.
Therefore, with the release of these patch notes, the only remaining source of Essence of Desolation has been removed. However, existing finished Essences in the league and the mirror items they create are all retained and usable.
Therefore, the only way to obtain this type of Essence in PoE after this point is to acquire a mirror copy from an existing holder, which means you will need to prepare a lot of PoE currency.
However, the most criticized aspect of Essence of Desolation change is that it doesn't address a balance issue - this Essence didn't disrupt the overall crafting ecosystem or cause imbalance, yet it was treated as a bug and fixed, resulting in powerful resources being locked in the hands of a few early players.
This means new players have no chance to catch up with older players, directly undermining the sense of fairness in the catch-up process.
New Cursed Ducats
Cursed Ducats are one of the most important positive additions in Patch 3.29.3, designed to enhance the rewards and challenges of Voyages and Charts gameplay.
Basic Rules
Cursed Ducats are similar to Voidstones in the game. There are six types, but you can only socket a maximum of three into your Voyage Planner at a time.
Each Cursed Ducat provides the same type of positive bonus:
- Monster Drop Item Quantity +20%
- Item Rarity +20%
- Toughness +50%
So, stacking three Cursed Ducats will provide you with +60% Monster Drop Item Quantity, +60% Item Rarity, and +150% Toughness.
Players should note that Toughness doesn't simply increase Life; it's an effective Life increase achieved through Damage Reduction during Path of Exile.
For example, 1 million Life + 600% Toughness and 7 million Life but 0 Toughness, while requiring the same total damage to kill, interact differently with Damage over Time cap and Leech mechanic.
Each Cursed Ducat Has a Unique Negative Effect
Besides the positive bonuses, each Cursed Ducat has a unique negative affix, so players should choose the three least affected affixes based on their build:
- Ducat of Tsoatha's Gift: Increases monster damage by 50%
- Ducat of the Undead Sea: Increases monster elemental resistance by 10%
- Ducat of the Eucarid Isle: Increases monster critical strike chance by 500% and critical strike damage by 50%
- Ducat of the Fallen Stars: Monsters deal 100% additional elemental damage as physical damage
- Ducat of the Grasping Deep: Monsters gain +2 projectiles and an increased area-of-effect by 40%
- Ducat of the Foul Kin: Increases monster attack, casting, and movement speed by 50%
The negative effects of Ducat of the Eucarid Isle and Ducat of the Foul Kin are considered the most threatening to most characters, while the negative effects of the other Cursed Ducats are relatively easier to handle.
How to unlock?
Most PoE players should have already defeated Velka, the Tide Witch in the game. Simply return to The Sovereign and talk to Valerie to obtain your first Ducat of Tsoatha's Gift.
After socketing it, certain monsters or objects in Voyages and Charts may drop the remaining five Cursed Ducats.
Interface and Operation Optimizations
To facilitate players' evaluation of affix value in Voyage Planner, Path of Exile 3.29.3 now allows you to hold down Alt (on keyboard) or Left Trigger (on controller) to view all 12 Border Modifiers at once, eliminating the need to check each one individually, greatly improving filtering efficiency.
Furthermore, previously only single-attribute affixes were available on Small Cluster Jewels, the update allows for in-game swapping using Genteel's Ducat, increasing flexibility in attribute adjustments.
Regarding Enemy Mercenary
To reduce the chances of players being accidentally killed by Mercenary, Patch 3.29.3 has reduced the damage of several high-damage abilities targeting enemy Mercenary. However, this only applies when Mercenary is an enemy; the damage remains unchanged when Mercenary is an ally.
Affected abilities include Fireball of Impact, Flameblast, Frostbolt, Ice Nova, Ice Nova of Projection, Rolling Magma, and Fireball - all will no longer be as powerful as before.
Other Bug Fixes
Other noteworthy bug fixes in PoE 3.29.3 include the ability to interact with Essence Monsters from a greater distance to break their seals.
However, considering the removal of Essence of Desolation source mentioned earlier, this improvement may not be used very frequently in the game.
Abyssal Crystals (from Abyss Scarab of Crystals) will now shatter when the final Pit of Abyss closes, but this is merely a visual improvement for players.
This update also includes two minor fixes for Mercenary: Wither on Hit support now takes effect for the correct 2 seconds instead of the incorrect 33 milliseconds; and third permanent Mercenary can now be hired even when you already have two permanent Mercenary and one temporary Mercenary (previously this was bugged).
Furthermore, there are numerous bug fixes primarily addressing skill effects, client stability, and UI display, so Patch 3.29.3 should make the overall gameplay experience smoother and more reliable.
For this update, it's recommended that casual players focus on mastering Cursed Ducats combinations and choosing which negative effects to avoid based on their own defensive mechanics.
Adapting to and learning to utilize the changes in PoE 3.29.3 will give you a significant advantage over other players!
