Will 3.22 Be Path Of Exile’s Last Major Atlas Update Before Path Of Exile 2? - The Overwhelming Possibilities Of POE 3.22
It is confirmed Path of Exile 3.22 is not the surprise life beta of Path of Exile 2. It could be the release, though, right? No. They want time to market. They want time to sell supporter packs for Path of Exile 2. It’s not coming with POE 3.22. Definitely not.
What Is POE 3.22?
With that out of the way, I’m confident in what Path of Exile’s 22nd version is going to be the final Atlas update before Path of Exile 2’s huge launch within the next year.
Here’s my take on what’s coming with POE 3.22 and the ultimate upgrade to our beloved Atlas before POE changes forever.
The cycle was broken with POE 3.21 Crucible League when there wasn’t a substantial Atlas update. Since Conquerors of the Atlas in 3.9, every four expansions, there has been an enormous shift to the Atlas. 3.9 throughout the old Elder Shaper chase in the Atlas and introduce Sirus, the Conquerors and Watchstones. 3.13 brought in the Maven, multi-boss gauntlets in The Maven’s Crucible, and region-specific Atlas Passive Skill Trees. 3.17 gave us four new Pinnacle Bosses, Eldritch Currency, crafting and influence, and a united Atlas Passive Skill Tree Finally, 3.21 gave us nothing, nothing really big for the atlas just Atlas Gateways.
So, 3.22, the patch that will be hyped up at ExileCon and has already been juiced up a bit by GGG themselves, is going to bring us our last big POE 1 expansion to endgame.
Atlas Jewels
When the Atlas was introduced all the way back in 2.4 Atlas of Worlds, no one predicted it would eventually have its own massive passive skill tree. But now, it does.
The all-in-one version of the tree condensed down from one for each prior Atlas region was introduced all the way back in POE 3.17 Siege of the Atlas, the last major Atlas expansion. That patch also introduced keystones to the Atlas’s version of the passive skill tree.
Now, in POE 3.22, what could they add next? With the original POE passive skill tree, the next notable feature added to the tree after keystones or jewels, I posit that’s the big ticket Atlas customization feature that will hit with 3.22. This means you need to prepare a lot of POE Currency.
We’ve already had a pseudo jewel system for the Atlas in the past in the form of rollable Watchstones. That’s an era I definitely don’t want to return to, though some people might look back on it fondly.
Essentially, we used to have 32 Watchstones we could sock it into our Atlas and they could either be magic or unique. The mod pool was massive, and it was hard to find the best set of mods for your Atlas. With the vastly improved all-in-one Atlas Passive Skill Tree, I could see watchstone adjacent jewels, making an appearance as an optional dynamic mechanic to enhance your Atlas fervor.
However, I don’t think the mod pool needs to be that different compared to the former pool of Watchstone modifiers in the case of unique Atlas jewels, though. I think GGG has an opportunity to help enhance bossing in Path of Exile and create a new class of chase items.
But what if a few of these Atlas jewels almost guaranteed certain drops from Atlas Pinnacle Bosses with a huge hindrance? For example, what if you could guarantee the Eater of Worlds to have a 25% chance to drop Ashes of the Stars but in turn you could not get hit and had to kill it in under 45 seconds? What if you could force the Searing Exarch to drop a Forbidden Flame at a 50% chance but you needed to complete every meteor phase without getting hit or leaving the area?
These achievements, like special case flights, were hinted at heavily with the Forbidden Sanctum and the no-hit challenge with Lycia. Those who could go through the entire Sanctum without being hit and kill Lycia were guaranteed one of the rarest and respectable POE Items in the game, the Original Sin.
GGG was obviously experimenting here. But I think it would be a compelling addition to the endgame of POE, helping incentivize bossing and specific methods to overcome endgame bosses, especially in Solo Self-Found. Of course, some builds will be able to cheese this. But I think it’s a risk GGG is willing to take.
After adding jewels, a gamble GGG will add Cluster Jewels and Masteries in a future update perhaps with the first Atlas expansion during the 4.0 or Path of Exile to era.
New Atlas Memories
In addition to jewels on the passive skill tree, we’re likely to receive a few more Atlas Memories. Right now, we have them for Alva, Einhar, Kirac, and Niko.
At the very least, I expect we’ll get a set of memories for Jun, the only other official faster we currently work with. You could have an absolutely wild set. Imagine a memory of Fallen Masters wherein the map’s mobs are replaced with members of the Immortal Syndicate or a mod-like area contains 10 Syndicate strongholds. Bailed items would rain from the sky.
Alongside her, I’d love for a new type of memory to arrive with what I think will be the focus of the final endgame expansion, Zana memories. Each could deal with a specific endgame boss on a map related to Zana: the Elder, the Shaper and each of the Conquerors.
The mods could be something like this area contains the Shaper, or this area is conquered by Sirus. Each could be slightly reimagined boss fights on various maps on the Atlas. Instead of speaking with Zana to enter these memories, they’d be usable maps that drop fragments leading to an ultimate pinnacle encounter.
New POE Pinnacle Bosses
There’s a good chance we’ll get at least one new Pinnacle Boss in this expansion, whether it’s an Atlas update or not.
If it’s an Atlas update, a bittersweet final Path of Exile 1 boss would be the now jaded person who started this entire endgame mapping journey with us back in Forsaken Masters, Zana, Master Cartographer.
After the canon death of Sirus, Awakener of Worlds, Zana abandoned the cast in 3.17 Siege of the Atlas. She was replaced by Kirac. But where did she go? All we know is she chose Exile, and she always questioned our sanity.
Remember, she is the one who had the power to trap the uber-powerful Conquerors of the Atlas inside the Atlas. What if she tries to do the same to us? I would love if a dark Khazana returns to try and stop us from grinding the Atlas. He would be yet another lair added to the endgame.
After we’ve killed the Searing Exarch and Eater of Worlds, we’re still trying to gain power and set on the fact that we could turn into another Sirus or Veritania.
Combined with her boss fight could be a new type of endgame content similar to the maven’s Gauntlet, this time though it could be a wave type coliseum of maps and map monsters. Waves and waves of Atlas-based creatures turned against us by Zana as we try to escape the Atlas, and Zana tries to trap us within the Atlas.
I think that would be absolutely rad. It would be a ton of work, especially with Zana’s Memories. But it would be awesome. If we don’t get Zana, there are two other feasible options: yet another Eldritch being or a villain to help usher in Path of Exile 2’s own story.
Group 1 follows the present storyline that adds to the pool of other worldly entities we already know quite well: the Elder, the Maven, the Infinite Hunger, the Black Star, the Eater of Worlds, and the Searing Exarch.
There are a couple of new boss fights they could add. Number one, the Tangle, or another one of its champions. Number two, the Cleansing Fire, or yet another servant of it. Number three, the Maven progenitor who we’ve been warned about by another boss fight competitor. Number four, the Envoy. He’s powerful enough to subdue the Maven and stop us from harming her. How tough would he be in an actual battle.
Finally, it might be something entirely different, a thing we haven’t been warned about explicitly.
If GGG is looking to further tie into Path of Exile 2’s story, perhaps it could be another Scourge lord breaking into the Atlas itself or a part of reyklast, setting up the whole seed of corruption arc of POE 2 or it could be Shaper 2.0.
Another Atlas researcher turned Madman, who is totally showcased front and center on the ExileCon 2023 website.
GGG’s Goal With The Endgame
Regardless of what this Atlas expansion adds, we know the developer’s goal is to craft a shared endgame between campaign 1 and campaign 2 of Path of Exile.
Even though the narrative matters very little to a substantial swath of the Path of Exile player base, the developers will probably try to make it tie together as seamlessly as possible. This could be accomplished through customized dialogue for the epilogue quest NPCs based on the campaign your character arrives from.
There’s also a slim chance they’ll just hand wave the combined POE 1 and POE 2 campaign player base. But I’m not a fan of that. There’s also another chance that this isn’t what they’re trying to do anymore. And they’ll let us know very soon at ExileCon 2023.
Recommended Article
View More
Although the official launch of Path of Exile 3.30 is still a few days away, insights from ExileCon 2026 livestream, along with subsequent information released by the development team, allow us to outline some preliminary strategies for farming currency in the new league.
If you'd rather not consume time figuring this out on your own, don't miss the farming guide we've prepared for you! Leveraging these tips could help you secure a much more efficient start in 3.30 league.
Changes to PoE farming landscape
Before diving into specific strategies, it's important to understand that Path of Exile 3.30 introduces changes to several classic mechanics, shifts that will significantly impact your farming efficiency and overall experience.
Most notably, Scarabs are being replaced by Threads of Creation. These unique items can be placed into the map device to inject specific mechanics into your maps, while simultaneously increasing monster rarity or difficulty.
You can slot up to 8 Threads for a single mechanic, and your configuration can persist from one map to the next.
This means you can no longer rely on traditional Scarab-based methods for boosting currency farming. Instead, you'll need to focus your Threads on specific farming routes to secure more consistent returns.
Furthermore, Atlas Passive Tree has been overhauled; old nodes related to Scarabs have been replaced with other types of passives, meaning you will need to adjust your Atlas tree setup accordingly.
On a purely positive note, Path of Exile 3.30 removes the currency drop penalties previously applied to rare and unique monsters, giving you even more incentive to take down these formidable foes.
Early game farming strategies
At the start of a Path of Exile 3.30 league, currency values are often volatile, and most players are still pushing toward the endgame. If you can unlock your Atlas maps faster than others, you can capitalize on market supply-and-demand gaps to generate greater profits.
Your top priority, therefore, should be choosing a build that is both highly efficient and low-investment. This will allow you to level up quickly, reach the endgame sooner, and begin accumulating maps, currency, and tradable gear ahead of the curve.
And if you're looking to push your efficiency even further, investing in powerful gear for your starter build is always a sound move. Therefore, you can choose PoE currency buy to unlock higher-tier gear or enhance the affixes on your existing weapons.
Endgame farming strategies
Once you reach the endgame in PoE 3.30, Atlas mapping phase, you can select specific activities to farm, based on your current resources and the nature of your character build.
New league mechanic
The new league mechanic introduced in PoE 3.30 is called Covens of Umbra. It brings not only fresh gameplay but also an additional source of currency.
In short, this mechanic allows you to encounter members of a coven and the rituals they are performing while exploring maps. These rituals summon the coven queen; by defeating the covenites participating in the ritual, you can obtain special Fate Cards.
These cards can be applied to the boss of the current area, with each boss capable of being empowered up to three times. Defeating an empowered boss yields higher-value rewards, including rare, highly sought-after currency items like PoE Divine Orbs.
Notably, beyond standard currency or items, empowered bosses have a chance to drop special Remains upon death. By turning these over to the NPC Wickerman, you can gain a portion of that boss's power as a permanent bonus.
In other words, effectively utilizing Covens of Umbra mechanic not only provides direct rewards but also aids in your efforts to farm currency during more challenging endgame encounters.
Other endgame events
Beyond this new mechanic, various other endgame events remain active in Path of Exile 3.30 and serve as primary sources for currency drops. More importantly, you should now focus on integrating these events wit Threads of Creation system.
The advantage of Legion encounters is that they release a large number of frozen monsters in a short span, allowing you to earn currency and other rewards by quickly eliminating them. This is particularly effective if your build features powerful AoE skills or high burst damage.
Additionally, Mirage mechanic, which was highly popular during 3.28 league, returns in PoE 3.30. The key to maximizing your farming efficiency with this mechanic lies in the wish you make after defeating Afarud enemies. Different wishes can alter the monsters, rewards, or your own combat capabilities within a Mirage zone.
For instance, if you want to acquire more currency, you should choose Wish for Wealth. However, Varashta will only offer three random Wishes at a time, and you may select just one.
Other available Path of Exile endgame events include familiar mechanics like Expedition, Harvest, and more. Crucially, these various mechanics (events) can now interact with one another.
For example, if you encounter two or more adjacent league mechanics, special events may occur, triggering new combat encounters while simultaneously increasing the sources from which currency can drop.
In short, Path of Exile Covens of Umbra league introduces not only new gameplay but also significant endgame adjustments that impact the game's economy.
Therefore, the key to maximizing your earnings during 3.30 league is to stay attuned to these changes and adopt a progressive farming strategy tailored to your current stage of progression.
The changes brought by Path of Exile 3.30 Covens of Umbra go far beyond just adding a new league system. The developers have made massive overhauls to the endgame system, from removing Scarabs and redrawing the Atlas Passive Tree to introducing Threads of Creation and a completely new loot tier system, almost redefining how players upgrade maps, combine leagues, and acquire loot.
Covens of Umbra and the Main Storyline
Covens of Umbra revolves around a group of Covenites attempting to drag the world into eternal night, and the identity of Coven Queen behind them has not yet been fully revealed.
During gameplay, players will encounter cult strongholds performing summoning rituals. Defeating them yields Fates, which can be used to enhance map bosses or specific encounters, unlocking greater difficulty and corresponding guaranteed rewards.
This design is similar to the boss enhancement strategy in Metamorph league, but with a lighter interaction, completing events instantly upon encounter to avoid interrupting the gameplay rhythm.
Meanwhile, patch 3.30 introduces a borrowed power system called Wickerman. Bosses enhanced with Fates have a chance to drop Viscera, which comes in four parts: head, arm, body, and leg, each providing a fixed bonus.
Furthermore, more powerful Grim Fates can be retained in Wickermans to enhance pinnacle bosses. This means that endgame progression in the new league is no longer limited to equipment and talent combinations; players will also need to repeatedly challenge specific bosses and collect corresponding parts to gradually unlock stronger character abilities.
Threads of Creation Take Over Map Devices
One of the most significant changes in PoE 3.30 was the complete removal of Scarab system, replaced by Threads of Creation. Threads correspond to ten core alliance mechanics:
- Abyss
- Blight
- Legion
- Breach
- Incursion
- Betrayal
- Bestiary
- Expedition
- Ultimatum
- Ritual
Players can allocate 1-8 Threads to each mechanic in the map device. More Threads result in higher difficulty encounters, richer rewards, and a greater chance of triggering rare random effects. Completing Atlas questline unlocks three Thread slots, allowing up to three mechanics to be added to the same map simultaneously.
Configurations are retained across different maps and Threads are consumed directly from the inventory, reducing the tedious process of reconfiguring Scarabs for each map.
Loot Rework: Item Tiers and Monster Rarity Drive Benefits
The loot changes in Path of Exile 3.30 primarily address a long-standing issue in the game: a large number of magic and rare items in ground loot lack value and are often filtered out by players. The core changes are twofold:
Tiered Drops
Magic and rare items will now drop in different tiers. Higher tiers have a greater chance of yielding higher-tier affixes after identification, and offer advantages in base item, socket count, and link count.
Tier 5 rare items even have a chance to drop rare base items like Simplex Amulet and Cord Belt, while Tier 5 magic items may drop in Fractured state. This makes high-tier ground loot valuable again, especially for providing transitional gear for early and mid-game characters.
Item Rarity Role Changed
The allocation of item rarity has been changed. The impact of a player's own Item Rarity on PoE currency drops has been significantly weakened or even removed; drop quality now depends more on the monster's rarity.
This design clearly borrows from the tiered drop mechanism of PoE 2, but no longer requires players to sacrifice character strength to stack Item Rarity. Rewards are now more linked to encounter difficulty, making map progression and challenging high-rarity monsters the primary ways to improve drop quality.
Meanwhile, item quantity is no longer used as an independent reward multiplier in drop calculations. More items no longer mean more junk drops; instead, it improves existing drops by increasing monster rarity, improving the final number of items picked up without inflating useless drops.
Atlas Passive Tree Redesign and Mechanism Synergy
Expansion 3.30 completely reworked Atlas Passive Tree, abandoning the old structure that had undergone multiple adjustments since version 3.17, and instead adopting a brand-new passive tree radiating outwards from the center.
Many of the basic buffs that previously relied on Scarab have been integrated into new wheels and notable nodes, reducing the map enhancements' dependence on the consumable market. Simultaneously, different Atlas regions will be tied to specific league mechanics. Players progress through these regions by completing maps and encountering higher difficulty levels, gradually unlocking additional affixes and rewards.
Besides the changes to the passive tree structure, synergy between league mechanics is another key feature of the new system. When different mechanics spawn close to each other on the map, they may trigger special interactions that were previously impossible.
For example, a Strongbox spawning near a Blight encounter may become infected, gaining additional Blight-themed effects. Ultimatum reward combinations no longer rely on specific items for highly predictable synergies like in Scarab era; instead, the probability of triggering random effects is influenced by the number of Threads invested.
Players can increase their chances of triggering rare combinations by investing more Threads, and can also experiment with combinations of mechanics that were previously difficult to achieve simultaneously due to Scarab scarcity.
In addition to the changes mentioned above, PoE 3.30 also reintroduces Mirage into the core game and adjusts classic mechanics such as Incursion, Harvest, Beyond, and Expedition.
Whether these changes will truly improve map clearing efficiency remains to be seen and will be explored by players after the expansion launches on November 13th. However, it is certain that players accustomed to the old endgame system will need to readjust their map clearing strategies to adapt to the new mechanic combinations and reward models.
Path of Exile 3.30 brings numerous changes to the endgame, including the return of Mirage mechanic and adjustments to Breach.
One particularly important change is the complete overhaul of the loot system. Item quality is now more directly tied to encounter difficulty. Higher-difficulty content offers significantly better chances of dropping valuable items, while lower-difficulty content has been adjusted accordingly.
This means powerful builds will have greater earning potential, while low-investment, high-damage endgame builds could be weakened. PoE 3.30 Covens of Umbra launches on November 13 (PST), and let's take a look at which builds are likely to perform well before the league begins.
Tier S
Righteous Fire Chieftain
Righteous Fire Chieftain has remained remarkably stable and well-balanced across several leagues, making it unlikely that the official team will nerf it in 3.30.
This build scales its damage based on your maximum Life and Energy Shield. However, you also take a significant amount of Fire Damage over time yourself, so you need to stack maximum Fire Resistance and Life Regeneration.
Righteous Fire Chieftain is a solid choice for both league starting and endgame map farming. It is a particularly reliable option, with a budget version that can be assembled for just 1 Divine Orb. Even the standard version requires only a little over 100 Divine Orbs.
However, the build is not without its weaknesses. Its damage against Uber Bosses is relatively low, meaning it struggles with the most challenging content. This limitation is also one reason why the official team may leave it unchanged.
Penance Brand Elementalist
This build revolves around Penance Brand, which accumulates Energy before triggering a powerful explosion to deal massive damage. Elementalist ascendancy's Shaper of Flames allows all types of damage to Ignite, making this an excellent choice for boss encounters.
Against fast-moving enemies or in situations that demand quick reactions, you need to anticipate when your Brands will detonate. This requires careful positioning and timing, meaning the build cannot deliver its full damage instantly.
Although Penance Brand Elementalist offers a smooth league-start experience, it is not particularly effective at clearing maps. Its mapping performance depends heavily on several key Unique items, and without them, the overall experience suffers considerably. Its survivability is also fairly average.
Unlike Righteous Fire Chieftain, this build excels at bossing. Once you have accumulated enough currency, it can also handle map farming effectively, making it another potentially popular choice.
Winter Orb Occultist/Elementalist
Winter Orb received a major boost in Curse of the Allflame League, becoming one of the best league starter builds. Its strength does not come from pushing damage to extreme levels, but rather from delivering excellent consistency and comfort with minimal investment.
Winter Orb already has respectable damage. Its high hit frequency, combined with Freeze and Chill, allows it to continuously control ordinary enemies across the screen. This crowd control alone provides an extremely effective defensive layer.
The build can also automatically target enemies while allowing you to keep moving and attacking. This makes it particularly effective for mechanics such as Legion, Breach, and Strongboxes, which reward fast movement and continuous combat.
As a result, the official team may very well nerf this build, although it is unlikely to become completely unviable. The changes might even focus specifically on reducing Winter Orb Elementalist's league-start performance. If it escapes nerfs entirely, it could easily qualify for S+ tier.
Tier A
Animate Guardian Luminary
Animate Guardian Luminary primarily revolves around developing your permanent Mercenary. In this setup, Animate Guardian serves more as a utility and support component than the main source of damage.
Once your Mercenary has a complete equipment setup, its damage can become extremely impressive. You can also focus on stacking Aura effects for your Mercenary, significantly increasing its damage output.
With sufficient investment, this build can achieve extremely high endgame damage, reaching approximately 100 million DPS. However, it is not a league starter, and some of the strongest Mercenaries could also receive nerfs in PoE 3.30. For these reasons, it belongs in Tier A.
Raise Spectre Necromancer
The traditional Spectre Necromancer playstyle involves summoning the souls of specific monsters to fight alongside you. Its damage scaling mainly comes from increasing the level of Raise Spectre skill gem and stacking Minion-related modifiers.
This build received a buff in PoE 3.29. The key Support Gem, Congregation Support, directly increases your maximum number of Spectres, making it much more practical to combine damage-dealing and utility Spectres.
You can even use The Dark Monarch alongside Congregation Support to assemble an army of up to 12 Spectres, a scale that would have been difficult to imagine in the past.
Since your Spectres handle almost all the damage, you only need to focus on positioning and dodging enemy attacks. This makes the build particularly suitable for players who prefer a more relaxed league-start experience.
However, the build may struggle with insufficient damage in the endgame, which could become a major weakness in PoE 3.30. You can buy PoE currency to invest in stronger damage-dealing Spectres, such as Wretched Defiler or Perfect Hydra, to overcome this issue.
Tier B
Ethereal Knives Elementalist
Ethereal Knives (EK) is a physical spell that fires a fan-shaped volley of blades. Elementalist ascendancy's Shaper of Flames allows all damage types to Ignite. You will need to obtain Ignite Proliferation modifiers, or your map-clearing efficiency will suffer considerably.
Another weakness of this build is its poor ability to clear enemies approaching from the sides or behind you. On a low budget, you can use the transfigured version, Ethereal Knives of Massacre. Although it has slightly lower base damage, it naturally fires projectiles in a full 360-degree pattern.
With a higher budget, you can use a Nimis Topaz Ring or a Sire of Shards staff to achieve circular projectile coverage. High-investment Herald Stacker variants take this concept even further by focusing on Projectile Speed and using Nimis' returning projectile mechanic to cover an area spanning two entire screens.
Even with these improvements, the build still suffers from poor defenses and low single-target damage. The official team should consider giving it some buffs.
Earthshatter Juggernaut
Earthshatter Juggernaut's main strengths are its defensive capabilities, consistent physical damage, and solid progression during the early stages of a league. Juggernaut ascendancy provides reliable Endurance Charge generation and strong Armour scaling, resulting in excellent physical damage mitigation.
However, its damage is heavily tied to the physical DPS of your weapon. If your weapon falls behind the level of the maps you are currently running, your damage output can drop dramatically.
This means you cannot progress as smoothly as certain spell builds that scale primarily through gem levels and passive skill points. Instead, you must continuously invest in weapon upgrades to maintain your damage.
The build does not require any mandatory Unique items, making it a potential Tier S option in SSF.
These are some of the builds that could perform particularly well in PoE 3.30. However, new items introduced by the official team or reworks to existing skills could still shift the meta. We will have to wait until the league launches to test these builds and see how they perform in practice.
Path of Exile 3.30 Covens of Umbra will officially launch on November 13th, while the current 3.29 Curse of the Allflame challenge league will end on November 9th, leaving only a few days for preparation.
For players hoping to quickly progress in the new league, pre-launch preparation includes not only choosing a suitable league starter build, but also organizing resources from the old season, updating the Loot Filter, and managing early-game currency.
Organize 3.29 inventory and claim challenge rewards
With a few days left until the end of 3.29, players can take care of tasks left over from the old league.
After Curse of the Allflame ends, characters will be migrated to their corresponding permanent league. Non-empty league stash tabs will become remove-only tabs. Players can still remove items, but cannot deposit new items, so there's no need to worry about losing equipment and materials.
However, this doesn't mean you should hoard large amounts of currency. Since permanent leagues accumulate currency and equipment from previous leagues, the trading value of currencies like Divine Orb will drop significantly.
Therefore, consider converting some of your wealth into long-term usable Uniques like Headhunter and Mageblood, or using it for permanently retained stash tabs and microtransactions.
Also, don't forget to claim challenge rewards before November 9th. If you're only a few challenges away from unlocking the reward, prioritize completing them; if you're far behind, don't force yourself to catch up.
Prepare for League Starter Build in Advance
League Starters are a crucial factor affecting the efficiency of starting a new league. Unlike late-game characters with mature equipment and abundant currency, starting characters must rely on low-cost equipment to complete campaigns and gradually transition to maps.
Therefore, when choosing a build, you shouldn't only focus on the final DPS; you also need to consider the smoothness of the leveling process, the reasonableness of the gear requirements, and whether you can continue to grow after reaching the endgame.
First, it's recommended to prioritize low-cost builds. Builds that rely too heavily on unique items or specific gear combinations will struggle to reach their full potential in the early stages of PoE 3.30. Conversely, builds that can complete the early game with common gear and easily obtainable skill gems are generally more suitable for the league start.
Second, prepare a leveling guide in advance. Players can record the main skills, support gems, and passive skill tree routes used in each phase of the campaign to avoid frequently changing skills during leveling, which can affect progress efficiency.
Update Loot Filter
Besides builds, Loot Filters are also worth preparing before launch.
In Path of Exile, players will encounter a large amount of gear and materials while leveling and farming. If the filtering rules are unreasonable, it's easy to waste time on low-value items or miss out on useful currency and gear.
It is recommended to check in advance whether your Loot Filter is updated and choose an appropriate filter strictness based on the initial stage of the campaign. It is not advisable to use overly strict rules in the early stages of a campaign, as some low-level gear with Life, Resistance, and basic attributes can still help characters solve survival issues.
Planning Currency Acquisition and Usage
In addition to determining your League Starter and updating your Loot Filter in advance, players should also develop a reasonable currency management plan for the early stages of the new season.
Since PoE 3.30 is a completely new challenge league, all players need to accumulate wealth from scratch. How you utilize limited resources to upgrade your gear will directly affect the efficiency of your main storyline progress and the time it takes to enter maps.
In the early stages of the league, it is not recommended to pursue high-value Unique items. Prioritize addressing the shortcomings of your current build's gear, such as improving survivability with gear with Life and Elemental Resistance affixes, or upgrading weapons to improve monster-clearing efficiency.
Regarding currency acquisition, it is recommended to prioritize farming strategies suitable for your current character's strength. For players new to Atlas, consistently completing maps is more important than tackling content too difficult for them at the moment. As gear improves, they can then consider increasing map difficulty or switching to farming methods with higher potential returns.
Furthermore, players need to pay attention to the new early-game trading market. The prices of Divine Orb, Chaos Orb, and commonly used crafting materials will fluctuate depending on player progress and market supply and demand. Besides accumulating resources through farming, monitoring cheap PoE currency for sale is also crucial for accelerating gear upgrades and character progression.
Stay tuned for the latest news from ExileCon 2026
Currently, the most important thing for players to focus on is ExileCon 2026, held on November 6th (PST).
GGG will reveal the full details of Path of Exile 3.30 Covens of Umbra during the event, including league mechanics, skill adjustments, and endgame changes. This information will directly impact our previously planned progression strategy.
After the full patch notes are released, it is recommended to review your league starter build, passive skill tree, and gear requirements.
If the skills you originally planned to use have been significantly weakened, it's best to switch to a different strategy immediately. Additionally, you can adjust your farming strategy after launch based on the reward types and participation conditions of the new mechanics.
With the official announcement of Path of Exile 3.30 Covens of Umbra, the player community has been buzzing with excitement. The mere 30-second trailer has already ignited our imaginations - the sorcery-infused aesthetic, the obvious homage to Shavronne of Umbra, and of course, the much-discussed mysterious ring.
The full reveal won't be seen for several days at ExileCon, so now is the perfect time to speculate on the new chapter of Covens of Umbra. This article is a wish list for PoE 3.30, so let's take a look!
League Mechanism Changes
Mirage League Going Core
Our most confident prediction is that Mirage League will be transformed into core content in Covens of Umbra 3.30. The concept of Mirage introduces additional challenges and opportunities through its unique encounters, offering a new approach to map exploration. Its biggest advantage is that it can refresh familiar maps without completely replacing the traditional map experience.
However, the return of Mirage doesn't mean retaining every detail of its original mechanics. The developers need to consider how frequently players encounter Mirage, how their rewards compare to other farming strategies, and whether Allflame content remains valuable after the initial novelty wears off.
Allflame Going Core
We hope the developers will consider incorporating Allflame mechanic into the permanent game. The appeal of Allflame mechanic lies in its ability to add more diversity to monster encounters, rewards, and map selection. I hope the developers will retain its most valuable and distinctive feature in League 3.30 and seamlessly integrate it with the existing map progression systems.
Expedition Buffs
While Expedition system itself is deep, its place within Path of Exile farming ecosystem could be improved. The time and effort required to complete an Expedition aren't always comparable to other popular farming methods. Players must carefully examine relic affixes, plan explosive placement, and prepare for potentially dangerous encounters, often with disappointing final rewards.
I don't think the studios necessarily need to completely rework Expedition system. Improving the stability of currency rewards, enhancing the value of certain merchant interactions, and making more challenging encounters more valuable would already be beneficial.
Currency and Rewards
In 3.30, nothing was more satisfying than seeing PoE Divine Orbs drop from monster hordes. The drop of high-value currency provides instant excitement and gives players a clear incentive to continue grinding.
We'd like to see more currencies that provide similar excitement, but this doesn't necessarily mean increasing the number of Divine Orbs entering the economy. The developers could add more currencies of the same tier - Fracturing Orbs, Exalted Orbs.
Creating more of these satisfying moments, rather than simply inflating the economy with more Divine Orbs, is a way to enhance the enjoyment of the game without directly increasing player power.
Endgame Systems That Need Serious Attention
Atlas Passive Tree and Scarab System Overhauls
Atlas passive tree and Scarab system are two of the most important components of PoE endgame gameplay. They allow players to customize their map experience, focus on specific league mechanics, and develop farming strategies around their preferred content.
However, they can eventually become predictable. Once the player base finds the most efficient map configurations and scarab combinations, many players will start repeating the same strategies across various leagues.
The problem isn't whether optimization exists. Finding powerful combinations is a crucial part of PoE's charm. The problem is when the gap between the optimal configuration and all others becomes so large that experimentation no longer makes sense.
We hope to see the developers introduce more meaningful trade-offs in the map talent tree. A new talent tree could encourage players to adopt different approaches to challenge difficulty, reward specializations, and optimize resource management, rather than simply increasing monster numbers or boosting universal item drop rates.
A significant update to these systems would give experienced players more reasons to experiment and also provide returning players with a fresh experience in the late game.
More Astrolabe Bonuses
Astrolabes introduces an interesting way to explore maps, allowing players to prepare specific map enhancements before entering encounters.
This preparation and reward mechanism creates a different strategic choice compared to simply choosing a PoE passive skill and adding a scarab. Players can plan their map exploration around specific rewards and build strategies that fully utilize these effects.
However, the available reward pool could be even richer and more interesting. Too many generic affixes offer relatively small boosts without changing how players explore the map.
We prefer to increase Star Chart rewards related to Path of Exile 3.30 league mechanics, encouraging players to focus on specific content. For example, rewards could increase the frequency of certain encounters, introduce additional reward opportunities, or adjust the difficulty of specific season mechanics in exchange for richer rewards.
Sentinel and Wildwood Options on Atlas Passive Tree
We hope to see more map customization opportunities for Sentinel and Wildwood-related content in PoE Covens of Umbra. Both mechanisms provide interesting ways to modify regular maps. Sentinel-style encounters can increase the challenge and reward potential of monster hordes, while wilderness content introduces additional exploration and unique encounters.
For example, players can invest points to increase the frequency of specific encounters, boost rewards, or unlock additional interactions with existing mechanics.
The problem is that players have almost no control over when and how these experiences occur. More map passive skill options might address this issue. We also hope to see players have more opportunities to choose between different game content types.
Balance Changes
Kineticist Mercenary Nerfs and Buffs for Other Options
Kineticist mercenary has become a major topic of discussion regarding Luminary's popularity. Simply put, if the strength and utility offered by Kineticist far surpass other mercenary options, the developers should consider adjusting the balance.
Powerful mercenaries can be a fun way to support different playstyles, but one option shouldn't overshadow the entire system. When one option offers too much damage, survivability, or utility, players have no incentive to try other choices.
Therefore, we hope to see a more comprehensive overhaul: while buffing underperforming mercenaries, making Kinetic class more similar in strength to other options to encourage players to experiment with different combinations.
Trickster Rework
Trickster deserves a re-evaluation in PoE 3.30; it needs clearer positioning and more competitive options. Its appeal has traditionally revolved around speed, agility, and defensive capabilities. While these traits are important, they need to translate into tangible advantages in the early game and endgame.
A rework could strengthen some weaker Ascendancy options, improve the interaction between their defensive and offensive bonuses, and give players more reasons to choose Trickster.
Pathfinder Buffs
Pathfinder is another Ascendancy class worth noting. Its core lies in flask management, health regeneration, and the ability to maintain powerful effects throughout combat, but it's not very competitive compared to other Ascendancy classes that offer stronger offensive growth or more readily available defensive buffs.
A few targeted improvements could make a significant difference. For example, better potion effect interactions, more attractive damage bonuses, or additional defensive utility would give players more reasons to consider Pathfinder when planning new builds.
Toxic Rain Buff
Toxic Rain, as an archery skill, has a long-standing reputation, but we hope it receives more attention in the current balance adjustments. However, nostalgia alone is not enough for an old skill to remain competitive. It must offer a reasonable progression path and maintain good performance as players challenge higher difficulty content.
In any case, I believe Path of Exile 3.30 Covens of Umbra will be one of the most exciting leagues in recent years. The full expansion will be officially announced at ExileCon 2026 on November 6th, and the new season will begin on November 13th (Pacific Standard Time). Players still have plenty of room to speculate about what the studios might be planning. Let's look forward to it!
Everyone, the trailer for Path of Exile 3.30, Covens of Umbra, has been revealed - a clear sign that the new expansion is just around the corner.
Before 3.30 launches, it's a good idea to settle on a solid league-starter build so you can have a smooth experience during those crucial first few days of the league.
The following five builds have all been tested in SSF (Solo Self-Found) mode. While they may not be the absolute strongest builds in PoE, they serve as excellent references for your league start:
- Bladefall and Blade Blast Spellslinger Elementalist
- Poison Animate Weapon of Ranged Arms Necromancer
- Toxic Rain and Caustic Arrow Pathfinder
- Dual Strike of Ambidexterity Slayer
- Explosive Trap Elementalist
Bladefall and Blade Blast Spellslinger Elementalist
Both Bladefall and Blade Blast received buffs in 3.29 - Bladefall saw an increase in damage, while Blade Blast gained a boost to its critical strike chance.
Bladefall leaves Lingering Blades on the ground, which Blade Blast can then detonate.
By using Spellslinger support gem, you can trigger both skills simultaneously, making for a low-effort playstyle that excels at both clearing maps and dealing single-target damage.
As an Elementalist, you can leverage Golems to gain bonuses to damage, critical strikes, and mana regeneration.
Furthermore, by utilizing Shaper of Storms ascendancy passive, you can significantly amplify the effect of your Shock - reaching up to roughly 45% increased damage taken by bosses.
With these elements in place, this Spellslinger Elementalist build can effectively lean into a critical-strike-focused setup, offering both fast map clearing and a fluid, satisfying feel.
However, keep in mind that the placement of Lingering Blades - combined with enemy movement - can sometimes affect whether your Blade Blast detonations actually land.
You may need a bit more patience when facing highly mobile bosses, such as The Eater of Worlds.
Poison Animate Weapon of Ranged Arms Necromancer
Next up is a Necromancer build that allows you to animate bows into minions, which then use those bows to attack. By pairing this with Bladefall, you can get the build up and running very quickly.
Necromancer ascendancy offers Unnatural Strength notable, which converts minion damage to chaos and applies Withered debuff on hit. In 3.30, you simply need to supplement this with additional poison chance to enable a minion-based poison playstyle.
For a Poison Animate Weapon of Ranged Arms Necromancer, you can bolster your defenses by stacking armor, energy shield, block chance (up to the cap), and maximum elemental resistances.
Reaching 70–80% in these defensive layers provides a very solid foundation for league starting.
However, a drawback of this build is that tackling tougher enemies in PoE requires swapping in specific support gems to shift your focus entirely toward maximizing single-target damage.
While you might use Greater Multiple Projectiles to improve clear speed, you should switch to Vile Toxins Support when facing formidable foes.
Keep in mind that crafting high-end 6-link gear will require additional PoE currency, which will increase your league-start budget.
Toxic Rain and Caustic Arrow Pathfinder
The combination of Toxic Rain and Caustic Arrow is a classic choice for Pathfinder ascendancy. It scales heavily with skill gem levels - the higher the level, the greater your damage output.
Additionally, you can utilize Manaforged Arrows linked with Frenzy to generate Frenzy Charges, further boosting your attack speed and overall damage.
Defensively, you are well-covered; Pathfinder ascendancy features powerful bonuses related to life flasks, such as Master Surgeon notable.
Equipping a Lightning Coil in PoE 3.30 will significantly improve the build's ability to mitigate physical damage.
Caustic Arrow feels great for clearing maps, though its output may struggle in content with very high enemy density - nonetheless, it remains more than sufficient for early-league progression.
Meanwhile, Toxic Rain - especially when paired with Focused Ballista Support - delivers excellent single-target damage, ensuring that this Toxic Rain and Caustic Arrow Pathfinder build performs well against bosses and high-health targets.
Dual Strike of Ambidexterity Slayer
Dual Strike of Ambidexterity requires the use of two different melee weapons: the damage is determined by the main-hand weapon, while the attack interval (attack speed) is dictated by the off-hand weapon.
Consequently, you can equip a slow, high-damage weapon in your main hand and a fast, low-damage weapon in your off-hand, ensuring that your attack speed is governed solely by the off-hand weapon.
Furthermore, Slayer ascendancy can generate numerous both Frenzy and Endurance Charges.
Combined with overleech effect provided by Brutal Fervour, this setup can achieve a critical strike chance of around 80% - even in a SSF environment.
Additionally, by utilizing Spell Suppression and Endurance Charges, this build offers robust defenses that remain effective throughout the early, mid, and late stages of PoE 3.30.
Dual Strike of Ambidexterity Slayer is a well-rounded melee configuration.
Explosive Trap Elementalist
While Trickster ascendancy is a more common choice for Explosive Trap, it has faced repeated nerfs; currently, Elementalist ascendancy performs better for this playstyle.
Once a trap lands, it detonates multiple times, with every explosion capable of hitting the same target.
This results in exceptional single-target damage, where the total number of traps deployed directly dictates the ceiling of your burst potential.
Much like Bladefall and Blade Blast Spellslinger Elementalist mentioned earlier, this build leverages Golems to provide bonuses to damage, critical strike chance, and life. It also utilizes Shaper of Storms ascendancy node to maximize the effect of Shock.
The primary drawback of Explosive Trap Elementalist is its map-clearing speed, as there is an inherent delay between the traps landing and their subsequent detonation.
If your priority for 3.30 league start is high single-target damage, this build is not only more than capable for the early game, but it also has the potential to be developed into a much tankier version.
Before settling on a league-start build, consider what kind of content you intend to farm in Path of Exile 3.30, as well as the level of investment you are comfortable with!
