Path of Exile teases its new Affliction League filled with new gems, a new challenge league, wildwood ascendancies, and more!
Path of Exile: Affliction Is the Newest League for the Ever-Popular ARPG
Exiles wandering around can explore the new Viridian Wildwood area in the upcoming Path of Exile: Affliction. Much to its namesake, the Wildwood is afflicted with an unknown plague, which the players can cleanse for valuable rewards.
Path of Exile: Affliction will be available first on PC this December 8th, while consoles will get it about 5 days later on December 13th.
Down with the Sickness
The Viridian Wildwood is a new area that features a nifty mechanic: eternal darkness. Its forests and groves are in perpetual shadow, full of horrors and creatures that want to turn you into their latest snack.
Players can break the darkness by making use of Sacred Wisps that illuminate your immediate area, sheltering you from the shadows and burning away the affliction that would otherwise shake you from your mortal coil. However, the Wisps will be active only for a limited time before they succumb to the darkness. If this happens, the player will be kicked off the forest and back into Wraeclast.
The Wisps have their secrets as well in Path of Exile. Different types of Wisps inhabit the forest, hiding away from the dangers as well as players. Finding them could often lead to hidden treasures, encounters, or other rewards.
Path of Exile and the Wildwood Ascendancy Classes
Hidden within the Viridian Wildwood are some fellow survivors who have been able to brave the darkness, just like you. These Azmeri Wanderers will offer to bestow you with their knowledge if you choose to help them. They reward you with new Wildwood Ascendancy Classes, which players can have in addition to their regular Ascendancies.
The first of these is called the Warden of the Manji. This Wildwood Ascendancy specializes in plant-based coatings that they can apply to tier weapons. Two coatings have so far been revealed: “Poaching” which ensures that your first hit on enemies at full life will always get stunned, and “Of the Chase” which gives you a chance to temporarily steal the Modifiers of Rare enemies.
We also get the Warlock of the Mists, a class that leans into the darkness wholeheartedly. This Ascendancy is perpetually ravenous and can consume corpses with their Blood Hunt ability. Doing so will grant you bonuses against creatures of the same type as the corpse you just ate. Yummy. The Warlock will also get access to three new types of Curse abilities.
Last is the Wildwood Primalist, an Ascendancy that lets you customize your playstyle with the use of Charms. This item type shares modifiers from the regular Ascendancy Classes, giving you more flexibility in crafting a perfect build.
Path of Exile: Ultimatum
Ultimatum, the Trialmaster initially introduced over two years ago to Path of Exile, makes a terrifying return to Wraeclast! Just like before, Ultimatum will challenge players to undergo deadly trials with the promise of great rewards. If the player emerges victorious, Ultimatum will tempt you further – go deeper into the challenge, in exchange for even better rewards. Fail, however, and your treasure is forfeit.
The Ultimatum-based challenges have been rebalanced, as well as new modifiers, in Path of Exile: Affliction.
Speaking of rewards, monsters in the main part of Wraeclast will have an overall increase in quality and quantity of loot the deeper into the Wildwood you go. Players will also collect new Tinctures, Charms, and Corpses (the three main items for the new Wildwood Ascendancies) even in Wraeclast itself. There are also 15 new unique items to collect, 5 new Experimental Base Types, and 633 new foiled Unique options.
An Exile For All
Grinding Gear Games is hard at grinding lately, with news buzzing around the new Mercenary Class for Path of Exile 2, which is said to be a BIG Standalone Sequel. They are also at work with a mobile version of the ARPG, which doesn’t have too much news just yet.
To help fund the effort, the Core Supporter Packs for the original game will be refreshed with the upcoming release of Path of Exile: Affliction. There will be a total of five different packs that include premium currency, armor, and other cosmetics. GGG also stated that the higher-value packs will include physical content as well.
In other news, check out Baldur’s Gate 3 Chunky Patch Adds Difficulty Tweaking, Performance Enhancements, and New Epilogue Scenes, and Age of Darkness: Final Stand To Release Campaign Act III In December 2023.
