Many, many years ago, Diablo III’s Jay Wilson unexpectedly created a meme by explaining how difficult Inferno mode was. He basically said something along the lines of making the game hard enough that the internal team couldn’t beat it, and then they doubled it. It would become a staple among Diablo III players for years afterward. Now, it applies to one of Diablo’s biggest competitors, Path of Exile, as the Mirage expansion arrives on March 6 at 11:00 AM Pacific (2:00 PM Eastern).
Along with an all-new League mechanic, Path of Exile: Mirage also brings numerous updates to the endgame. Some of those changes include a reworked Atlas structure, a new Scion Ascendancy, Holy Skills, plenty of quality-of-life and campaign progression improvements, and over 40 new Exceptional Support Gems. Before we get into those, however, Mirage centers on imprisoned Djinn across Wraeclast. While adventuring, players will confront the Afarud, a desert-dwelling group of necromancers who are conducting mysterious rituals to drain the Djinn of their energy. After defeating those enemies, the ancient Maraketh sorceress Varashta will appear, and uncover the Astral Realm through a Mirage, breaking the tether that’s trapping the captive Djinn.
This is where the fun begins. The Mirages are able to replicate much of the content and enhancements players have applied to the map, essentially doubling up on enhanced encounters and rewards. To make it even better, players get to choose one of three Wishes before entering a Mirage. These are powerful modifiers that can change the Mirage experience. Some examples include Wish for Glyphs, which converts portal and wisdom scroll drops into other currencies, and Wish for Avarice, which replaces packs in an area with Gilded enemies that convert equipment into Gold. There’s also Wish for Godhood, which grants extreme power like invulnerability while in the Mirage.
Choosing the Wish isn’t just for the effect, though, as each one is tied to one of three powerful Djinn sigils: Sand, Fire, or Water. Depending on which sigil the player chooses, the monsters in the Mirage will have a small chance to drop one of the new currencies: Coin of Knowledge, Coin of Power, and Coin of Skill. These currencies can be used on a max-level skill gem to corrupt it, giving it a random support gem effect that matches the coin’s color.
As for the Mirages, Grinding Gear Games describes them as “imperfect” copies of an area that a Djinn occupies. The Mirages copy almost anything, as long as it’s within the Djinn’s domain. As a result, this imperfection means these endgame maps aren’t perfect replicas and can have side effects. For example, factions of a Legion may appear differently than in the original copy, while some of the strongboxes may change. Players can also expect empowered mechanics with new threats or rewards that have been customized to each mechanic within the Mirage itself. Of course, there’s plenty of new loot, including corrupted new Unique items that players will need to use a Coin of Restoration on to transform back into their original forms.
Players can take on all these new threats with a new set of Holy Skills and Supports. These include skills like Holy Hammer, Holy Sweep, and Holy Strike, while new supports include Nimbus Support, which creates rings of holy judgment that collapse during a Warcry, and Blessed Call Support, which empowers Warcries into holy consecration engines. Mirage also adds new transfigured gems, including variants for those who previously had none. Players can also expect balance adjustments to Bloodline Classes, along with expanded Templar passives.
Path of Exile: Mirage also adds the new Scion Ascendancy, the Reliquarian. A scholar from the Oriath Academy, the Reliquarian draws power from relics scattered through Wraeclast, allowing players to choose the character’s Unique-based passive powers from three categories: Unique Armour, Unique Weapon, and Unique Jewellery. Each category has numerous options, and its Unique powers will change with each expansion, meaning they won’t remain static.
Changes are also heading to the Atlas system and general endgame. For starters, maps will no longer be tied to specific areas, meaning players will now find generic tiered map items and can select the layout from the Atlas. This also means players will now begin at the center of the Atlas, with each corner featuring one of the four Voidstone slots. In addition, Shaped Regions can manifest across the Atlas that modify multiple maps at once. Completing these Shaped Regions will remove the influence from the region while strengthening the remaining maps.
In terms of the overhauled endgame experience, there’s a decent list that you can find in the complete patch notes. However, some include Voidstones now granting global bonuses while socketed, the removal of Petal skills in Originator Maps, and Memory Tears now dropping as itemized Memory Threads that can be traded and stored.
With the launch of Mirage, the Keepers of the Flame system will go core, replacing the old Breach mechanic. Graft items will be removed, but their powers will survive through Exceptional Supports such as the Hiveborn Support or Foulgrasp Support. There are also several quality-of-life improvements, such as the addition of favorite trades to the Currency Exchange and the ability to access your Stash while the UI is open. Players can also look forward to over 20 new campaign landmarks and optional reward encounters.
