What's Changed in the Scourge Expansion

Path of Exile celebrated its eighth anniversary on October 23 with the arrival of its latest expansion: Scourge. The action RPG managed to sustain interest over the long run, thanks in large part to its consistent delivery of new features in expansions. By now, however, this constant growth has given rise to concerns about bloat. In response, developers Grinding Gear Games decided to use this occasion to streamline the existing Path of Exile content while still adding exciting original items, systems, and twists on older features. Keep reading to learn more about the newly-introduced, retired, and altered features in this expansion.

The Scourge League

Each expansion’s central element is the challenge league, which spices up the leveling process by adding a distinctive mechanic for acquiring and upgrading items. This time, the method involves an item called Blood Crucible. This artifact may be acquired after the end of Act 1 and charges up when its owner slays monsters. You could enter a Nightmare reflection of your current location when it is at 50%+ charge. This charge will drain over time, returning your character to where they activated the device once it is out. The reflection presents opportunities for fighting Scourge demons and earning Corruption, a “buff” that enhances loot drops while also letting demons deal you greater harm.

Earning Corruption serves another purpose. You may choose to deposit an item in the artifact. With every Scourge demon slain, that piece will absorb Corruption until it is fully primed for an upgrade. This process will add Corrupted and Scourged traits to the piece, giving it a negative and a positive array of modifiers on top of existing stats. For instance, a Scourged item might sap your elemental resistances while giving substantial bonuses to various stats. The object may be returned to the Crucible and scourged two more times after that, attaching different and typically more powerful effects to replace the original roll.

Defeating Scourge demons also lets you upgrade the artifact, progressing through a dedicated passive skill tree. Unlocking extra skills would help its owner profit from the league’s content. Some of them speed up the transformation of specific gear types, while others raise the probability of desirable traits like extra sockets, links, or stronger beneficial modifiers. Enemies within the Nightmare can also drop any of ten “tainted” orb types that can improve corrupted gear. Their effects are often unpredictable. For instance, the “tainted” version of Exalted Orbs can attach or erase an object’s modifier at random.

The league also contains the traditional package of forty challenges. Some among those relate directly to league mechanics, requiring you to defeat Scourge bosses or exploit the artifact. Other challenges draw on the aRPG’s core content, including scavenger hunts for specific equipment types and the fulfillment of endgame grinds. Regardless of the sequence in which you pursue these objectives, you will earn league-exclusive cosmetic rewards at the appropriate milestones:

• A sinister glowing weapon skin after completing 12 challenges;
• Scourge-style back limbs or “wings” after 24 challenges;
• A pet demon to follow you around after 36 challenges;
• A totem pole for your hideout at 40 challenges. Although that milestone marks its completion, you will begin collecting pieces for it at 19 challenges, and it will eternally display all your accomplishments from this era.

Atlas Reworked

After defeating any Scourge boss, you have a chance to acquire the Dream Furnace, which could then be connected to your artifact, enabling it to corrupt Atlas maps alongside gear. The corruption process works very similarly. When you transform the map, it receives a positive and a negative effect. However, it also acquires random effects affecting Scourge mechanics. One example modifier makes you enter the Nightmare automatically for a few seconds after every rare or unique kill. A map may be Scourged  ten times, with additional effects either replacing or complementing previous rolls. That is likely to result in very chaotic and challenging content, along with plentiful rewards.

​​​​​​​

Additionally, the standard Atlas of the Worlds content has undergone major changes as part of the effort to streamline the endgame:

• The Atlas has been reworked to include four regions instead of eight;
• Accordingly, Watchstones have been halved as well, while keeping regional unlock requirements in place;
• 46 base maps have been removed, leaving a total of 118 maps (including uniques). Map Device unlock requirements have been lowered accordingly;
• Bonuses have been redistributed among the remaining maps in such a way as to provide players with greater net bonuses once the Atlas is unlocked completely;
• Exclusive loot drops including Divination Cards have been similarly redistributed between the maps that remain;
• Atlas passive skills have likewise been redistributed to the remaining regions. Some options are gone due to their mechanics being obsolete, united with other skills, or otherwise modified.

Legacy Content

Expedition league features have become a permanent part of the main game, encountered in Act 6 and aftewards. Its encounters were rebalanced, somewhat decreasing enemy numbers and altering certain rewards. Four Expedition-related passive skills were added to the endgame, which should more than make up for the reward nerfs. Most importantly, Expedition Artifacts are now collected automatically and could not be traded away to other players. That should both cut down on the busywork and make bartering with the Kalguurans more interesting, as the results of unsatisfactory bargains cannot simply be sold for Chaos orbs.

The developers have previously revealed their intention to remove some less popular and distinctive content from earlier leagues, making room for further additions. Thus far the only old league to be cut is the Perandus league. Perandus coins and all other related content can no longer spawn, being replaced by other items or enemies where possible. In many cases, that means replacing older league rewards with Expedition ones. Unique items from the obsolete league have been shifted to the general loot pool, so the likes of Zerphi’s Last Breath are still available.

Many types of advanced content from the remaining old leagues were upgraded to powered-up “Uber” versions, or otherwise tweaked to be more accessible and lucrative:

• Completing higher-level Blighted maps unlocks enhanced Blight-ravaged variations, which may be Anointed up to nine times and feature significantly tougher, faster monsters;
• The Domain of Timeless Conflict now offers an opportunity to acquire elite emblems that open the way to more dangerous encounters with monsters who change modifiers every time they are revived;
• Breaches now include additional random modifiers and offer extra varied and numerous loot. The newly-implemented advanced Breachstones acquired after following up on the Maven’s invitation have four extra modifiers, plus higher-level opponents and loot;
• The Simulacrum received ten more waves, raising the final number to thirty. The newer waves are substantially more difficult and have a higher chance of spawning a Delirium boss. However, the drop rates for Delirium items and currencies have been amped up as well;
• The Eternal (Uber) Labyrinth no longer calls for the completion of any more Trials of Ascendancy. Instead, beating the Labyrinth on earlier difficulty levels and bringing an Offering to the Goddess is enough to enter it.

Skills and Items Enriched

The skill and item system has likewise received some significant changes and additions:

• The passive skill tree has undergone an overhaul. Numerous skills were modified, while six keystone skills have made their debut appearance. Selecting a Notable pick in a cluster now unlocks a Passive Mastery, which enables players to choose between several relevant stat bonuses. Many previous stat bonus passives were consolidated into Masteries, though there are a few wholly original enhancements to consider too. The overall intent is for passive skill choices to be more impactful and simpler to parse;
• Ten active skill gems were added to the mix. Each might define a build or at least spice up boss encounters, with fascinating talents like the power to rewind time, restoring a hero to an earlier position and state. The most promising additions would be link skills that provide powerful bonuses to your allies but also make you die when they do;
• 13 Divination Cards and 7 Unique Items were added for further variety, with fascinating and powerful options among them, like the Mageblood belt that turns magic utility flask effects to always on;
• Dodge stats are not available anymore due to being too similar to, but stronger than, Evasion. Evasion has been buffed to compensate. Skills that used Dodge have received substitute abilities, and quite a few monsters have lost their always-hit attacks;
• Many Awakened support gems have received additional effects or superior bonuses to differentiate them from non-Awakened versions;
• A wide-ranging Flask rebalancing made non-unique flasks more useful, expanding player options. For instance, the anti-ailment modifier now delivers a passive ailment immunity instead of removing ailments, making it considerably more viable during hectic fights;
• Stackable loot such as currencies now drops as a single bundle rather than multiple stacks, making it much easier to collect. Certain items like Incubators could now be stacked as well.

Guild Features

Guilds have finally received a few long-requested improvements. Most importantly, Guild hideouts are now a part of the game. Guild members can hang out there and use the local Map Device and Crafting Bench as if it were their own. Guild leaders can choose Hideouts from among those they had discovered or purchased. Individual and Guild Hideouts alike have gained unlimited access to all free decorations, as the Favour and Master Level system has been removed. Further decorations may be purchased with Guild Points for the Guild hideout. Guild stashes have become more versatile, with all the convenient use features and special tab options found in their personal equivalents.

Conclusion

Although Path of Exile is still going strong, the months before Scourge have been uneven. Delays affecting Path of Exile 2 and promised early chapter refinement have sapped player enthusiasm. So have the numerous nerfs regarding the Expedition features. The deletion of so much content in this update  may be another controversial decision. However, the effort to decrease grind and enhance player control over the experience was widely welcomed. The Guild improvements and link skills are especially welcome to users who prefer to play in groups. If those tweaks appeal to you, and you wish to jump in, remember our coaching services and carries - the surest method of improving your experience!