Path of Exile 3.28 shown off with new Mirage mechanic and sweeping endgame improvements

Grinding Gear Games has finally shown off what Path of Exile’s new 3.28 patch has in store. As shown off by teasers, its central mechanic is related to illusions, and the mechanic is aptly named Mirage. No, Trial of Sekhemas isn’t coming to POE. Instead, Exiles will work towards freeing captured Djinns with the help of Varashta: the Winter Sekhema, who will send us to the Astral Realm- an alternate version of an area. Mirages are essentially another mini-instance that let you repeat a part of the map’s content again.

You get to pick one buff before entering a Mirage, and upon completion, there’s a chance to get one of three new coin currencies. It can be used to enhance a maximum-level skill gem of your choosing. Think of it as a Vaal orb on steroids. They aren’t the only chase items in mirages, though. Progress far enough, and you get to fight a new area boss, Saresh, who can drop a new unique sceptre. Additionally, a bunch of new uniques have also been added.

Path of Exile 3.28 also adds a new category of skill gems called Holy Gems: Holy Light, Holy Sweep, Holy Strike and Divine Blast. Holy Heavens, in particular, looks promising with the right support and gear. It can clear a screen full of enemies, although you’ll need a steady supply of Power Charges to get the most out of Holy Light. GGG has also added new support gems to enhance said Holy Gems.

We also get a new ascendancy for one of Path of Exile’s most divisive classes: Scion. Called The Reliquarian, it can harness the power of specific, unique items such as Widowhail and Astramentis without actually equipping them. GGG says it will keep rotating the unique items every patch, thus keeping the class fresh. Existing Ascendancies like Guardian and Warden have also been reworked. 

However, the most notable change bought forth by Path of Exile 3.28 is how endgame mapping works. You no longer need specific maps to unlock their corresponding biomes. All you need to do is locate the corresponding biome on your Atlas, throw in a map, and add scarabs for juicing. Plus, you get three configurable Atlas Tree slots that can be switched in real time between maps.

The actual Atlas has also been redesigned. Now, one starts at the centre, with each corner with one Voidstone slot. All unique maps are now located throughout the Atlas, and all you need to do is to get to each one. You will, however, still need the corresponding unique map in your inventory. Astrolabes are new items that change the properties of a select region. This lets you further juice your map with additional modifiers. Lastly, Tier 17 maps have been ‘effectively’ removed. 

Path of Exile 3.28 will be playable on March 26 at 00:00 PST. GGG has also added some new supporter packs that add new cosmetics, all of which can be carried over to Path of Exile 2. The full (and rather gargantuan) changelog has been posted on the official POE forum.