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Path of Exile 3.28 has "serious implications for juicing" and a major endgame rework, but GGG is sticking by one divisive change

At first glance, the Path of Exile Mirage update doesn't sound as bold or dramatic as some past installments, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it'll be remembered as a major inflection point in the free-to-play ARPG's life. Grinding Gear Games has now had some time to establish the differences between the up-and-coming PoE 2 and its still-active predecessor. In PoE 3.28, the team is implementing some fundamental changes to the way endgame progression works, alongside a new Mirage mechanic that transforms existing activities, and a special Scion ascendancy that's planned to stick around for the long term.


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Path of Exile: Mirage is Launching on March 6th!

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In Path of Exile: Mirage you will take on a rogue sect of the Faridun as they sap the energies of captured Djinn for nefarious ends, and help a legendary Maraketh Sekhema put an end to an ancient war once and for all.

Our new expansion introduces a new Challenge League, a variety of new and reworked Skill and Support Gems, significant Endgame changes and a plethora of Quality of Life features.


The Afarud, the most depraved and twisted of the Faridun, have formed a pact with Saresh, a powerful necromancer who built an army of undead to seek revenge on the Maraketh. They intend to seek out and harness the power of the Djinn, twisting it to their ends to further their war on the Maraketh. Varashta, a powerful Sekhema who has been suspended in time for eons, will assist you as you seek to halt the Afarud's efforts in Wraeclast.

In the Mirage Challenge League, you will encounter the souls of Djinn torturously trapped by the Afarud, and work to set them free. Enter the Mirage they project, an imperfect copy of the area around the captured Djinn. Fight your way through the monsters, astral hazards, and Afarud mages to the tether holding the Djinn. Free them, and you will be rewarded.


Being a Djinn herself, Varashta can offer you a further mote of ancient Maraketh power, providing you with three wishes to choose from. Each of these is a powerful modifier which will augment the Mirage you enter.

The magic of the Mirage will augment any other league mechanic that appears within its dominion. Warped into existence by the Astral realm, these encounters behave differently, and can sometimes provide strange and powerful rewards.


The Afarud are not only torturers but thieves, and have over the centuries stolen away countless priceless Maraketh artefacts - but using their magic, they have twisted and warped these to items suit their own purposes. Use the forbidden power of these desecrated artefacts or restore them to their former glory with the aid of Varashta.


By meddling in the affairs of the Afarud, you will eventually draw the ire of Saresh, the necromancer supreme. Do you dare to face him and put a stop to his marauding undead legion?


In this expansion, we are adding a variety of new Holy Skill Gems. Slam the ground to call down a hammer of justice, summon forth an army of divine armaments, or project the power of the sun into a blast of righteous anger.


In Path of Exile: Mirage, extensive changes are coming to the Atlas and Mapping systems. Here is just a few of them:
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  • [p] Map items no longer require a specific map item to access an associated map area. Instead, you will have a map item of a given tier that can be used to open any map on your Atlas that matches that tier.
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  • [p] The structure of the Atlas has also changed: you will now begin at the centre of the Atlas, with each corner housing one of the four Voidstones, and all content accessed from your map device now exists physically on the Atlas.
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  • [p] In this expansion, you will continue helping Eagon in his search for Zana. Using Arcane Astrolabes you will uncover Shaped Regions: unstable areas across the Atlas that Eagon must quell to bring him closer to his true target, the Memory Vaults.
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  • [p] Upon defeating the Endgame Incarnation bosses, powerful new Exceptional Support Gems will begin dropping from specific Atlas Bosses.
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  • [p] Tier 17 Maps have received significant changes to better align with their original design. These are now called Nightmare Maps and are now tier 16, with their primary purpose being to obtain Uber Boss Fragments.
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[p]Play Path of Exile: Mirage for free on March 6 (PST) on all available platforms![/p]

Mirage Livestream Twitch Drops

Be one with the desert with the Mirage Weapon Effect Twitch drop that will be available during the Path of Exile: Mirage content reveal. Get it for free by tuning into GGG Live at 11AM on February 26th (PST).

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[h3]How to Participate[/h3]
Simply link your Path of Exile account to Twitch (see below) and tune into GGG Live at www.twitch.tv/pathofexile, or any channel in the Path of Exile Directory for 45 minutes. Drops will be enabled from Feb 26, 11AM PST until Feb 27, 11AM PST.

You will get the Mirage Weapon Effect after 45 minutes of accumulated watch time on any channel with drops enabled streaming Path of Exile during the event. This means that the drop is guaranteed for everyone who has watched any Path of Exile stream for this amount of time. This promotion is available for all accounts.

If you’re planning to stream Path of Exile during our livestream and want to enable Twitch Drops for your viewers, you can do it via your Twitch Creator Dashboard here.

[h3]Linking your Path of Exile Account to Twitch[/h3]
Visit your Twitch Settings page while logged in. If your account isn't connected, click the "Connect" button for Twitch under "Other Connections". Complete the process on Twitch and you will be redirected back to your Twitch Settings page. If your account is already connected, this page should say "Your Path of Exile account is currently linked to your Twitch account."

After you've accumulated enough watch time to earn your Mirage Weapon Effect, you must redeem it from your Twitch Inventory before the promotional period ends. Then it will be immediately available in your microtransactions list in both Path of Exile and Path of Exile 2. The Mirage Weapon Effect will be available for purchase from the store at a later date.

We can’t wait to share the details of Path of Exile: Mirage with you! To stay up to date in the lead up to the livestream be sure to check out our Twitter, Facebook and Forums. We'll see you at GGG Live at www.twitch.tv/pathofexile!

Upcoming Developer Interviews

After the Path of Exile: Mirage Announcement this week, you’re bound to have questions. Community Creators, Zizaran and Jungroan will each interview Game Designers Octavian and Andrew.

[h3]Zizaran - March 1 (PST)[/h3]
Tune into Zizaran’s stream on March 1st (PST) to explore the Mirage league a little deeper and get a glimpse into how this expansion came to be.

[h3]Jungroan - March 4 (PST)[/h3]
Jungroan and co-host Spawn will also be interviewing Octavian and Andrew on the first ever episode of their podcast. Tune into Jungroan’s Twitch to catch it live on March 4th.




Watch GGG Live on February 26 (PST)

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[h2]GGG Live[/h2]
GGG Live will begin at 11AM on February 26th PST at twitch.tv/pathofexile.

During the livestream you'll learn all about the 3.28 expansion for Path of Exile, its challenge league and other content. After the livestream, Path of Exile’s Game Director Mark and Game Designer Octavian will answer your questions live in a Q&A session with ZiggyD.

A new Twitch Drops reward will be enabled for the livestream. We’ll announce the details early next week. Co-streaming is welcomed!

[h2]Path of Exile's 3.28 Expansion Launch Date[/h2]
Defeat Time itself! You'll be able to play the Mirage expansion for free on PC on March 6th PST.

See you soon!