Path of Exile

3.26.0b Hotfix

• Fixed a client crash when failing to fall back to DirectX11 if DirectX12 is not supported.

3.26.0b Patch Notes

• Reduced the damage of the Memory Influence Monsters.
• The Refiner's Bargain Atlas Keystone now has Lifeforce found in your Maps is granted as a random Crop instead at 150% of the value (from 300%). The client will display the old value until updated in a later patch.
• Vastly reduced the gold cost of extremely rare Unique items from Cadiro in Betrayal. The rarest unique will cost at a maximum ~135000 gold. This is to alleviate an issue where you'd have to keep a huge amount of gold on your character at all times just in case the right unique item was offered. This is approximately twenty-five times cheaper now for the most expensive unique items.
• Fixed a bug where the Cannot have Minions other than Animated Weapons Modifier on the Dark Monarch Unique was not removing Animated Guardian.
• Fixed a bug where some Mercenaries would be unable to take actions while taunted by non-players.
• Fixed several cases of Mercenaries attempting to target players that had not opted into duels. They couldn't damage them, just try to.
• Fixed Veiled Chaos Orbs not being listable on the Currency Exchange.
• Fixed Syndicate Medallion, Echo of Loneliness, Echo of Trauma and Echo of Reverence not being in the Fragments tab of the Currency Exchange.
• Fixed Blessed Orbs not being usable on Expedition Logbooks.
• Fixed Kingsmarch resources not being collected if you hadn't visited Kingsmarch yet.
• Fixed a bug with Memory Lines sometimes not generating when talking to Eagon in your hideout.
• Fixed a bug where the Quisitive Quandaries The Dweller of the Deep Challenge was being completed when clearing the Fetid Pool instead.
• Added a tooltip for disabled Currency Exchange orders to clarify they can manually be migrated from Character Selection.
• Changed the Controller button for opening the Bestiary book and Heist inventory to avoid clashing with Mercenaries.
• Fixed a bug when using Controller where the dropdown selection in the Farm Plot UI was not working.
• Fixed a bug when using Controller where the Expedition Explosives placement not responding to right stick movement.
• Fixed a bug when using Controller where the Atlas Passive Tree selector on was not functioning correctly.
• Fixed a client crash when using Controller that could occur when talking to Sin about the Pantheon.
• Fixed a client crash when using Controller that could occur in the Challenges panel.
• Fixed a crash when using Controller that could occur when entering the socket management mode UI.
• Fixed 2 instance crashes.

This patch was deployed without restarting the servers, you'll need to patch your client to get the client changes.

We wanted to give an update talking about how the launch went and what we're immediately working on.

Over the weekend we launched Path of Exile: Secrets of the Atlas. We are so thrilled to see the number of people who joined us for launch day. Welcome back, Exiles!

Starting with the elephant in the room, unfortunately primarily our European servers but also servers across the globe have been facing a barrage of DDOS attacks. We understand that this issue has ruined such an anticipated launch for many players. This is unacceptable service and we are deeply sorry. We want to assure you that we are taking this very seriously and it is the highest priority problem for our company to solve. Due to the nature of these attacks, we're unable to provide a timeframe on when it will be resolved but we do want to acknowledge that we do see the issue and are doing everything we can to mitigate this.

Another thing we caught just prior to the launch was an issue with our final console builds which did not affect our internal realms so couldn't have been caught sooner than it was. Because this required brand new builds to be created, tested and then certified, this process took quite a long time to fix, but the console realms are now fully operational and players are able to login and play. We are implementing measures to prevent this occurring in the future.

While our system administration and backend team address the issues with the servers, our development team continues to monitor feedback. Currently the leading issue we're looking to address with the league is that a number of Mercenary skills, especially once you get to the middle of the campaign start to deal overwhelming amounts of damage to the player, often instantly killing you, you should expect a patch in the near future that puts all these skills more in line. This will not affect the Mercenary balance when they are your ally.

Additionally we're looking at making some improvements to the Memory Skills granted in maps influenced by The Originator, we'll have more updates on this later this week.

We also just wanted to give a huge thank you to all our players, be it those who have returned to play Path of Exile after a year with no expansions, and all those who are new to the game.

We're very excited to not only once again be delivering content, but playing the game alongside you all.

Thank you Exiles!

3.26.0 Hotfix 6

• Fixed a bug that could stop the Incarnation of Dread fight from being completed during the collect roses phase.

3.26.0 Hotfix 5

• Re-enabled progression in Kirac's Vault Pass.
• Fixed a "GetAdapterInfo" client crash that could occur when launching the game.

3.26.0 Hotfix 4

• Added Opt-In Party Member UI to Mercenary Encounters.
• Prevented the Fallen Reverend Mercenary from summoning far too many spectres when encountered.
• Lowered damage significantly on Greater Shock Nova and Vaal Flameblast Mercenary Skills. Greater Shock Nova reduction will only apply to enemy Mercenaries. Vaal Flameblast reduction will apply both when allied and when an enemy.
• Fixed a bug where a legacy chance to Suppress Spell Damage modifier could roll on Veiled Body Armours and a legacy increased Critical Strike Chance during Flask Effect modifier could roll on Cinderswallow Urn.
• Fixed a deserialise packet packet crash that could occur on the login screen.
• Fixed a client crash related to the Phrecian Magistrate Character Effect.
• Fixed two instance crashes.

You will need to restart your client to receive the client changes in this hotfix.

3.26.0 Hotfix 3

• Changed DirectX12 to be the default Renderer, which also helps players who were experiencing device errors under DirectX11. Clients on DirectX11 will automatically switch to this if supported but can change back if needed. The "(default)" text next to this will be updated in a later patch.
• Fixed an bug where vendor windows would not save the search filter after clearing the textbox.
• Fixed a client crash on the Steam login screen.

You will need to restart your client to receive the client changes in this hotfix.

3.26.0 Hotfix 2

• Fixed a bug where Smoulderstrike Mercenaries failed to spawn with Unique Weapons equipped correctly.
• Fixed a client crash related to the King of the Faridun Armour Set.
• Fixed the DLSS option not being available on Steam.

3.26.0 Hotfix

• Fixed disconnections affecting players when trying to login.

Secrets of the Atlas Additional Boss Kill Event

Due to the networking issues causing Europe and some regions in Asia to be unstable and getting disconnected we will be running a SECOND pinnacle boss race event later in the league once we have addressed the problems or can be certain there won't be disruptions to this degree.

The entire prize pool will be awarded again (the same prizes too) on top of the current event, we will clarify how this will work exactly in a follow up post once we can schedule a date.

We will make sure this is run later to give everyone enough time to get practice and familiar with the content so that it can be as fair as possible and will let people know in advance the date.

To confirm, the existing event will continue and the prizes will still be valid so that the efforts of the unaffected players are not in vain.

Since the Path of Exile: Secrets of the Atlas reveal last week we've continued to make changes to the Mercenaries league. One such change is the introduction of the Renown system. We've made a quick video for you to checkout but if you'd prefer to read it at your own pace we've included that too!

As you defeat Mercenaries, you will gain Renown among the Trarthan arrivals to Wraeclast. Successfully defeating a Mercenary will push you up one rank of Renown, to a maximum of three, whereas either losing or backing out of a fight will cost you one rank.

Backing out means that you speak to a Mercenary, view their gear and skills, then walk away and never fight that Mercenary. Returning to them in the same area will allow you to fight them without penalty. Only leaving and never returning to fight them will cost you Renown as they will spread the word of your cowardice amongst the other Trarthans.

For each rank of Renown that you have, you have increased odds of encountering Infamous Mercenaries, who come from far and wide to test their mettle against you.

Infamous Mercenaries are tougher fights, but have better Rucksack loot, are equipped with more powerful rare items, always have at least one unique item equipped and are the only source of Infamous modifier items.

As we mentioned in our FAQ post, you will also encounter Infamous Mercenaries more often in maps with higher numbers of modifiers, to reward you for making the content more difficult.

To spot an Infamous Mercenary, keep an eye out for this fancier golden border, as well as the prefix "Infamous" before their archetype!

In the Mercenaries League, you'll be able to earn a set of exclusive microtransactions themed around the Secrets of the Atlas expansion by completing 40 new challenges. At 12, 20, 28, and 36 challenges you'll receive the Watcher's Wrath Boots, Gloves, Body Armour and Helmet respectively.

Completing challenges also grants you pieces of the Mercenaries Totem Pole Hideout Decoration!

In Ruthless you'll receive these microtransactions at 2, 4, 6, and 8 challenges completed.

3.25.3g Patch Notes

• This is the end of the Settlers League. Your characters and their progress will be migrated over the next few hours following the patch, or you can use the migration options in the character selection menu. Thanks for playing!
• You can now create Private Leagues for the Mercenaries League, ahead of the league's launch on June 13. These leagues will not begin until the Mercenaries League launches.
• Runes will be deleted upon logging in.

With Path of Exile: Secrets of the Atlas launching soon, there will be a multitude of new Trarthan Skills and Infamous item modifiers to customise your characters with. Check out some examples of the new things you can find below!

We highlighted Siege Ballista of Trarthus during the Secrets of the Atlas Content Reveal and two more Trarthan gems can be found on the Secrets of the Atlas Announcement Page, but we know that those of you wanting to try out new skills will be keen to see some more!

Wave of Conviction of Trarthus

Video: Path of Exile: Wave of Conviction of Trarthus

Heavy Strike of Trarthus

New skills aren't the only thing you'll be able to get from the new Trarthan arrivals. Here are some more items with Infamous modifiers that you can obtain by defeating Mercenaries.

Infamous Modifiers

There's a whole lot more secrets to uncover yet! We look forward to them being found when Secrets of the Atlas launches at 1pm on June 13th (PDT). See you there!

In our recent GGG Live stream, Mark and Jonathan sat down for a Q&A with ZiggyD. In today's news post, we've provided answers to some of the most frequently asked questions that didn't make it into the livestream. Check them out!

How does equipping Mercenaries with items work? Can any Mercenary be equipped with any item?

Each Mercenary is associated with Attributes. Mercenaries will generate with gear that matches the Attributes they are associated with, and will only be able to be equipped with new Armour gear that matches their Attributes in the following way:

For Mercenaries with a single Attribute, any Armour gear that requires that Attribute is valid. For Mercenaries with multiple Attributes, any Armour gear that requires an Attribute not associated with that Mercenary is invalid.

As an example: A Strength Mercenary will be equippable with gear requiring just Strength, Strength + Dexterity or Strength + Intelligence. A Dexterity/Intelligence Mercenary will be equippable with gear requiring just Dexterity, just Intelligence or Dexterity + Intelligence.

Mercenaries do not need to meet attribute requirements outside of the above rule. Mercenaries need to be within 70% of level requirements of an item to equip it.

Mercenaries also have preferred weapon types, and will not equip weapons that do not match their preferred types. Generally, they are going to prefer weapons that they can actually use their skills with.

Will Map modifiers affect rewards from Mercenaries?

Increased Quantity on a Map Area from Map Modifiers will increase the chances that you find an Infamous Mercenary in that area.

Are Link skills able to target allied Mercenaries?

Yes, you can link to an allied Mercenary. Just make sure they don't die on you.

Can Gold appear as a reward in a Mercenary's pouch?

No.

Can Mercenaries be renamed?

No.

Can Mercenaries use items with influenced trigger skills (like Shaper weapons with Cast on Crit)?

Short answer - No.

Longer answer - Mercenary Skills are not socketed into gear in the way that player skills are. They are inherent to the Mercenary rather than being the result of a socketed gem, so in the case of something like a Cast on Crit weapon, it would be hard to determine what skill should even be triggered - or indeed, do the triggering.

Will Mercenaries be tradable with other players?

Mercenaries are not tradeable.

Are Mercenaries account bound or character bound?

Account bound.

Can I immediately use a high level Mercenary I've previously recruited when levelling a new character?

No. If you are 20+ levels lower than a Mercenary, they will not follow you. You are not worth their time.

Do Mercenaries get passive skills from gear, such as the anointed notables on amulets or keystones from Uniques?

Anointed passive skills will work. Keystones from Uniques also will work.

Will the Trarthan gems also appear in the Divine Font at the end of the Labyrinth, or are they only available from Mercenaries?

Trarthan Gems are only available from Mercenaries (starting in level 68+ areas), and each individual Gem is only available from a specific variety of Mercenary.

Will Animate Guardian get an equipment interface similar to Mercenaries? How will that work?

No. However, it's worth mentioning that Animate Guardian has been changed in the following way:

• Animated Guardians now retain their items when they die. However, if your Animated Guardian dies you cannot summon an Animated Guardian again in that area (unless that area is a hideout).

Are the new Pinnacle bosses able to be witnessed by the Maven?

No (maybe in the future though).

Are there Uber versions of the new Pinnacle Bosses?

No (maybe in the future though). Although note the quest version of the boss is easier than the repeatable endgame version.

Are there going to be the "tier 4" Syndicate leader rewards after killing Catarina? The treasure room after the Catarina fight, is that still there or is it randomized/gone?

They're gone.

Does interacting with Syndicate members pause the game too?

Yes.

Are we still going to have to hire workers in Kingsmarch?

Yes, the town is pre-built and completed but workers will still need to be hired and paid for.

Does a Runebind count as a "different" mastery for the purpose of skills like Trickster's Polymath, or do they count as the same mastery, for the purpose of things like the life mastery that grants 10% more life if you have 6 life masteries?

Yes, although all Runegrafts count as the same type of Mastery. They do not count as Life masteries.

To celebrate the launch of Secrets of the Atlas, we're hosting a Boss Kill Event where Path of Exile players can compete to kill the new Pinnacle Bosses in the Mercenaries HC SSF League. We have put together a prize pool that gives the winners the opportunity to collaborate with our design team to create new Unique Items and Divination cards that will be added to Path of Exile.

Prizes will be awarded to the first ten players who kill all three of the new pinnacle bosses, called "The Incarnations" in their non-quest variations (Area level 84).

Prizes for Top Placings - PC:

• 1st: Design a Unique for new Pinnacle Boss: Incarnation of Dread or the future-released Uber variant of this Boss Fight & Collaborate on the design of a Divination Card + Godslayer's Pride Microtransaction.

  The first place winner will also get some additional design space with their item if they want to do something a little different. For example, if you would like to design a Unique Map or if you would like to design a Unique Item that requires a unique-piece from each of the three Bosses, then needs to be combined to create something more epic, this is something we will allow, so feel free to stray from the norm! This is something our team will help provide more details on during collaboration.

• 2nd: Design a Unique for new Pinnacle Boss: Incarnation of Neglect or the future-released Uber variant of this Boss Fight & Collaborate on the design of a Divination Card + Godslayer's Pride Microtransaction.

• 3rd: Design a Unique for new Pinnacle Boss: Incarnation of Fear or the future-released Uber variant of this Boss Fight & Collaborate on the design of a Divination Card + Godslayer's Pride Microtransaction.

• 4th-10th place: Collaborate on the design of a Divination Card + Godslayer's Pride Microtransaction.

To celebrate Zana's return, there will also be a set of prizes for defeating bosses that were historically significant to her. Bonus prizes will be awarded to the first players to defeat Uber Sirus, Uber Uber Elder, Uber Shaper or Uber Cortex. To celebrate Betrayal's rework, there is also a bonus prize for defeating Catarina.

Bonus Prizes - PC:

• First Catarina Kill: Collaborate on the design of a Unique Item that will drop from Catarina, you can even input on the custom Veiled Modifiers that will be able to be unveiled on this Unique.
• First Uber Uber Elder Kill: Collaborate on the design of a Unique Item that will drop from the Uber Elder or Uber Uber Elder.
• First Uber Shaper Kill: Collaborate on the design of a Unique Item that will drop from the Shaper or Uber Shaper.
• First Uber Sirus Kill: Collaborate on the design of a Unique Item that will drop from Sirus or Uber Sirus, The Awakener.
• First Uber Cortex Kill: Collaborate on the design of a Unique Item that will drop from Cortex or Uber Cortex.

Console players can also participate in this event with separate prize pools from PC. The Console Boss Kill Event will take place in the SSF Mercenaries League.

Prizes for Top Placings - (both Xbox and Playstation have separate prize pools):

• 1st-3rd place: Collaborate on the design of a Divination Card + Godslayer's Pride Microtransaction.
• 4th-10th place: A Godslayer's Pride Microtransaction.

Additional Rules:

• A player can win both a Placing prize and one or more Bonus Prizes.
• If there are operational problems with the event (like significant realm stability issues at launch), Grinding Gear Games may restart the event at any point. The way we will do this is to create a new event league and indicate that players who wish to compete in the new event must make new characters there.
• Players who migrate from a private league to Mercenaries HC SSF during the event are ineligible for prizes.
• Placings and prize eligibility are entirely at the discretion of Grinding Gear Games.
• The prizes that consist of collaborating on the design of a Divination Card or Unique Item do not guarantee that the item will turn out exactly how you want. The design team will try to accommodate your suggestions as best as they can, but the final design is at their discretion. Because these Unique Items are likely to become chase content, it's critical that they fit the overall design vision of Path of Exile. The balance and drop chances of these items after their release is entirely at the discretion of Grinding Gear Games.
• While the event being SSF reduces a lot of scope for outside help, any form of account sharing (or other breaches of the Terms of Use) will disqualify a player from receiving prizes. Grinding Gear Games Employees (past or present) are not eligible for prizes.
• Players who have played on the Alpha realm since June 6th, 2025 (when the expansion was first deployed) are not eligible for prizes.
• Dying or migrating your character out of the league doesn't remove prize eligibility as long as the kill occurred while in the league.
• Prizes cannot be transferred. Only the person who completed the achievements in the event can collaborate on the Unique Item and Divination Card designs. It's fine for these people to seek advice and help from other community members with their design.
• Upon winning, if you take too long to engage in the collaborative design such that the content may have changed context or been removed from the game then you will lose your design opportunity or it will be moved to another Pinnacle Boss or equivalent at Grinding Gear Games' discretion. We will notify you in advance where possible of course!

As a helpful tip, the top of the Atlas Passive Skill Tree comes with three notable skills that allow you to influence which of the Incarnations will appear; these will be very useful to ensure you don't get too unlucky.

Good luck in the event!

The Settlers Challenge League will end soon and you may be wondering what will happen when it does.

Kingsmarch will be going core in 3.26. You can find out the specifics in our content reveal, which you can find here. The league will end on Jun 09, 2025 10:00 PM (GMT).

Here's what you can expect once the league ends:

• Gold in both your inventory and in your Kingsmarch Treasury will be preserved, but will not be visible or usable until the launch of 3.26.
• All Kingsmarch resources, such as crops and ore, will be deleted.
• All of your Kingsmarch workers will be deleted.
• Any unclaimed rewards from Mapping or Shipping will be deleted.
• Maps in Kingsmarch Map Devices that haven't been ran, or items in the Disenchanting inventory that haven't been disenchanted will be moved to Remove Only Stash Tabs.
• All existing Runes will be deleted. Runecrafts on existing items will remain.
• The Currency Exchange will be migrated to Standard, but the listings won't get cancelled. Players won't be able to access any of their listings in Standard between 3.25.3g and 3.26.0

Thanks to everyone for playing Settlers of Kalguur. While it's been a long time, we hope you're excited as we are for our next expansion, The Secrets of the Atlas!