The next expansion 3.23 in Path of Exile will bring lots of content to the game. We will share with you the official news and announcement from GGG.
Path of Exile: Affliction Challenge league releases on December 8th 2023.
In Path of Exile: Affliction, players will cleanse the Viridian Wildwood region of its affliction, earn valuable rewards, and learn the ancient ways of the Azmeri Wanderers people.
The December expansion introduces the Affliction Challenge League, three new Wildwood Ascendancy classes, the return of the Ultimatum league mechanic, over one hundred new Transfigured gem variants, and more.
In the Affliction League, players will encounter sacred wisps that guide them to enter overgrown passageways leading to the Viridian Wildwood. An affliction has covered this forest with a foreboding darkness. Players must uncover the forest’s mysteries to stop the source of the affliction.
As players approach the darkness, their wisps burn away the affliction shrouding the forest. However, wisps only have limited power before players are returned to the main Wraeclast region. Within the darkness, cursed monsters emerge to attack players.
While exploring, players may see other wisp types trapped in the darkness. Following wisp trails by collecting them may reveal secrets such as new characters, shrines, boss battles, and encounters. Rewards await those brave enough to seek them.
Upon returning from the wildwood, any wisps players saved from the affliction disperse into the environment, inhabiting randomly chosen monsters to increase their power and rewards. Different wisp types confer unique effects, and multiple wisp habitation makes fights more challenging and lucrative.
Primal wisps grant an item rarity bonus, wild wisps an item quantity bonus, and vivid wisps cause monsters to drop currency items. Monsters with all three types drop more, higher rarity items and currency. Players may find some of the last surviving Azmeri wanderers within the wildwood.
Players choose an Azmeri wanderer to complete quests for, unlocking one of three new ascendancy classes in addition to their regular class. Up to eight points for these classes are earned through quests.
The Warden of Eaves can teach players to become Wardens of the Maji, taking advantage of wilderness knowledge. Wardens apply tinctures to weapons, granting bonuses like always stunning enemies at full life.
A Warden of the Maji gains armour from barkskin while taking damage, increasing evasion when bark falls off temporarily. The Breaker of Oaths can teach players to become Warlocks of the Mists, specializing in Azmeri dark arts. The powerful Blood Hunt ability lets players consume corpses to gain damage and protection against shared creature types. Additional exotic corpses can also be purchased and used as specters. Warlocks also access new curse skills.
The Primal Huntress can teach players to become Wildwood Primalists. Unlike other new ascendancy classes, Primalists customize their tree using randomly generated charms from regular ascendancy classes. Primalists gain access to abilities like extra backpacks or using warcries to cause corpses to drop extra items.
The Affliction Challenge League provides many reward types. Monsters throughout Wraeclast can be affected by wisps, dramatically increasing dropped item quality and quantity. Players earn a Wildwood Ascendancy class and its mechanics. Mists hide additional secret rewards discovered through exploration. Affliction contains over 15 new unique items.
Ultimatum is finally integrated core gameplay. The Trialmaster returns, offering deadly Vaal trials for rewards. He offers double-or-nothing risks for even better rewards if trials are defeated. Players decide whether to lock in current winnings or risk it for more. Ultimatum sees full rebalancing with new modifiers, atlas passives, keystones and rewards including reworked uniques.
Existing alternate quality gems, lab enchantments and unique threshold jewels combine into the new Transfigured Gems system – alternative skill gem variants with different functionality and balance. Over one hundred variants exist, such as Frost Bomb of Instability, Detonate Dead of Scavenging, and Raise Zombie of Falling.
The Divine Font in the eternal labyrinth changes to a gem crafting device. It can create Transfigured Gems, add quality or experience to gems, sacrifice gems for keys, exchange support gems for exceptional variants, and more.