The recently announced Path of Exile update now has a name, as developer Grinding Gear Games details two of its experimental new ascendancies. While Path of Exile 2 early access is ongoing, GGG has put some resources aside to ensure players have the chance to return to its beloved first ARPG. Legacy of Phrecia is a new event for the free Steam game that aims to fill the gap until the studio is ready to deliver its delayed 3.26 update and the next full league.
Path of Exile is still the best action RPG you can play right now. Inspired by classics such as Diablo 2 and expanded on for more than a decade since its initial launch, it offers a huge amount of build variety and player creativity, and Grinding Gear Games has consistently delivered interesting twists with its regular seasonal updates. Unfortunately, the free Steam game is on the back burner right now. It’s supposed to run alongside Path of Exile 2, but the sequel’s early access has required so much work that the studio has had to delay the next PoE 1 league.
While Path of Exile 2’s campaign is a serious step up, its endgame – while fairly impressive for a new release – is nowhere close to the depth that its predecessor offers after so many years of updates. In an attempt to please players who have seen everything PoE 2 early access has to offer, GGG announced that it would be running an experimental event testing out some of the most “unhinged ideas” for the first game’s ascendancy classes that never quite made it to the final game.
Now, it gives us a look at two of these. The first is the Harbinger ascendancy for the Witch. This feels like a forerunner to the Chronomancer option for the Path of Exile 2 Sorceress, with the ability to manipulate time, extend buffs and decrease debuffs, dramatically reduce its cooldowns, become immune to ailments while channeling spells, and summon Greater Harbingers from its homeworld to help it in combat.
The second tease is the Duelist’s new ascendancy, the Gambler, which GGG teases as a “perfect class for risk lovers who want to experience the highest of highs, and potentially the lowest of lows.” Almost all of its nodes relate to luck (a mechanic that rolls chances twice and takes the higher value of the two). Spectacular Parlay, for example, makes you less likely to land damaging hits, but with a much better chance that those that do will crit. I’m already excited to see the clips.
Grinding Gear Games asks which of the other ascendancies it should show next – currently, the ‘Disciple of the Trialmaster’ is winning against the ‘Daughter of Oshabi’ and the ‘Servant of Arakaali.’ To close out the preview, it teases an image of what appears to be an expanded map device. Quite what extra functionality it’ll offer remains to be seen – it might simply be for storage, or it could offer a new way to integrate modifiers similar to the relics used in the Trial of the Sekhemas for Path of Exile 2 ascension.
There’s no start date for the Path of Exile Legacy of Phrecia event quite yet – GGG explains that it’s hard to be certain about the timeline given how rapidly the update has been put together. It says, however, that we can expect to get a timeframe for it “early next week” along with more details.
If you’re still working your way through all the Path of Exile 2 quests, check the best Path of Exile 2 builds for our recommended loadouts.
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