This week in Path of Exile, the community once again had its chance to shine in the spotlight with the announcement of a new contest, a high octane Build of the Week, and a curated list of community art assets. Not to be outdone, the Path of Exile development team took to the airwaves with a series of videos to show off new microtransactions, provided insight into the latest patch and revealed plans for upcoming tweaks to The Atlas.
Development Manifesto: The Atlas
Several changes of significance will be coming to The Atlas, the hugely successful centerpiece of the recently Atlas of Worlds expansion. In a new Development Manifesto, the team provides insight into forthcoming changes, all of which are likely to appear in a single patch in the not-too-distant future.
- Sextant Mods are going to be buffed in a way that makes them rewarding. This includes developers looking into the rarity of Sextants and a way that may possibly lead to an increase in Apprentice Sextants drop rates. Rather than making drops more common, providing an opportunity for an increased rate becomes more valuable.
- A trio of maps will be given a pass in order to tweak the Hallowed Ground Unique Map drop rates by adjusting and possibly locking the maximum tier map drops; Atziri and the Uber Atziri areas will provide both league runners, guilds and individuals to achieve satisfactory map drops that provide some progress to all and / or trade value; and the Endgame Labyrinth will likely remain mostly unchanged as developers are pretty pleased with where it sits at the moment.
The Atlas UI will also be getting some nifty updates to give players more feedback on bonus completion signifiers on the Atlas and the graphic will be made more distinct.
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Lastly, additional features for finding maps on the Atlas UI will be added that allow players to hover over a map in inventory in order to see it highlighted in the Atlas while a right click will open and center the view of that map.
Check out the full manifesto for the upcoming Atlas patch on the Path of Exile site.
You can also check out the latest patch notes here.
The Community Spotlight
The amazing Path of Exile community once again took center stage this week with a number of neat articles on the site that tap into its creativity.
First off the bat, is this week's Build of the Week for Season 6, Episode 1. It's the rebirth of the series and starts off with a fiery barrage from Insobyr's Volley of Fire Barrage Deadeye. The build features a level 92 Deadeye Ranger that rains poison from the skies to decimate a pile of enemies. Check it out below or you can, if you prefer, read all about it on the Path of Exile forum.
Nothing speaks of a community's love than the creation of amazing fan art. The Path of Exile community is a perfect example of the wide variety of artistic pursuit that has been inspired by PoE. Some of the best were highlighted this week and include handmade ceramic maps, 3D renders of PoE characters, and a trio of digital artwork by as many artists.
See them all in the Path of Exile Community Showcase.
The community is also being given the opportunity to help out the development team and to have its efforts become immortalized in the game via the fourth vote in ZiggyD's Community Unique Name & Flavour Text Poll. Players are being asked to select the name and flavor text for a Vanguard Belt, a new base belt, that provide it with thematic history relevant to its effects. In essence, to tell its story.
Check out the voting so far along with a bit more about the belt on the Community Unique Name & Flavour Text Poll page.
Lastly, for those interested in the more numeric side of Path of Exile, some nifty statistics with regard to Essence League have been posted including challenge progress and most used items and skills. It's a fun look to see where you shape up against others.
New Microtransactions
Microtransactions are an amazing way for players to customize their characters with unique looks and effects, a wholly optional portion of Path of Exile. This week, the development team took the opportunity to create four videos to show off some of the nine new entries into the microtransaction library: Lightning Armor Pack, Acid Magma Orb, Rift Worm Shock Nova and Tentacle Caustic Arrow (seen below).
Check them all out on the Path of Exile page dedicated to this week's microtransaction additions.
We'll see you next week for the latest Path of Exile: Exiled Tribune report!
