Path of Exile 1 Return of the Ancestors - How Does New Tattoo System Change Ascendancy Progression and Builds?

Path of Exile Patch 3.30 will launch in 2026 and could become a good opportunity to reorganize some of the game's older content. As the game continues to expand, endgame content has received constant updates, but some legacy content, campaign monsters, and old bosses have gradually faded from the current PoE experience.

These monsters and characters once had distinctive identities in Path of Exile, but are now rarely encountered. If Patch 3.30 continues to push content reworks, these forgotten monsters and pieces of lore could become a very worthwhile development direction.

Next, let's take a look at whether Path of Exile Patch 3.30 could make better use of this forgotten content and what it could bring to the current endgame.

Campaign

Path of Exile campaign has gone through multiple content expansions, but some early areas, monsters, and boss encounters still retain relatively old designs. Patch 3.30 could theoretically rework map routes, monster distribution, and boss mechanics.

Even without completely rebuilding campaign, improving the later Acts could make the overall progression feel better. It could make leveling easier for new PoE players while also giving veteran players a break from the highly repetitive leveling routes.

Triskeriaki is a unique Rakango and one of the easily overlooked monsters in PoE campaign. It can be found in a secluded area of Kaom's Dream. It has never been removed, but its location is so hidden that many new players may not even know it exists.

This purple Rakango is particularly interesting because it is one of the few campaign Unique Monsters without a corresponding Map Boss. By comparison, Path of Exile areas such as Bramble Valley already have their own boss content, while Triskeriaki still lacks a similar extension.

If a complete overhaul isn't necessary, simply optimizing the latter half of the campaign could still improve the overall progression experience. It would not only make leveling easier for new players but also help veteran players break away from the repetitive PoE currency farming routine.

Early campaign monsters such as Kuduku and Gloomgut are also worth bringing back into Patch 3.30 Legacy Content discussion. Kuduku, the False God already has a distinctive Totem and Lightning theme, which could provide a foundation for a new encounter involving Sacrifice, Temple mechanics, or a special map event.

Gloomgut, a unique fetid maw that once appeared in Act 3 Sewers, is also highly recognizable because of its size and attack patterns. As PoE campaign has changed over time, this monster has largely disappeared from the everyday experience. Old monsters like this could fit naturally into Atlas as special encounters with their own mechanics and rewards.

Beyond Boss

If Path of Exile 3.30 really plans to reorganize legacy content, the old Beyond bosses would be a very interesting direction to explore. Their most distinctive feature was how an ordinary map could quickly become dangerous as Beyond encounters were repeatedly triggered. Beyond Portals and monsters would continue to appear, eventually leading to a powerful boss.

Abaxoth, the End of All That Is is the most iconic example. Especially in Hardcore, Abaxoth's Flame Blast and other attacks could force players to keep moving and use totems and terrain to find safe positions. The fight could not simply be solved by standing still and dealing damage.

Abaxoth would be an excellent candidate for a redesign. PoE could create a new boss encounter and reward structure around him, preserving the sense of danger that veteran players remember while properly integrating the old content into Patch 3.30 endgame.

The old Beyond system in PoE was more like an otherworldly demon encounter that could suddenly appear while mapping. Although its bosses had strong identities, they did not have particularly deep connections to other endgame systems. Patch 3.30 could use the existing lore to place these old bosses into a new storyline and make them part of a specific faction or special event.

Scourge could be a natural direction for this connection. It also involves otherworldly forces and demons, and has had connections to Beyond-related content, making it a possible bridge between the old Beyond system and the modern Endgame.

However, the two systems do not have exactly the same design style. The old Beyond Bosses focused more on Fire, Cold, Lightning, and other elemental damage, with each boss having distinctive combat characteristics, while Scourge has its own background story and visual identity.

If Path of Exile eventually redesigns Beyond in this direction, it would need to properly explain the relationship between the two.

Problems

Beyond reorganizing old content, PoE 3.30 also needs to address some of the problems exposed by Curse of the Allflame. The current League's problems are mainly related to the economy and the consistency of POE currency income.

High-level maps in PoE 1 can produce huge amounts of rare items, but only a small percentage are actually worth picking up, identifying, and keeping. As characters progress deeper into endgame, Loot Filters tend to hide more and more rare items. Path of Exile 2 item-drop design could provide some useful ideas here, but it should not simply be copied.

PoE 1 already has a mature system built around item modifiers, crafting, builds, and trading. If Patch 3.30 adjusts Loot, it would be better to focus on PoE 1's own item-drop problems and make it easier for players to determine whether an item is worth their attention in endgame, reducing the burden of picking up and identifying large amounts of low-value Rare items.

There is still plenty of old content in Path of Exile 3.30 that could be reused. If future updates can properly reorganize these old systems and characters alongside new content, PoE world and gameplay could feel much more connected and cohesive.

I believe INT/Accuracy Stacker Juggernaut is one of the most flexible builds in PoE 3.29 Curse of the Allflame.

While you won't be able to one-shot the final boss on day one, you'll gain an extremely fast and survivable map-clearing character who can easily clear T16 maps, and continues to grow stronger with increased investment in the late game.

This article will provide a detailed analysis of how to build INT/Accuracy Stacker Juggernaut in Path of Exile 3.29. Let's take a look.

Core Idea

The core of this build is Hand of Thought and Motion Claws, which provide a unique modifier: every 25 points of Intelligence increases Accuracy Rating by 5%. This creates a feedback loop: stacking Intelligence increases Accuracy, and Accuracy translates into benefits from Stormrider Boots.

Juggernaut's Undeniable Ascendancy Passive is undoubtedly another major pillar, providing a 1% attack speed bonus for every 400 Precision rating, making this build's combat experience incredibly fast and fluid.

Skill Options and Flexibility

The most appealing aspect of this build is its flexibility, highly adaptable to personal preferences and seasonal mechanics, as it can utilize attack skills compatible with almost any claw weapon.

In PoE Curse of the Allflame, Static Strike of Gathering Lightning is a popular skill choice. This skill feels like a melee version of Arc; you only need to attack once, and the lightning chain continuously passes between nearby enemies as you move, providing extremely high mob clearing speed with minimal key presses.

Reave of Refraction is also a very powerful option, suitable for players who prefer a traditional melee experience. This skill provides excellent area-of-effect damage, which increases with attack speed, and with proper support, it can also provide stable single-target damage.

Lightning Strike remains a viable option, especially after enchanting Stormrider Boots with piercing effects. It offers a good balance between melee and ranged playstyles, but requires more positioning awareness than static strike.

Gear Budget Analysis

The minimum setup for an INT/Accuracy Stacker Juggernaut only costs 1 Divine Orb, allowing for a quick run of T16 maps. However, at this investment level, you'll lack sufficient single-target damage to handle final bosses or T17 bosses.

Therefore, to easily farm T17 maps, you'll actually need approximately 5 Path of Exile Divine Orbs to achieve a sufficiently powerful setup. The core items required are as follows:

Hand of Thought and Motion (Foulborn) x2

Hand of Thought and Motion is an essential base for building an INT/Accuracy Stacker Juggernaut in PoE 3.29. Ideally, you should obtain Foulborn variant, as it provides a 5% hit chance bonus per 25 points of Intellect. If your budget is very limited, you can simply obtain two claws with decent stats.

Shaper's Touch

These gloves provide 4 Accuracy per 2 Intelligence and 2% Evasion per 10 Intelligence, translating your Intelligence stacks into a double benefit for both offense and defense. Similarly, Corruption affixes like Attack Crit Chance can be saved for later in the game if your budget is limited.

Stormrider Boots

In PoE 3.29, this is your fixed source of damage, providing 1-6 Lightning damage per 200 Accuracy. Boot affixes depend on your chosen skill. For Lightning Strike, Pierce is the preferred choice, while for other skills, prioritize Elemental Resistance or Movement Speed.

Other Gear Priorities

For helmets, prioritize those with high Energy Shield, Intelligence, and Resistance. Hubris Circlet is the top choice. If your budget allows, look for Hunter-style 10% Intelligence affixes or Warlord-style +1 Maximum Energy Orb affixes.

Your chest armor should have a high Energy Shield base, ideally with Intelligence and Resistance affixes. Ideally, leave one suffix blank to craft percentage-based stats on the crafting table.

For rings, prioritize those with High Intelligence affix. Helical Rings are the best base for stat stacking; within this range, any ring with T1 Intelligence and some resistance will suffice.

The ultimate belt choice should be Mageblood. If that's beyond your budget, consider Stygian Vise, a decent low-cost option.

Passive Tree Priorities

In PoE Curse of the Allflame, your passive tree should be prioritized in this order: Intelligence nodes (especially large attribute wheels), Energy Shield nodes, Accuracy nodes, and Claw attack speed nodes.

Accuracy Mastery bonus is equivalent to your Intelligence, providing a significant damage multiplier, so it should be prioritized as soon as possible. The 5% stat bonus from Attributes Mastery is also crucial.

Ascendancy Order

For heavy warriors, you should prioritize Undeniable to gain the attack speed bonus from Accuracy. This is the most important ascendancy node for improving your PoE 3.29 gameplay experience.

Next, take Unflinching to gain Endurance Charge generation and stun immunity, then Unrelenting for elemental damage reduction per Endurance Charge, and finally Unbreakable for healing and physical damage reduction.

This combination provides a strong defensive foundation, allowing this build to survive in the endgame content corresponding to its high damage output.

This concludes the article on how to build INT/Accuracy Stacker Juggernaut in Path of Exile 3.29. The strength of this build can be smoothly increased from one Divine Orb to multiple Divine Orbs. Even in the early stages of PoE, its map clearing speed is already very fast, allowing for efficient farming of T16 maps.

Each Divine Orb invested in Intelligence or Accuracy will significantly improve your speed, damage, and survivability. However, it's important to note that before investing resources to enhance your build, avoid challenging the bosses on Uber Elder, Maven, and T17 maps.

After entering the late game of Path of Exile Curse of the Allflame, Luminary Armour Stacker is better suited for players looking for a high-budget endgame experience. The strength of this build is built around high Armour, Aura Effect, and Maximum Resistance, while Molten Strike and Replica Dreamfeather further convert defensive stats into offensive power.

As the gear becomes more complete, the overall damage, survivability, and endgame tolerance improve significantly. This is especially noticeable when mapping at high difficulty or fighting bosses, where some seemingly minor configuration details can determine whether build remains stable.

Below, EZG.com takes a look at the actual setup of this build and how Luminary Armour Stacker can further improve its endgame performance in PoE Patch 3.29.

Gear

For the weapon, Luminary Armour Stacker prioritizes a Replica Dreamfeather with the corrupted modifier Quality to Socketed Skill Gems. This effect increases Quality of Sniper's Mark, Mark on Hit, and Purity of Fire.

If your PoE currency budget is high, you can choose Gloves with Culling Strike, additional targets for Non-Vaal Strike Skills, and Aura Gem Levels. These gloves can also gain +1 Socketed Gem, allowing Enlighten to reach level 6 while further increasing the levels of Vaal Grace, Vaal Discipline, and Vaal Haste.

Luminary Armour Stacker needs to pay special attention to Mana. After activating Tincture, Mana can easily drop to 0. Once Mana can no longer be maintained, Link on Gloves will stop working. Mana Siphoner can cause the same problem and directly break Link, making mapping in Path of Exile noticeably more demanding.

For Body Armour, high Armour and an Overcapped Armour Mod are enough. Strength is relatively difficult to cap on PoE Luminary Armour Stacker, so it can be added directly to Body Armour to meet the requirement while also gaining additional Energy Shield regeneration.

Rings are an important part of the defensive system for Luminary Armour Stacker. Elemental Resistances Cannot Be Penetrated is a core modifier that can greatly improve stability against high elemental damage. Combined with Prism Plate, 90% Max Resistance, and Molten Shell, build can directly tank heavy burst damage in Path of Exile.

The other Ring can use Zana's Ingenuity. Elemental Resistances Cannot Be Penetrated remains the core modifier, while other modifiers can be selected according to the needs of your PoE character, such as a Reduced Effect of Curses or Reduced Damage from Critical Strikes.

Luminary Armour Stacker prioritizes Ashes of the Stars. Molten Strike's Skill Quality directly increases Hits and Ailments damage, providing a significant improvement. Combined with Aura Effect, it can become one of the core offensive items of the entire build.

It is worth noting that this type of amulet cannot obtain Charisma passive skill through Anoint in PoE. Without this effect, Mana Reservation becomes more restrictive, so additional Mana Reservation must be obtained from Passive Tree or relevant modifiers on gear.

For Boots, March of Legion can be used. If additional survivability is needed, Rallying Cry can be considered. For Boots Enchant, Action Speed Cannot be Modified Below Base Value is the priority, as this effect provides a significant improvement in PoE endgame content.

Valdo Maps in Path of Exile often contain large amounts of slow effects, while Sirus' beam can also reduce Action Speed. Without this Enchant, Sirus' beam debuff can noticeably reduce Attack Speed and overall damage, making Petrified Maps even more difficult.

Gem Configuration

The core offensive skill for Luminary Armour Stacker in PoE is Molten Strike. Body Armour uses a 6-Link setup with Molten Strike as the core skill, supported by Greater Multistrike, Slower Projectiles, Volatility, Inspiration, and Greater Multiple Projectiles.

Helmet uses Grace, Wrath, Enlighten, and Vaal Discipline. Grace provides a large amount of Evasion, Wrath and Smite provide additional Lightning Damage, while Vaal Discipline further improves defensive capabilities in Path of Exile.

Gloves use Purity of Elements, Determination, Vaal Haste, and Enlighten. Purity of Elements provides additional elemental resistance and improves survivability, Determination works with PoE armour stacking mechanic, and Vaal Haste further increases attack speed.

Boots use Vaal Smite, Cast when Damage Taken, Vaal Molten Shell, and Empower. Vaal Smite mainly provides additional flat lightning damage, while Vaal Molten Shell is an important defensive skill.

One Replica Dreamfeather uses Purity of Fire, Blood and Sand, and Enlighten. Purity of Fire further improves Fire Resistance, while Blood and Sand provides additional skill effects.

The other Replica Dreamfeather uses Mark on Hit, Sniper's Mark, and Leap Slam. Sniper's Mark increases damage against Path of Exile enemies, while Leap Slam is used for movement and travelling between packs.

Mercenary

The high-end Luminary Armour Stacker setup also needs to pay close attention to Mercenary. Max Resistance, Block, Life Regeneration, and Physical Damage Reduction should be prioritized as much as possible, allowing Mercenary to provide consistent support and survivability in high-difficulty PoE endgame content.

For Helmet, Increased Elemental Damage and -12 Lightning Resistance should be prioritized. If you have enough Path of Exile currency, +2 AoE Gems can also be considered.

For Body Armour, Additional Curse can be used together with an Abyssal Socket, while Life, Life Regeneration, Physical Damage Reduction, and Cooldown Recovery Rate should be prioritized.

However, there is no need to stack too much CDR. Prismplate in PoE already has a fast enough refresh rate, usually allowing Buff to be regained after around 4 to 5 seconds.

Amulet can use a double corruption for +1 Minimum Endurance Charge and +1 Maximum Resistances, combined with Potency of Will to increase Skill Effect Duration. This further strengthens Resistance, Endurance Charges, and the duration of various skill effects in Path of Exile.

Heat-attuned Tower Shield is recommended for shields. It can apply Scorch to enemies after blocking, while also providing additional Endurance Charges, life recovery on block, and physical damage reduction. By maintaining Endurance Charges consistently, the overall survivability of PoE Mercenary can be further improved.

Timeclasp can be used for Ring to extend the duration of Prismplate. This is particularly valuable during PoE boss fights, as it reduces the chance of Buff ending during phase transitions or prolonged encounters and keeps Prismplate coverage more consistent.

Luminary Armour Stacker has a clear advantage in the late game of Path of Exile 3.29 Curse of the Allflame. Once fully assembled, the experience of both mapping and boss fights changes significantly. Against heavy elemental damage and various endgame mechanics, its stable defensive system provides much higher tolerance for mistakes.

Path of Exile ExileCon Qualifiers have officially kicked off. Serving as the selection rounds for the live ExileCon Race Finale, these four qualifiers will take place throughout September; the winner of each race earns a trip to New Zealand to compete in the live finals.

The first qualifier began on September 3 at 2 PM PDT, with ZiggyD and RaizQT returning as hosts. For PoE players, the real highlight is seeing everyone compete under the same rules and a Fixed Seed environment, racing through the campaign all the way to defeating Kitava in Act 5.

Route selection, leveling efficiency, gear management, and risk mitigation regarding death will all directly impact the player's final rankings.

First ExileCon Qualifier Has Started

There are four ExileCon Qualifiers in total; the official schedule (in PDT) is as follows:

• Qualifier One - September 3, 2 PM PDT
• Qualifier Two - September 11, 2 PM PDT
• Qualifier Three - September 18, 2 PM PDT
• Qualifier Four - September 25, 2 PM PDT

The remaining three races will follow a weekly schedule, ensuring ExileCon Qualifier action continues throughout September.

These four qualifiers will determine who advances to ExileCon Race Finale. Compared to standard community races, the pressure here is significantly higher, as the outcome directly decides who makes it to the live finals at ExileCon.

For the competitors, route choices and execution errors become critical factors.

Race to Act 5 Kitava

The objective of the qualifier is to be the first to defeat Kitava in Act 5.

The race takes place in a Standard Solo Self-Found (SSF) and Fixed Seed environment. In SSF mode, trading and receiving resources from other players are disabled; competitors must rely solely on PoE currency, gear, and gems acquired during the campaign to level up their characters.

The Fixed Seed format minimizes map randomness, shifting the competition's focus toward route memorization and execution.

Decisions such as when to stop and level up, which monsters to engage, when to swap gear, and how to utilize movement skills will all influence the final completion time. Setting the finish line at Act 5 Kitava tightens the race's pacing significantly.

Players have little room for late-game adjustments; every pause between Act 1 and Act 5 compounds into a time deficit.

Being just a few seconds late to pick up a gem, or taking a slightly inefficient route through a zone, can ultimately result in a time loss of tens of seconds - or even more.

Death Penalty Makes Stability Important

Although this isn't a Hardcore race, the penalty for dying remains severe.

In PoE 1, if a character falls, they must wait a full minute on the spot before moving again. While a minute might not matter much during a casual playthrough, in a race where every second counts, it is often enough to squander any lead built up previously.

Therefore, you can't simply focus on maximizing damage. No matter how aggressive your route is, a single death can instantly erase the time you saved. Completing the campaign consistently is more important than merely chasing peak speed.

It will be interesting to see the trade-offs top racers make during the first race. Decisions on whether to push for speed or play conservatively to avoid a disaster often determine the final rankings.

What to Watch During the Qualifier?

For the average player, watching the qualifier doesn't have to be just about who takes first place.

The real interest lies in how top players handle the details while running the campaign.

Deciding which gear is worth stopping to pick up, when to execute a vendor recipe, which currencies to save for later, when to swap gems, and how to chain movement skills - these minor actions all impact the final completion time.

Many of these insights are valuable for a standard league start. While most players won't match a pro racer's pace, habits like making fewer trips to town, planning your skill acquisition route in advance, and avoiding risky plays just to save a few seconds can make your own league start much smoother.

By the time they reach Act 5 Kitava, it becomes immediately apparent whether the preparation was sufficient.

Running a fast route is one thing; utilizing gear, resistances, skills, and Path of Exile 1 currency effectively at critical moments is quite another. If you only realize your damage output is insufficient or your survivability is too poor once you reach the boss, the time you saved earlier will simply be lost.

Therefore, this competition tests more than just raw map-traversal speed; it evaluates whether these racers can complete the entire run from Act 1 through Act 5 both quickly and consistently.

Joining the Qualifier

PoE players wishing to participate in upcoming qualifiers can locate the specific race on Character Select Screen and select "Join" to create their character. Upon entering the game, the character will remain stationary until the race officially begins.

Participation in these ExileCon qualifiers is restricted to PC players. Before competing, ensure your Path of Exile account is linked to your Twitch account and that you are prepared to livestream the entire run under the event rules.

If you plan to compete in future qualifiers, besides practicing the campaign route, it is wise to verify your account linking and streaming setup beforehand. It would be a shame to achieve a great time only to realize you failed to meet the eligibility requirements.

Twitch Drops associated with Qualifier One are also available for 24 hours after the race begins. Players who watch a qualifying Path of Exile 1 stream for 30 minutes can earn Wild Footprints Effect.

Rewards for subsequent qualifiers may be subject to change, so even if you do not intend to compete yourself, it is worth tuning in to the official channel or co-streams each week.

Three more spots for ExileCon Race Finale will be decided over the next three weeks; let us wait and see which top racers can complete Acts 1 through 5 with the best speed and consistency to be the first to defeat Kitava.

Based on official developer interviews and extensive community discussions, I believe Patch 3.30 has the potential to be one of the most transformative patches for PoE to date.

Grinding Gear Games has publicly acknowledged that endgame content has become predictable and tedious, and this patch aims to address this issue through a radical overhaul.

This article will predict what changes Patch 3.30 will bring to Path of Exile.

Core Concept

GGG has not yet announced a release date for Patch 3.30, but it is expected to be released by the end of 2026.

The primary driving force behind Patch 3.30 is community dissatisfaction with the current game environment. Players have expressed concerns about the overly predictable nature of loot acquisition, finding the thrill of random drops lost.

This is indeed the case; too many valuable rewards come from fixed chests and block drops rather than monster kills, making the game feel more like a chore than an adventure.

The developers have confirmed that the current strategy of grinding through maps and monsters is outdated. They want to refocus on killing monsters for optimal rewards. In addition, they will add more content and interactive elements between league mechanics to revitalize the game and attract more returning players.

Loot Rework

The core of this patch is a major balance adjustment to loot. Most high-value drops will be redistributed to killing monsters, and chests and league-exclusive containers will become basic rewards, rather than primary sources of additional income.

Furthermore, many rare and unique items currently obtainable only through specific mechanics are expected to be added to the global loot pool. This aims to restore the excitement of obtaining top-tier items from any monster in any location.

Meanwhile, the penalty for dropping currency from bosses and rare and unique monsters may be further reduced, making Path of Exile Currency rewards from killing these high-value targets more consistent.

Patch 3.30 aims to address this issue by fundamentally reworking item drop methods and locations, drawing inspiration from the success of Path of Exile 2 to make loot drops more random and unpredictable.

League Mechanics

Path of Exile Patch 3.30 will abandon isolated selection and reward systems, focusing instead on more frequent interactions between different league mechanics. The goal is to create more unexpected encounters on the map, encouraging players to try combinations they've never considered before.

Furthermore, the development team will re-examine almost all existing league mechanics, giving them new, interesting, and unique elements, injecting new vitality into the game's decade-long accumulation of content.

Mercenary Balance

Mercenary has become an important part of PoE, and Patch 3.30 is expected to significantly adjust it. Radiant Mercenary's Flame Link skill is likely to be significantly nerfed, as it currently deals a lot of damage and is slightly overpowered.

In addition, some powerful mercenary types (Kineticist, Manyshot, and Combatant) may be nerfed. Meanwhile, Tier 5 mercenaries will receive significant buffs or be reworked to make them competitive.

However, beyond simple damage adjustments, players are calling for deeper gameplay optimizations. The mercenary recruitment process has always been heavily influenced by randomness, with players reporting having to grind thousands of maps to find a mercenary suitable for their Ascendancy class.

In response, I believe GGG could change the way mercenary skills are generated, or add a system similar to mercenary gems, allowing players to reset mercenary skills.

Furthermore, players continue to have concerns about mercenary AI, often reporting that mercenaries waste time on useless targets, leading to inefficiency. Currently, according to my sources, the developers are reviewing restrictive support gems to ensure mercenaries can utilize existing skills more effectively. Players can look forward to this.

Return of Mirage

Multiple sources indicate that Mirage league mechanic is highly likely to return in PoE Patch 3.30, injecting new vitality into the game. However, the specific method of its return is yet to be determined.

I believe it will likely bring its signature challenge and reward cycle, requiring players to enter twisted and high-risk map areas to rescue the imprisoned Djinns. The details are as follows:

Wish System

Before entering Mirage, players may choose from a series of wishes that will imbue Mirage area with powerful affixes, significantly increasing the difficulty, but also granting richer rewards.

Djinn Sigils and Special Currencies

A core part of the league's reward system may introduce special currencies, such as Coins of Skill, Power, and Knowledge. These currencies can be used to provide powerful Weaker Link bonuses to skill gems.

Chase Unique Items

Some unique items that were popular with players in Mirage league will return, such as Mirage Belt and Tooth Ring, with corresponding balance adjustments.

Other Content

A New In-Map League Mechanic

A brand new league mechanic is also planned for release in Path of Exile Patch 3.30. This mechanic will focus entirely on monster juicing within map content, without requiring additional loading pages.

Harbinger Rework

Harbinger Rework may also be reworked, but its progress is currently unknown.

New Boss Encounters

This patch may introduce additional Uber boss encounters as part of a game structure adjustment.

These are the predicted contents for PoE Patch 3.30. This patch is massive, with its core loop revolving around strengthening monsters for greater rewards. It has the potential to be a pivotal moment, redefining how players will enjoy the game for years to come. Let's look forward to it!

In Path of Exile 3.29, Delve is an extremely profitable activity. In Curse of the Allflame league, Fossils have essentially become a Delve-exclusive resource, while the amount of Sulphite you can obtain has also increased significantly.

However, Delve is not a particularly intuitive mechanic, and some players are unsure where to send the mine cart or how to increase their rewards. Let's take a look at how Delve works.

Depth and Reward Mechanics

In Delve, you need to follow your mine cart as it descends deeper and deeper. The deeper you go into the mine, the greater the rewards become. As your depth increases, rare Fossils and boss nodes will also appear more frequently.

You can obtain rare currencies such as Hollow Fossil, Fractured Fossil, Faceted Fossil, and Glyphic Fossil.

At depth 300, Hollow Fossils are considered relatively rare. They usually do not appear in large clusters. However, at depth 1,500, you may notice three, four, or even five Hollow Fossils appearing close together in the same area, with only a few travel nodes between them.

As you continue descending, the amount of Azurite obtained from Azurite nodes will also continue to increase. Although there is currently no conclusive evidence showing exactly when Delve rewards stop scaling, the general consensus among players is that the reward scaling continues up to depth 1,500.

This means that if your only goal is to farm PoE currency in the mine, the ideal farming range is around depth 1,500 to 1,600, and there is little reason to continue going deeper. This allows you to farm as efficiently as possible.

If you are new to Delve and simply want to farm some currency in the shallow or mid-depth areas, it is recommended that you reach at least depth 300. Of course, going deeper is always better, but you also need to pay attention to your farming efficiency.

Perhaps you can completely clear everything at depth 500, but when you try to push down to 700, you start running into trouble. You may die occasionally, certain nodes may become difficult to handle, and some bosses may take two or three attempts to defeat. In that case, you may be better off returning to depth 500 first.

Difficulty Scaling Curve

Delve's difficulty reaches its maximum scaling at depth 6,000. However, the difficulty does not increase along a straight line from 0 to 6,000. The mine becomes particularly steep in difficulty between depths 500 and 1,200.

Within this range, monster health and damage increase exponentially. Once you pass depth 1,200, the difficulty scaling curve starts to flatten out.

In PoE 3.29, a decent build can reach around depth 500 to 600. However, if you really want a character capable of breaking through depth 1,000 and even pushing toward 1,500, you will generally need a build specifically designed for Delve.

Darkness Farming

Darkness farming refers to stopping along your travel path after discovering Broken Walls that can be destroyed with explosives. Behind these walls, you will usually find chests and Fossils.

Since all Fossils are now exclusive to Delve, every Fossil has a certain amount of value. At present, even the common Fossils are worth around 8 Chaos Orbs each.

Behind these Broken Walls, you can usually find 3 to 10 Fossils with relatively little effort, making them a quick source of additional income. Resonator Troves also have a higher chance of appearing behind these walls, and this type of chest is guaranteed to drop a four-socket Resonator.

If you are farming currency in the shallow or mid-depth areas of the mine, Darkness farming can be an excellent source of additional income. However, as you descend deeper, the darkness becomes extremely dangerous, so the rewards may no longer justify the risks.

Voltaxic Generator

You can use Voltaxic Generator to manage various Delve-specific upgrades. These include increasing your Sulphite capacity, Darkness resistance, Light radius, and other stats.

If you plan to farm Delve seriously, you should raise your Sulphite capacity to the maximum as soon as possible. This allows you to stay in the mine for longer and reduces the frequency of traveling back and forth between maps and the mine.

If you plan to spend a long time farming horizontally at depths below 1,000, especially if you intend to explore the darkness, upgrading your Darkness resistance and Light radius can make your experience in the mine much more comfortable.

Delve Builds

Few players are willing to choose Delve as their main strategy because if your build is not strong enough, this type of gameplay can become extremely frustrating. Only well-geared players can truly run this mechanic effectively.

In Curse of the Allflame league, the top Delve ladder builds mainly include Double Strike, Strength stacking, and Luminary.

Double Strike and Strength-stacking builds have long been staples of deep Delve, while Luminary is a new face in PoE 3.29.

If you are new to Delve and simply want to experience the mechanic, you absolutely do not need to play these top-tier builds. There are plenty of builds that can comfortably reach around depth 1,000 or even 1,500 with a much lower investment.

You can choose Shield Crush Juggernaut, which performs extremely well in Delve below depth 1,000. Other solid choices include Boneshatter and Eviscerate.

That covers the basic mechanics of PoE 3.29 Delve. If you have never tried it before, it can offer a refreshing change of pace. As a farming strategy, it also has relatively little competition, so you do not have to worry too much about Fossil values dropping sharply.