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As Patch 3.28 of Path of Exile draws to a close, players, busy with Return of the Ancestors event, have already set their sights on Patch 3.29, which will officially launch on July 24th.

Currently, the developers have not revealed any specific update content for Patch 3.29, leading to much speculation and anticipation among players. For example, will Harbingers return? Which build will become Meta? Will the crafting system be modified?

This article will address three of the most popular speculations from the community.

Harbinger Return Speculation

First, a hotly debated speculation within POE player community: Harbingers may return in Patch 3.29.

Harbinger Introduction

Harbingers are a unique and mysterious enemy introduced in Harbinger League in POE. They are floating, robed humanoid creatures who use a unique language, whose script and grammar have become a hot topic of puzzle-solving within the player community.

These are essentially immortal monsters that cannot be directly attacked; players must defeat their summoned minions to inflict damage. The reward for defeating them is also unique: a special Currency.

This Currency can be used to exchange for powerful special equipment, and even allows players to summon their own Harbinge, thus receiving widespread praise.

However, they were removed in Patch 3.28. Based on the historical update patterns of PoE, the temporary removal of a mechanic often means it is undergoing "remodeling" rather than "abandonment".

Moreover, given that the developers currently need to balance the development of both PoE 1 and PoE 2, remodeling a mature, old mechanic is far more efficient than designing entirely new ones from scratch.

Therefore, the player community generally expects Harbinge to return in Patch 3.29 after a series of modifications - such as updating Atlas Passive key nodes, improving the reward mechanism, and more closely integrating it with endgame content.

Harbinger New Mechanism Speculation

If Harbinger returns, its appearance will likely be similar to Delirium or Wildwood: appearing as a random encounter event on the map, and cannot be forcibly triggered. This "uncontrollable encounter" design has become increasingly common in recent updates to PoE and PoE 2.

The core mechanism of Harbinger encounters might be: players have a certain probability of encountering Harbinger, who will then summon waves of monsters. After defeating these monsters, players will receive exclusive Harbinger Currency Shards.

These Currency Shards could be used to exchange for other Path of Exile 1 Currency, or they could be used in Atlas Passive Tree or other endgame content.

Meta Build Predictions

Besides Harbinger, PoE players are most enthusiastic about speculating which build will become the meta in Patch 3.29.

Currently, the three most discussed builds are: Toxic Rain Pathfinder, Lightning Arrow Deadeye, and Essence Drain Contagion Occultist.

Toxic Rain Pathfinder

Toxic Rain Pathfinder build is unanimously considered by the community to be the most likely to become a meta build in Patch 3.29. Its core advantage lies in its extremely low risk of being nerfed - the core mechanics of this build have been virtually unaffected across multiple patches.

Its core mechanics involve Pathfinder continuously using Toxic Rain ability. The projectiles from this ability spawn Spore Pods upon landing. These Spore Pods can explode, causing area-of-effect chaos damage over time, and the area-of-effect damage from multiple Spore Pods can overlap.

Lightning Arrow Deadeye

Lightning Arrow Deadeye is another widely favored build. Lightning Arrow ability was not adjusted in Patch 3.28 and is very likely not to be nerfed in Patch 3.29.

The core advantage of this build lies in the synergy between Deadeye's two Notable Passive Skills - Endless Munitions and Far Shot. The former increases the number of arrows fired by Lightning Arrow, while the latter increases the damage dealt by these arrows.

Essence Drain Contagion Occultist

This build has maintained a strong position across multiple patches and is considered a classic build by PoE players.

Its core mechanic is the synergy between Essence Drain and Contagion. First, Essence Drain inflicts continuous damage on enemies while simultaneously restoring the player's health based on the damage dealt.

Simultaneously, when an enemy attacked by Contagion dies, Contagion spreads the remaining continuous damage from Essence Drain to all surrounding enemies, creating an area-of-effect attack.

Synthesised Item System Speculation

Finally, there's a speculation about Synthesised Item system. In the current PoE, Synthesised Item represents the pinnacle of gear crafting.

"Synthesised" refers to adding hidden base affixes to the base gear through specific crafting techniques. These affixes can significantly increase the theoretical potential of the gear and are an indispensable part of creating super-powerful equipment.

However, Synthesized Items are almost impossible to obtain directly through normal farming. Players can only produce them or roll them using specific options in Harvest crafting or Vivid Vulture recipe. This unique acquisition method makes crafted equipment a crafter's domain.

The developers have previously stated that Synthesized Item system will be significantly adjusted in Patch 3.29. The most likely change is that Synthesized Items will be reinstated as a drop in crafting maps, allowing players to obtain them directly through farming.

Therefore, existing crafting options in Harvest may face adjustments or even removal. Vivid Vulture recipe is also likely to be removed or completely reworked in Patch 3.29.

These are the three most popular speculations in Path of Exile player community regarding the new content in Patch 3.29. Overall, all three have a high probability of being realized. Whether they will actually come to fruition remains to be seen until Patch 3.29.

Return of the Ancestors event in Path of Exile has officially launched. With this new event, what build do you plan to use to participate in the various new gameplay elements?

In fact, in this game known for its complexity, every now and then a build emerges that, due to its mechanics, is far stronger than expected. Return of the Ancestors also has such a build; it belongs to Ancestral Commander class and boasts exceptional defense and damage.

If you lack a build for clearing this event, you can refer to this build. Below, I will elaborate on it in detail:

Build Principles

As we all know, during the event, you will be able to play some Legacy of Phrecia-specific Ascendancy classes, each with several builds.

However, the reason I chose this Ancestral Commander build from PoE as my starting build for Return of the Ancestors is because its defensive and damage capabilities are both exceptionally strong.

Specifically, Ancestral Commander class itself possesses strong defensive capabilities. Therefore, we only need two gems - Minion Pact Support and Blade Vortex - to enhance its attack power.

Minion Pact Support

Minion Pact Support is an Exceptional Support gem that allows a nearby minion to randomly sacrifice itself when the player casts a supported spell, granting the player additional damage.

In other words, through this mechanism, the player can directly convert a minion's health into their own damage. As long as you summon enough minions with sufficient health, you can infinitely increase your damage. When this damage stacks to a certain level, you can even one-shot some monsters.

Therefore, the key to increasing your damage using this mechanism lies in increasing the number and health of the minions you can summon.

So, you can invest resources to stack support gems like Minion Life Support and Companionship Support, which target minions, to obtain minions with extremely high base health.

Blade Vortex

Blade Vortex gem provides players with sustained spell damage. Unlike some PoE gems, its support strength increases with stacks: up to 10 stacks, each providing additional damage and a higher attack frequency.

When the massive damage from Minion Pact Support is applied to a spell with a very high More Damage buff, the spell can deal terrifying damage.

At this point, even with very ordinary gear, players can deal tens of millions of damage through stacking various buffs.

Gear and Gems

Contrary to its terrifying damage output, this build doesn't require very expensive gear. Most PoE players can afford it and use it in Return of the Ancestors event.

Gems

First, there are the two core gems mentioned above - Minion Pact Support and Blade Vortex. Both gems are relatively easy to obtain.

Minion Pact Support can be obtained by defeating the boss Catarina, Master of Undeath, which you can find in Tier 17 map and the final battle of Betrayal gameplay.

Of course, if you haven't reached the endgame stage and can't obtain Minion Pact Support, you can use Sunder and Earthshatter to upgrade first, and then switch to this build once you reach the endgame stage.

Blade Vortex will randomly drop in PoE. If you haven't encountered it, you can craft it directly using an in-game recipe.

Gear

You can use some Currency to craft the core gear for this build at a relatively low cost.

For boots, you can use Elder's Base boots, first roll for the "+1 minion skill level" affix, and then upgrade it to "+2 minion skill level" using Orb of Dominance.

For the helmet, you also need to use some Path of Exile 1 Currency to craft a helmet with "+2 minion skill level" affix.

Regarding weapons, if you're focusing on clearing maps, you can use Obliteration, leveraging its explosive power to improve map clearing efficiency; for boss fights, switch to a higher-damage weapon.

Build Drawbacks

No build is perfect. If you intend to use this build as your progression build in POE Return of the Ancestors, you need to be aware of its drawbacks.

The biggest problem lies in Spectre management. Due to the nature of Minion Pact Support, you sacrifice a minion every time you cast a spell.

If you use regular Spectres, since they don't automatically resurrect after being sacrificed at Hideout, you must leave the current area and return, or travel to the specific chapter map to resummon them, a very tedious process.

However, you can use Meatsacks as an alternative, as they leave corpses after death, making resurrection relatively easy. However, the damage they provide is relatively low.

Perfect Dark Marionettes are also a good choice; their biggest advantage is that they automatically resurrect every 4 seconds, so you don't need to figure out how to resurrect your minions. But similarly, the damage they provide is not high.

If you're aiming for maximum damage, you can opt for Spectres from Doedre Stamatis boss fight area. They deal even more damage, but their corpses disappear extremely quickly, and the resurrection mechanism is complex. Players may even need to use specific "skill effect masking" appearances to prevent permanent minion loss due to misoperation at Hideout.

Therefore, while this build boasts incredibly high attack and defense, the cumbersome minion management can be a major drawback for players seeking convenience and a "brain-dead easy play" experience.

This is my recommended Ancestral Commander build for clearing Return of the Ancestors event in Path of Exile. Its advantages are extremely high attack and defense, while its disadvantage is potentially tedious minion management.

However, frankly, compared to the overwhelming attack power it provides, its drawbacks are negligible. This build is so powerful that it may be nerfed in Patch 3.29 in July. If you want to try it out, you'll need to act quickly.

Path of Exile 1: Return of the Ancestors is about to begin. This event not only brings back Trials of the Ancestors mechanic but also introduces a fresh Ascendancy system and a whole new set of unique Ancient Ascendancy content.

POE also introduces a brand-new tattoo system, structurally changing the possibilities for character builds. Tattoo system replaces key Ascendancy perks with random additional effects, directly erasing certain previously highly detrimental attributes.

This is precisely what makes many Path of Exile 1 Ascendancy builds that were previously considered poorly designed suddenly playable and even powerful in terms of theoretical builds. EZG will now introduce them one by one.

Antiquarian

The first Path of Exile 1 Ascendancy is Antiquarian, a special Ascendancy. It's a Marauder class, but its mechanics mix spells, ward, and various non-strength-based designs.

The core of Antiquarian is Kalguuran Armour, which allows you to convert armor into shield ward. Combined with Starlight Reflector and Runic Tablet, which grants a 20-second Adrenaline effect, you'll gain powerful buffs.

The problem lies in some of its talent tree nodes, which are quite poor. The biggest issue is the very low intelligence stat. This not only means blue skill gems are unusable but also directly blocks many support gems and aura systems. PoE skills like Soul Rend are uncastable because of insufficient Intelligence, severely limiting Antiquarian's deck-building options.

However, in Return of the Ancestors, tattoo system allows you to bypass nodes like Goliath Knuckle and Lioneye's Hair, giving Antiquarian a chance to overcome some limitations. Theoretically, these changes to Antiquarian do improve the game, but the improvement is not significant.

Behemoth

Behemoth Ascendancy starting node is terrible: it increases character size, disables auras and even prevents spells from dealing damage. This is a huge flaw, but its trade-off is Rampage mechanic: consecutive kills or hits stack killstreaks, which is incredibly powerful for clearing maps, helping you quickly farm Path of Exile 1 Currency.

However, in the mid-to-late game of PoE, these costs become extremely detrimental, especially the inability to use core defensive auras like Grace and Determination, leaving your character without a defensive system.

Tattoo system is about to change all that. Once you can remove nodes that disable auras, Behemoth mechanic changes dramatically. Subsequent nodes like Mental Conditioning and Steel Will allow you to convert a large amount of mana into armor, while also synergizing with weapons like Replica Dreamfeather to convert armor into attack power.

More importantly, with Return of the Ancestors tattoo system, this mechanic will no longer be tied to melee weapons, theoretically expanding to bows, staves, and even other weapon systems, making armor-stacking ranged Behemoth builds possible - a direction almost nonexistent in the past PoE.

Blind Prophet

Blind Prophet was significantly nerfed in PoE 3.27.0. The key issue is that the core mechanic, Sightless, was reduced from 12% to 9%, and the critical strike environment for Path of Exile 1 changed, making it difficult to deal substantial damage.

With the introduction of Return of the Ancestors tattoo system, you can reduce the negative effects by removing Directionless, but most Blind Prophet builds still require specific PoE gear and cannot be restored to their previous levels. If you want to try Blind Prophet in PoE, you can buy Path of Exile 1 Currency from EZG.com to help you build powerful gear.

Herald

Tattoo system has opened up new branches for traditional Herald builds, but it has also introduced many limitations. Herald of Agony is the core build for this ascendancy, but the problem lies in the high mana retention requirements. You usually need extremely high Aura Reservation Efficiency to make the entire skill chain function properly.

In the traditional Path of Exile 1 build, you need to address this issue through the crucial gear Coming Calamity. Using Lioneye's Vision provides additional support links, allowing Herald of Agony to reach a higher damage ceiling, and using supports like Returning Projectiles to enhance map clearing ability. This system is stable and mature, but heavily reliant on PoE gear bindings.

With the introduction of the new Tattoo system, you can try optimizing the talent structure, but this also introduces additional problems. You can choose to sacrifice Returning Projectiles and use supports like Eclipse to reduce pressure, thus alleviating the overall burden of preserving resources. However, the problem is that Eclipse's damage output is lower than Returning Projectiles.

Outside the traditional Path of Exile 1 system, perhaps we can choose Persecution route, attempting to bypass the original dependence on Coming Calamity. This type of build is more experimental, but it does open up paths that weren't available before.

Aristocrat

The key node for Aristocrat is Inherited Fortune, which grants 5 passive talent points. On the surface, this node seems ideal for directly replacing it with Tattoo for a stronger effect, building a high-stat character with mechanics like Dreadful Attitude, or replacing it with a powerful node in Inquisitor zone.

However, PoE official FAQ explicitly states that Ascendancy Tattoo cannot be used on nodes that provide passive talent points. This directly means Tattoo can not override Inherited Fortune, so its actual strength may be far lower than expected.

Polytheist

Very strong individual nodes characterize this ascendancy, but an overall unbalanced structure. The core starting point, Devout of Ralakesh, is considered one of the strongest nodes in PoE, offering extremely high cost-effectiveness. It is the fulcrum of the entire ascendancy.

Depending on the build, you need to choose Devout of Lunaris or Devout of Latha. However, the remaining nodes have problems, failing to form a unified build direction, making it difficult to gain further improvement through Tattoo.

Overall, tattoo system in Path of Exile 1: Return of the Ancestors became a key variable, giving new possibilities to build that were originally designed as restrictive ascensions. The end result is that many previously weak builds are now theoretically feasible for the first time, and some have even approached being powerful.

Path of Exile 1 will launch the limited-time event Return of the Ancestors on June 25th. This is the most significant return of Trial of the Ancestors since Patch 3.22. For many veteran players, TOTA has always been one of the most distinctive league mechanics in Path of Exile 1 history.

With an event duration of only three weeks, the gameplay will be more compact, allowing you to experience a complete cycle of progression and challenge in a short time. However, the significance of Return of the Ancestors is clearly more than just a simple nostalgic event; it's more like a validation and data test of the mechanics for Path of Exile 2.

For new players who have never experienced TOTA, this may also be an important opportunity to understand the future PoE trial system. The specific operation of POE Return of the Ancestors may differ somewhat from before, but most of the currently known rules and strategies can still refer to the original TOTA gameplay system.

PoE 2 Related

PoE 2 may have three different Trial systems in the future: Trial of Sekhema, Trial of Chaos, and Trial of the Ancestors. Therefore, the official reopening of TOTA in PoE 1 is likely a test of the relevant mechanisms and player feedback.

In fact, this isn't the first time Path of Exile team has done this. Both the auction house feature and the previous adjustments to Breach mechanism were first tested in PoE 1 before being gradually implemented in PoE 2. Therefore, whether you're a PoE 1 player or someone following PoE 2, it's essential to understand the core gameplay of this return.

If Trial of the Ancestors truly becomes an important part of PoE 2 trial system, this event is likely the best opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the relevant mechanisms in advance.

TOTA Mechanics

Trial of the Ancestors is essentially a league mechanism combining auto-battle and tactical competition. You need to lead your troops against the enemy to destroy their totems and achieve victory.

The entire tournament revolves around a temporary currency called Favor. Favor is tied to different ancestor NPCs and can be used to exchange for troops, items, and field supplies. Each match offers two types of rewards: Favor and Path of Exile 1 Currency. It's recommended to choose Favor.

Troop Configuration

The greatest strategic depth in TOTA comes from troop arrangement. In TOTA, once an early advantage is gained, it can be steadily extended. Therefore, strategically using Favors to exchange for troops is far more important than exchanging for onetime field supplies.

Flanking units are typically responsible for destroying enemy totems, making them often the most crucial positions. PoE units with teleportation, stealth, or high mobility are particularly well-suited for this role, as they can quickly bypass the main battlefront and directly threaten the enemy back line.

Attack units are responsible for frontal assaults and clearing enemy forces, providing the primary firepower in the early stages of a Path of Exile TOTA battle. Guardian units will follow you, helping to block enemy attacks and delay their resurrection. As for defensive units, they primarily guard your base, and their role is relatively limited in most situations.

Battle Strategy

Many Path of Exile players new to TOTA mistakenly believe it's a simple battle, but in reality, killing enemies isn't the ultimate goal. Each warrior is bound to their own totem, which also serves as their respawn point. Only by completely destroying all enemy totems can you win the game.

However, destroying totems is no simple task. When you lead your troops in an attack, being hit by any direct attack or spell will leave you stunned for up to five seconds. This stun cannot be avoided by standard PoE stun immunity, so blindly rushing into the enemy base often comes at a heavy price.

If your Path of Exile character dies, you will not immediately respawn. You can only return to the battlefield once your allied totems have regained control, meaning you may not participate in combat for an extended period if the situation gets out of control.

In actual TOTA battles, you and the enemy leader are usually the most powerful presences on the field. Many experienced players don't rush into enemy totems but choose to observe the situation from the center of the map. Markers on mini-map show which allied totems are under attack; intercepting them is often more effective than a risky attack.

As tournaments progress, killed Path of Exile enemies will gradually gain longer respawn times. The ancient game is usually chaotic, but in the late game, as more and more enemies are temporarily banished, the situation gradually stabilizes, making this the best time to push and destroy towers.

Different ancestors have completely unique skill sets. Some ancestors are extremely threatening in ancient games and quite troublesome for many characters. Therefore, familiarizing yourself with the characteristics of each ancestor and avoiding opponents that are disadvantageous to you is a crucial skill for improving your win rate.

Hidden Strategies

TOTA uses a double-elimination format. This means you have one chance to lose, so in some situations you can even intentionally lose to adjust your subsequent matchups. When the ultimate rewards are not ideal, you can use the double-elimination mechanism to refresh the reward pool. You can also intentionally lose early to Path of Exile clans you least want to face to avoid more hard battles later on.

Furthermore, the rare and highly sought-after items that appear in tournaments are often extremely valuable in the early stages of Path of Exile 1. Experienced players usually pay special attention to these rewards, as they can sometimes provide benefits far exceeding Path of Exile 1 Currency.

Whether you're a veteran player who participated in 3.22 league or a newcomer to TOTA, Return of the Ancestors will be one of the most worthwhile events in Path of Exile 1. Whether it's simply a classic return or a preliminary test of the new PoE 2 system, the answer may gradually emerge after the event concludes.

PoE will launch a three-week limited-time league event, Return of the Ancients, starting June 25, 2026.

This event will bring back the core gameplay of Trial of the Ancestors Tattoos, which is highly praised by players, and introduce a brand-new Ascendancy class system and Tattoos system. This event is not only a recreation of classic content, but also an important attempt to integrate old and new mechanics.

For PoE players, this event carries special anticipation. The development team has previously stated that adapting Trial of the Ancestors mechanic to the current game patch involves considerable technical work. Therefore, some players also see this event as an important window into the design direction of Patch 3.29.

Event Framework

Time and Mode

PoE Return of the Ancestors Event will officially begin at 3 PM PDT on June 25, 2026, and will continue until 3 PM PDT on July 16.

The event covers Standard, Hardcore, Solo Self-Found, and their expert variants, and includes a Ruthless mode option. Ascendancy classes used in Ruthless mode are consistent with those in non-Ruthless mode, providing equal opportunities for players with different preferences.

It's worth noting that PoE event mechanism requires participants to create entirely new characters; existing characters cannot directly enter the event server.

This setting ensures all players start on a level playing field in terms of resource accumulation and class development, consistent with the design logic of limited-time league events.

Core Mechanics

Silver Coin is the key item for entering Karui Afterlife Arena. Players can collect this currency in various areas of Wraeclast.

Using Silver Coin, players can form their own warrior teams to engage in tournaments against the chieftains of Karui tribes and win rewards. This cyclical structure may provide a reference for adjustments to the economic model in Patch 3.29.

The original Trial of the Ancestors Event's Tattoos will return along with a new batch of special Tattoos applicable to Ascendancy classes. These new Tattoos are event-exclusive and will not transfer to Standard after the event ends.

It's important to note that during Return of the Ancestors Event, Tattoos will not be available as rewards through Kingsmarch's shipping system.

This restriction means that players will primarily acquire Tattoos through League's own gameplay loop, rather than through external economic systems.

Mechanics and Ecosystem

Ascendancy Classes

PoE Patch 3.29 Return of the Ancestors Event completely replaced Ascendancy class system. All regular Ascendancy classes were replaced by 19 Phrecian Ascendancy classes, but Reliquarian Ascendancy classes were disabled because of the lack of a corresponding Phrecian update.

These balance adjustments to Ascendancy classes follow the settings from the previous Phrecian Event, and the developers have detailed the specific changes in the related announcements.

Although Ascendancy classes have been completely replaced, the passive skill points provided by Forbidden Tattoos still come from regular Ascendancy classes, not Patch Phrecians.

In Ruthless mode, these Tattoos will grant passive points from the regular Ascendancy classes of Ruthless update. The use of Tattoos is not restricted by the character's base class; for example, a Sorceress can use Ranger Ascendancy Tattoos.

New Item Rules

Return of the Ancestors Event introduced Forbidden Tattoo series, covering updates for seven classes. A batch of new items will also be implemented in the event.

Tattoos cannot be applied to Ascendancy talent points involving multiple choices, Bloodline Ascendancy talent points, or talent points that provide passive skill points.

As part of the adjustments, Scavenger Ascendancy class has added a new talent point called Tabula Rasa. This talent doesn't provide any attribute bonuses but allows players to apply Ascendancy Tattoos.

Player Considerations

Rewards and Progression

PoE has set up a basic reward milestone for players participating in Return of the Ancestors Event: after defeating Kitava in Act 10, each account will automatically receive a Return of Ancestors Mystery Box.

This reward can only be obtained once per account per Event; repeatedly defeating the same character or other characters will not trigger additional rewards.

Of course, players can continue completing the remaining Mirage Challenge League during this Event. This means that Event's progress system has a certain degree of compatibility with regular league content, and players will not have their existing challenge objectives interrupted by switching Events.

Platforms and Configuration

PoE Return of the Ancestors Event will be simultaneously launched on PC and console platforms to ensure that players on different platforms can participate. For community item filter creators, the official list including newly added items from Event has been released for reference.

PoE Return of the Ancestors Event is a significant attempt to blend classic league mechanics with a brand-new class system.

By reintroducing Trial of the Ancestors gameplay, bringing back Phrecian Ascendancy class, and expanding Tattoos system, this Event provides players with a gameplay experience distinct from regular leagues.

The design of Event-specific Tattoos and their interaction rules with the regular class system reflect the development team's consideration of balancing content reuse and mechanic innovation. Whether this mechanism can continue until Patch 3.29, and even become a core part of PoE, will depend on actual player feedback.

The mechanics and resource acquisition difficulty of Return of the Ancestors are significantly higher than regular gameplay. This will make it difficult for most players to understand this update content in a short period of time. Therefore, buy Path of Exile 1 Currency from EZG.com to quickly acquire the key resources needed for deck building and get into a high-yield gameplay rhythm faster.

The core value of this event lies in the depth of combination between its mechanics, including team building in Karu Arena, Ascendancy class replacement system, and the talent expansion space brought by Tattoos. Understanding the interrelationships between these systems will directly affect the player's overall experience and efficiency in the event.