The Path of Exile 3.24 update, titled “Necropolis,” introduces a variety of new content and significant updates to the game. Officially announced by Grinding Gear Games and set for release on March 29, 2024, this expansion brings with it the Necropolis league, alongside major endgame changes, including new Tier 17 maps and bosses, a rework of scarabs, and the option for players to have multiple Atlas Passive Skill Tree layouts.
The PoE Necropolis expansion also makes adjustments to the Act campaign and introduces a range of quality-of-life improvements.
New Content and Features of the Necropolis Update Include:
The Path of Exile Necropolis update introduces an array of new content and features that are sure to enhance the gameplay experience for new and returning players alike. Here’s an overview of the key additions:
New Unique Items Added to Core Drop Pool
The update has enriched the core drop pool with several unique items: Storm’s Gift, Nametaker, Pragmatism, The Burden of Shadows, The Flawed Refuge, The Trickster’s Smile, and The Untouched Soul. These items promise to bring new build possibilities and gameplay strategies.
New Skill Gems
- Intelligence Support Gem – Sacred Wisps: This gem enhances wand attack skills by summoning Sacred Wisps that mimic the player’s actions, offering a new dynamic to wand-based combat.
- Intelligence/Dexterity Skill Gem – Automation: This skill allows for automatic triggering of supported instant spells, opening up new avenues for spellcasting efficiency and automation.
- Strength Skill Gem – Call to Arms: This gem continuously triggers supported warcries, sharing cooldowns across all warcry skills, which could redefine the use of warcries in combat.
Transfigured Skill Gems
The update introduces Transfigured versions of several skill gems, including Artillery Ballista, Elemental Hit, Ice Shot, Incinerate, Kinetic Blast, Poisonous Concoction, Summon Holy Relic, and Tornado, offering enhanced or altered abilities that could lead to innovative builds.
New Currency Items
- Veiled Scarab: Reveals a random Scarab when used, adding a layer of mystery and potential reward.
- Veiled Orbs: Formerly known as Veiled Chaos Orbs, these now add a random veiled modifier to a rare item while removing an existing one, though they’re no longer a world drop but can be obtained from Catarina and selected league content.
Stack Size and Drop Pool Adjustments
Several high-value currency items now have a stack size of 20, and new cosmic, decaying, awakening, synthesising, reality, devouring, and blazing fragments have been added, enhancing the game’s economic and crafting systems.
Quality of Life Improvements and New Features
- The update brings minimap icons for Strongboxes, making them easier to find.
- Pantheon Power upgrades now apply to all characters in a league, streamlining progression.
- New encounters and secrets have been added to the Campaign, keeping the experience fresh while maintaining its core.
- A new “/convertracereward” command allows players to convert alternate-art Unique Items into account-bound microtransactions.
- The Witch character now has audio dialogue for Part Two, adding depth to the storytelling.
- Visual and audio enhancements, including new skill icon art for Incinerate and improved effects for Shield Crush, enrich the game’s sensory experience.
Some specific quality-of-life improvements highlighted include the ability to reapply socket and quality currencies more efficiently, the option to move stackable items directly into a trade window with a simple shortcut, and upgrades to Pantheon Power with a Divine Vessel being retained across all characters in the league.
These additions, along with numerous small improvements and surprises, are poised to make the Necropolis update a memorable expansion, offering players new ways to explore, fight, and strategize their way through the world of Wraeclast.
Bug Fixes
The Necropolis update for Path of Exile brings with it a host of bug fixes aimed at improving the gameplay experience and addressing various issues that players have encountered. Here are some of the notable bug fixes included in the update:
- Domain of Timeless Conflict: A correction was made to ensure the revive duration calculates correctly for party play, enhancing the multiplayer experience in these encounters.
- Arc of Surging: Fixed an issue where the split beams could target the same enemy, ensuring the skill works as intended by spreading its effects across multiple targets.
- Physical Attack Damage Leech: A bug was corrected where the crafted modifier for leeching physical attack damage as life on weapons was incorrectly categorized as a Suffix instead of a Prefix. This change does not affect items that already have the modifier.
- Weapon Swap Skill Cancellation: Rage Vortex and Bladestorm skills are now correctly cancelled if the player swaps to a weapon type that does not support these skills, preventing unintended skill behavior.
- Lycia’s Wind Tunnel: Adjusted so that the skill’s damaging area matches its visual effects, regardless of action speed modifiers.
- Chance to Freeze Modifier: The “Chance to Freeze” monster modifier was corrected from a 1% chance to a more significant 25%, making encounters with these monsters more challenging.
- Stygian Spires and Projectiles: Fixed an issue where Stygian Spires were incorrectly affected by “Monsters fire additional Projectiles” modifiers.
- Tormented Spirits and Delirium Demons: Addressed a bug where Tormented Spirits could be improperly targeted by Delirium Demons. Tormented Spirits can no longer be targeted by these demons.
- Penance Brand: Corrected a problem where Penance Brand and its transfigured versions could fail to remove energy from targets upon detaching.
- Iron Commander: Fixed a bug affecting Iron Commander and Replica Iron Commander where the items did not increase the number of Transfigured Siege and Shrapnel Ballistae that could be placed.
- Transfigured Skills: Addressed an issue where transfigured skills with cooldowns could incorrectly apply their cooldowns to non-transfigured versions of the skill when socketed in the same socket.
- Lightning Arrow Visuals: Improved the visual effects for Lightning Arrow to better distinguish the lightning strike effect and the beam-style effects among targets.
- Cursing Mechanisms: Fixed a bug where effects triggered by cursing a non-cursed enemy would still occur even if the curse failed to apply due to curse limits.
- Ralakesh’s Impatience: Corrected an issue with the Ralakesh’s Impatience unique boots where changes made in a previous update were not applied to existing versions of the item.
- Rotgut Unique Flask: Updated the Rotgut Unique Flask to clarify that Onslaught is gained for a specific duration per Frenzy Charge consumed, addressing a previous misunderstanding about its effects.
- Bladefall and Spell Cascade: Fixed an issue introduced in an earlier update where Bladefall could target an incorrect location when supported by Spell Cascade.
- Visual and Microtransaction Fixes: Various visual bugs and interactions involving microtransactions, such as the Elemancer’s Weapon Effect and Cospri’s Malice, the Arctic Skull and Crystalarium Boots, and the Sin Weapon Effect, were addressed. Additionally, the Wyrm Weapon Skin microtransaction now correctly states it can be applied to swords.
- Client Crash: A client crash issue was resolved, contributing to a more stable gaming experience.
These fixes are part of Path of Exile’s ongoing efforts to refine the game, addressing issues that affect gameplay, balance, and visual coherence. The development team’s commitment to these improvements is evident in the comprehensive list of bug fixes aimed at enhancing the player experience.
The teaser has prompted speculation about a league that may focus on boss encounters, including revamped versions of iconic bosses from previous leagues. There are also theories about the league mechanics possibly involving Uber bosses or a legacy-style mega dungeon incorporating elements from past leagues.
Additionally, there are expectations that the Necropolis League could bridge elements between Path of Exile and Path of Exile 2.
For more detailed information on the Necropolis update, you may want to follow official Path of Exile forums and news outlets as the release date approaches.
