Path of Exile 3.30 Covens of Umbra introduces a brand-new league mechanic. Players collect Fate cards by defeating Covenites, use these cards to strengthen area bosses, and acquire special items called Viscera from battles to further enhance character abilities.

Therefore, Covens of Umbra combines boss battles, reward selection, and character progression. The following explains the specific gameplay of this mechanic and how to effectively utilize Fate Cards and Wickerman to gain more benefits.

Fate Cards: Strengthening Bosses and Obtaining Extra Rewards

Fate Cards are the core gameplay element of Covens of Umbra. Each card has a different effect, adding new attack methods, special skills, or other combat mechanics to area bosses, while also altering the corresponding rewards.

Acquisition Method

In story areas and the Atlas map, players will encounter Covenites and Cauldrons they use for rituals.

Interacting with Cauldron will spawn a group of Covenites. Defeating these enemies will complete the encounter, allowing you to choose one Fate Card from the provided options and add it to your Deck of Fates.

As the game progresses, the number of Covenite encounters will gradually increase. In the final map, a single area can have up to 4-5 related encounters, providing players with more opportunities to collect Fate cards.

Note that players cannot skip all Fate selections; they must view them all after completing all encounters.

It has been officially confirmed that the next set of available Fates will not be displayed until you have selected a Fate in a previously completed Covenite encounter; you will only see the options from the previous encounter again, and you must make a selection to advance to a new set.

The intention behind this design is very clear: to prevent players from completing all rituals first and then choosing the best combination all at once as the most efficient gameplay, forcing players to bear the opportunity cost of their choices at every step.

Usage Instructions

After collecting Fate cards, players can find the corresponding Cauldron near the area boss and select cards from Deck of Fates to enhance them.

A maximum of 3 Fate cards can be used per boss encounter. The more cards used, the more difficult the boss usually becomes, but the greater the rewards players can obtain.

Therefore, it is not recommended that all players blindly use all cards. If a character's equipment and damage output are not yet stable, players can choose one or two low-risk, reasonably rewarding Fate cards first, and try more complex combinations as the character grows.

The Role of Fate Card Combinations

In addition to using cards individually, players can also try different Fate combinations to obtain additional rewards.

Some Fate Cards have specific reward markers or combination requirements. When players combine cards according to requirements, additional rewards can be triggered, such as special Support Gems or Unique Flasks.

Furthermore, the system allows players to reuse the same Fate. If two identical Fates are used against the same boss, the two cards will be merged into one slot, and the reward provided by the first card will be tripled.

This means players don't necessarily have to always pursue three different cards. For bosses with clear rewards and suitable for repeated farming, using the same Fate may be a more efficient choice.

Wickerman and Viscera: Converting Boss Power into Permanent Buffs

Wickerman is another system in PoE 3.30 Covens of Umbra responsible for character progression. Players can collect Viscera by defeating different bosses and then equip them to Wickerman for lasting character enhancements.

Viscera Acquisition Conditions

Viscera is not a regular drop from ordinary bosses. Players must first strengthen the corresponding boss using Fate before defeating it to have a chance to obtain that boss's exclusive Viscera.

This is the most crucial hurdle in the entire progression chain: you cannot bypass Fate to directly obtain permanent buffs; you must accept the risk to gain power.

Wickerman Slots, Quantity, and Rarity

Wickermen have four slots: head, arm, body, and leg, and can activate up to four Viscera buffs simultaneously.

There are over 120 collectible Visceras throughout the league, covering every named boss in campaigns and atlases, and each boss possesses a unique Viscera.

Visceras are divided into three rarity levels: Lesser, Normal, and Greater. As the rarity increases, the enhancement effects become more significant.

Different Visceras provide different buffs, ranging from survival attributes like extra maximum health and health regeneration to potentially stronger Poison-related effects. The wide range of bonus options allows different builds to find their own suitable enhancement path.

Permanent Buffs and Build Combinations

The most important feature of Viscera is its continuous effect. Once equipped on a Wickerman, the corresponding buff becomes a permanent passive enhancement for the character, not limited to a specific map or boss fight.

This also gives Viscera clear targeted farming value. Players can find bosses that provide the required attributes based on their build, repeatedly challenge their endgame versions to obtain their Greater Viscera, and adjust their equipment and talent builds around that bonus.

If players don't want to spend a lot of time repeatedly challenging specific bosses, they can also acquire the required Viscera through trading, using PoE currency to exchange for enhancement effects suitable for their build, allowing for more flexible character progression planning.

Grim Fates: Advanced Challenges After Entering the Endgame

In the higher-tier Atlas areas, bosses enhanced by Fates have a chance to drop Grim Fates. Unlike regular Fates, which are one-time and area-bound, Grim Fates persist across instances, stored on the Wickerman until the player actively uses them for a specific Pinnacle boss.

More importantly, each Grim Fate is tied to a named Pinnacle boss; they are not universal enhancements.

Grim Fates rewrite Pinnacle boss battles at a mechanics level. Announced examples include:

• Sirus: The original storm transforms into flocks of circling crows, creating a new area threat.
• Uber Elder: Portals in the arena release dark energy beams, increasing the difficulty for players to dodge attacks.
• The Shaper: Summons illusions that mimic the player's own abilities, adding more attacks to the battle.

Defeating these Grim Fate-enhanced versions rewards the Greater Viscera, the highest-tier enhancement source in the entire Wickerman system.

Covens of Umbra League Mechanics Practical Suggestions

For players new to the league, there's no need to rush into challenging the highest difficulty bosses. First, accumulate Fate Cards by completing Cauldron rituals to familiarize yourself with the effects of different cards, then choose suitable challenges based on your character's current equipment and damage output.

Once you enter the endgame, it's recommended to combine Viscera collection with build planning, prioritizing bosses that provide tangible improvements. If you already have stable equipment and damage output, then gradually attempt Grim Fates to acquire higher-level Visceras.

Overall, PoE 3.30 Covens of Umbra establishes an interconnected progression system through Fate Cards and Wickerman. Players can actively adjust combat difficulty and rewards, and also convert challenge achievements into long-term character enhancements.

As Grim Fates and Pinnacle boss content are gradually released, this mechanism will become an important part of the endgame gameplay.

Although the official launch of Path of Exile 3.30 is still a few days away, insights from ExileCon 2026 livestream, along with subsequent information released by the development team, allow us to outline some preliminary strategies for farming currency in the new league.

If you'd rather not consume time figuring this out on your own, don't miss the farming guide we've prepared for you! Leveraging these tips could help you secure a much more efficient start in 3.30 league.

Changes to PoE farming landscape

Before diving into specific strategies, it's important to understand that Path of Exile 3.30 introduces changes to several classic mechanics, shifts that will significantly impact your farming efficiency and overall experience.

Most notably, Scarabs are being replaced by Threads of Creation. These unique items can be placed into the map device to inject specific mechanics into your maps, while simultaneously increasing monster rarity or difficulty.

You can slot up to 8 Threads for a single mechanic, and your configuration can persist from one map to the next.

This means you can no longer rely on traditional Scarab-based methods for boosting currency farming. Instead, you'll need to focus your Threads on specific farming routes to secure more consistent returns.

Furthermore, Atlas Passive Tree has been overhauled; old nodes related to Scarabs have been replaced with other types of passives, meaning you will need to adjust your Atlas tree setup accordingly.

On a purely positive note, Path of Exile 3.30 removes the currency drop penalties previously applied to rare and unique monsters, giving you even more incentive to take down these formidable foes.

Early game farming strategies

At the start of a Path of Exile 3.30 league, currency values are often volatile, and most players are still pushing toward the endgame. If you can unlock your Atlas maps faster than others, you can capitalize on market supply-and-demand gaps to generate greater profits.

Your top priority, therefore, should be choosing a build that is both highly efficient and low-investment. This will allow you to level up quickly, reach the endgame sooner, and begin accumulating maps, currency, and tradable gear ahead of the curve.

And if you're looking to push your efficiency even further, investing in powerful gear for your starter build is always a sound move. Therefore, you can choose PoE currency buy to unlock higher-tier gear or enhance the affixes on your existing weapons.

Endgame farming strategies

Once you reach the endgame in PoE 3.30, Atlas mapping phase, you can select specific activities to farm, based on your current resources and the nature of your character build.

New league mechanic

The new league mechanic introduced in PoE 3.30 is called Covens of Umbra. It brings not only fresh gameplay but also an additional source of currency.

In short, this mechanic allows you to encounter members of a coven and the rituals they are performing while exploring maps. These rituals summon the coven queen; by defeating the covenites participating in the ritual, you can obtain special Fate Cards.

These cards can be applied to the boss of the current area, with each boss capable of being empowered up to three times. Defeating an empowered boss yields higher-value rewards, including rare, highly sought-after currency items like PoE Divine Orbs.

Notably, beyond standard currency or items, empowered bosses have a chance to drop special Remains upon death. By turning these over to the NPC Wickerman, you can gain a portion of that boss's power as a permanent bonus.

In other words, effectively utilizing Covens of Umbra mechanic not only provides direct rewards but also aids in your efforts to farm currency during more challenging endgame encounters.

Other endgame events

Beyond this new mechanic, various other endgame events remain active in Path of Exile 3.30 and serve as primary sources for currency drops. More importantly, you should now focus on integrating these events wit Threads of Creation system.

The advantage of Legion encounters is that they release a large number of frozen monsters in a short span, allowing you to earn currency and other rewards by quickly eliminating them. This is particularly effective if your build features powerful AoE skills or high burst damage.

Additionally, Mirage mechanic, which was highly popular during 3.28 league, returns in PoE 3.30. The key to maximizing your farming efficiency with this mechanic lies in the wish you make after defeating Afarud enemies. Different wishes can alter the monsters, rewards, or your own combat capabilities within a Mirage zone.

For instance, if you want to acquire more currency, you should choose Wish for Wealth. However, Varashta will only offer three random Wishes at a time, and you may select just one.

Other available Path of Exile endgame events include familiar mechanics like Expedition, Harvest, and more. Crucially, these various mechanics (events) can now interact with one another.

For example, if you encounter two or more adjacent league mechanics, special events may occur, triggering new combat encounters while simultaneously increasing the sources from which currency can drop.

In short, Path of Exile Covens of Umbra league introduces not only new gameplay but also significant endgame adjustments that impact the game's economy.

Therefore, the key to maximizing your earnings during 3.30 league is to stay attuned to these changes and adopt a progressive farming strategy tailored to your current stage of progression.

The changes brought by Path of Exile 3.30 Covens of Umbra go far beyond just adding a new league system. The developers have made massive overhauls to the endgame system, from removing Scarabs and redrawing the Atlas Passive Tree to introducing Threads of Creation and a completely new loot tier system, almost redefining how players upgrade maps, combine leagues, and acquire loot.

Covens of Umbra and the Main Storyline

Covens of Umbra revolves around a group of Covenites attempting to drag the world into eternal night, and the identity of Coven Queen behind them has not yet been fully revealed.

During gameplay, players will encounter cult strongholds performing summoning rituals. Defeating them yields Fates, which can be used to enhance map bosses or specific encounters, unlocking greater difficulty and corresponding guaranteed rewards.

This design is similar to the boss enhancement strategy in Metamorph league, but with a lighter interaction, completing events instantly upon encounter to avoid interrupting the gameplay rhythm.

Meanwhile, patch 3.30 introduces a borrowed power system called Wickerman. Bosses enhanced with Fates have a chance to drop Viscera, which comes in four parts: head, arm, body, and leg, each providing a fixed bonus.

Furthermore, more powerful Grim Fates can be retained in Wickermans to enhance pinnacle bosses. This means that endgame progression in the new league is no longer limited to equipment and talent combinations; players will also need to repeatedly challenge specific bosses and collect corresponding parts to gradually unlock stronger character abilities.

Threads of Creation Take Over Map Devices

One of the most significant changes in PoE 3.30 was the complete removal of Scarab system, replaced by Threads of Creation. Threads correspond to ten core alliance mechanics:

• Abyss
• Blight
• Legion
• Breach
• Incursion
• Betrayal
• Bestiary
• Expedition
• Ultimatum
• Ritual

Players can allocate 1-8 Threads to each mechanic in the map device. More Threads result in higher difficulty encounters, richer rewards, and a greater chance of triggering rare random effects. Completing Atlas questline unlocks three Thread slots, allowing up to three mechanics to be added to the same map simultaneously.

Configurations are retained across different maps and Threads are consumed directly from the inventory, reducing the tedious process of reconfiguring Scarabs for each map.

Loot Rework: Item Tiers and Monster Rarity Drive Benefits

The loot changes in Path of Exile 3.30 primarily address a long-standing issue in the game: a large number of magic and rare items in ground loot lack value and are often filtered out by players. The core changes are twofold:

Tiered Drops

Magic and rare items will now drop in different tiers. Higher tiers have a greater chance of yielding higher-tier affixes after identification, and offer advantages in base item, socket count, and link count.

Tier 5 rare items even have a chance to drop rare base items like Simplex Amulet and Cord Belt, while Tier 5 magic items may drop in Fractured state. This makes high-tier ground loot valuable again, especially for providing transitional gear for early and mid-game characters.

Item Rarity Role Changed

The allocation of item rarity has been changed. The impact of a player's own Item Rarity on PoE currency drops has been significantly weakened or even removed; drop quality now depends more on the monster's rarity.

This design clearly borrows from the tiered drop mechanism of PoE 2, but no longer requires players to sacrifice character strength to stack Item Rarity. Rewards are now more linked to encounter difficulty, making map progression and challenging high-rarity monsters the primary ways to improve drop quality.

Meanwhile, item quantity is no longer used as an independent reward multiplier in drop calculations. More items no longer mean more junk drops; instead, it improves existing drops by increasing monster rarity, improving the final number of items picked up without inflating useless drops.

Atlas Passive Tree Redesign and Mechanism Synergy

Expansion 3.30 completely reworked Atlas Passive Tree, abandoning the old structure that had undergone multiple adjustments since version 3.17, and instead adopting a brand-new passive tree radiating outwards from the center.

Many of the basic buffs that previously relied on Scarab have been integrated into new wheels and notable nodes, reducing the map enhancements' dependence on the consumable market. Simultaneously, different Atlas regions will be tied to specific league mechanics. Players progress through these regions by completing maps and encountering higher difficulty levels, gradually unlocking additional affixes and rewards.

Besides the changes to the passive tree structure, synergy between league mechanics is another key feature of the new system. When different mechanics spawn close to each other on the map, they may trigger special interactions that were previously impossible.

For example, a Strongbox spawning near a Blight encounter may become infected, gaining additional Blight-themed effects. Ultimatum reward combinations no longer rely on specific items for highly predictable synergies like in Scarab era; instead, the probability of triggering random effects is influenced by the number of Threads invested.

Players can increase their chances of triggering rare combinations by investing more Threads, and can also experiment with combinations of mechanics that were previously difficult to achieve simultaneously due to Scarab scarcity.

In addition to the changes mentioned above, PoE 3.30 also reintroduces Mirage into the core game and adjusts classic mechanics such as Incursion, Harvest, Beyond, and Expedition.

Whether these changes will truly improve map clearing efficiency remains to be seen and will be explored by players after the expansion launches on November 13th. However, it is certain that players accustomed to the old endgame system will need to readjust their map clearing strategies to adapt to the new mechanic combinations and reward models.

At ExileCon 2026, which concluded on November 8th, details regarding PoE 2 1.0 update were unveiled. Many players may still have questions as they dive into the updated game; this article highlights key changes to keep in mind as you play.

Passive Skill Tree Changes

One of the first topics addressed at ExileCon 2026 concerned Passive Skill Tree—an area of critical importance, as it is directly tied to character power progression.

Removal of Critical Strike Chance

The first major change in Path of Exile 2 1.0 update is the complete removal of Critical Strike Chance from Passive Skill Tree.

Previously, regardless of whether you played as a Martial Artist, Tactician, or utilized Spell Totems, stacking Critical Strike Chance was essential for maximizing damage across almost every build. The developers recognized this, concluding that relying on a single stat for power growth significantly limits the potential for broader gameplay variety.

Rather than simply nerfing the stat, the developers have removed it entirely from passive tree. Consequently, the only remaining way for players to obtain Critical Strike Chance is through items.

To fill this void, the developers have introduced a focus on Critical Damage Bonus. The design philosophy is for players to source Critical Strike Chance from their gear, while using Passive Skill Tree to stack Critical Damage Bonus. In truth, this approach encourages a greater diversity of build paths while having a relatively minimal impact on existing playstyles.

Optimizing Passive Skill Tree

Rather than simply tweaking individual stat bonuses, the developers have overhauled the entire passive skill tree in Path of Exile 2.

Previously, if you wanted to reach Jewel sockets while tailoring your build, you often had to take long, convoluted paths—frequently picking up nodes you didn't actually need.

In new system, skills are organized into clusters. Regardless of your build, you can now prioritize the specific passives you need before branching out to grab supplementary features like Jewel sockets. The days of agonizing over optimal path through tree are gone. I believe this change aligns perfectly with how players actually approach character building—and, more importantly, it makes the individual skills themselves much more useful.

New Shadow Skill - Shroud

Let's take a look at Shroud, a skill exclusive to Shadow class—a new addition in 1.0 release. This skill could fundamentally change how most players navigate world of Path of Exile 2.

How It Works

As a skill native to Shadow class, it requires a dagger to be equipped. It has a 7-second cooldown; upon activation, you dash rapidly in a target direction and gain a brief period of invisibility.

Furthermore, if you kill an enemy while the skill is active, its cooldown is reset, allowing you to use it again immediately. For a Shadow player who thrives on aggressive, fast-paced combat, this is an ideal choice.

Availability

Does this mean other classes can't use such a powerful skill? Not at all! In Path of Exile 2 version 1.0, any class can use it—provided they have a dagger equipped. While Shadow doesn't need to go out of their way to unlock it, other classes can simply acquire and learn it.

Just imagine: you're playing as a Warrior, clad in heavy armor and wielding a massive weapon, utilizing skills like Mace Strike and Boneshatter. However, if you equip a dagger as your offhand weapon, you can activate Shroud to dash forward, unleashing powerful attacks to eliminate enemies and carve a path for your team.

In short, the introduction of this skill in 1.0 version is bound to give rise to many new playstyles. The gameplay promises to be fast-paced and exhilarating, significantly ramping up intensity and the level of skill required. If you want to adapt to this high-octane environment after the update, consider acquiring POE 2 currency; it will help you quickly accumulate resources, trade for better gear, and boost your overall power.

Expansion of Charm Slots

In Path of Exile 2, many character builds are centered around mechanics like stuns, freezes, or ignites. While other playstyles exist, they have often been constrained by a limited number of charm slots.

At ExileCon 2026, the developers announced that the number of charm slots will be increased to six. That's right—we'll now have more slots to broaden our build possibilities. Furthermore, we'll have extra space to equip specialized charms, allowing us to better counter various negative status effects.

I suspect that players who choose Shaman class will be the most pleased with this change. Shamans gain 40 additional points of Spirit for every empty charm slot; with six slots available, that's an extra 240 Spirit points right from the start—a massive power boost.

All in all, 1.0 update for Path of Exile 2 brings plenty of content that players are sure to appreciate. Beyond optimizations to Passive Skill Tree, the update introduces powerful new skills. These changes clearly demonstrate that the developers are deeply committed to the actual gameplay experience of their players. If this update piques your interest, why not jump into the game and experience it for yourself?

The 6-month wait has not disappointed players. The official announcement of Path of Exile 2's Full Release reveals a game that has been almost entirely rebuilt. The only problem is that so many things have changed that players may need to relearn the game from scratch.

The full release will launch on December 11 and become free to play. Alongside the complete six-act campaign, it will introduce two new classes, Shadow and Duelist, as well as the brand-new Conquerors of Wraeclast League.

Complete Campaign

Act 5 takes place in Oriath. Players who have played Path of Exile 1 and reached at least Act 5 will recognize this location. It is a theocratic nation where Templars hold positions of nobility.

Act 5 begins in the slums, and you will gradually make your way through the increasingly affluent districts of Wraeclast, completing several key objectives before eventually reaching the heart of Templar nobility's territory.

Act 6 will bring the story to its conclusion. This includes continuing the investigation into Twilight Order's conspiracy and dealing with the threat posed by The Beast.

In addition to the new bosses, the official team will introduce a new type of content called Champion Rare Encounters.

These are similar to Super Rares, but they have more abilities than any other rare monsters encountered so far. They will throw skills at you, creating interesting mini-challenges as you travel through different areas. Of course, they also come with some incredible loot.

Shadow

We already knew that Duelist was confirmed to be returning, and ExileCon also confirmed that Shadow would be joining the roster. However, it was also revealed that two other classes would not be arriving just yet.

Shadow is a Rogue-style class that wields daggers and can throw traps, enter stealth, and eliminate enemies with Shadow Copies.

While in stealth, monsters cannot see you until you get extremely close to them. Leaving stealth also triggers specific effects on your skills. For example, you can throw traps at enemies, but they will not activate until you exit stealth. Once you do, they will explode instantly.

Killing an enemy immediately resets your Shroud cooldown, allowing you to use it repeatedly as you move through wave after wave of enemies.

This mechanic is not limited to traps. It also works with your dagger skills, such as Ethereal Knives. You can throw knives into your opponents while in stealth, piercing their souls. When you exit stealth, a burst of Chaos Damage is unleashed, damaging nearby enemies.

Shadow has two Ascendancies: Assassin and Infiltrator. Assassin focuses on your Shadow Copies and dagger attacks, while Infiltrator will likely offer several trap-related bonuses.

It is worth noting that Shroud requires you to wield a dagger, but you do not have to play Shadow to use it. Warriors and other melee classes can also use this skill to leap between groups of monsters repeatedly, making it a powerful upgrade.

Duelist Confirmed

Duelist revolves around Stances. You can switch between Blood Stance and Sand Stance, with the same skill producing dramatically different effects depending on your active stance.

For example, Cyclone deals more damage in Blood Stance, while in Sand Stance, it fires out sand blades to increase its attack range. Additionally, charging your attacks allows you to enter Ready Stance, empowering the next skill you use.

Duelist's block mechanic does not require precise timing. You simply need to hold the block button when an enemy attacks, making it relatively easy to use. Successful blocks generate Blood, a resource that can be used to unleash powerful counterattacks or inflict massive damage.

Duelist has two Ascendancies: Knight and Master-at-Arms. Not much has been revealed about Master-at-Arms, so we can only speculate that it grants powerful buffs based on your equipped weapon. Knight, however, looks particularly interesting.

Knight Ascendancy has some similarities to Champion and Luminary in PoE 1. You can summon an AI companion and equip it with its own gear and Skill Gems, allowing it to fight alongside you.

You can also place banners that provide powerful buffs to yourself and your allies while inflicting various debuffs on enemies.

The most impressive skill is Knight's Chariot, which allows you to ride into battle. A banner is attached to the back of the chariot, and when you crash down, it plants the banner precisely where you land.

Conquerors of Wraeclast League

Next up is the league mechanic for PoE 2 Version 1.0. The official team has always enjoyed turning unusual gameplay concepts into league mechanics. Trial of the Ancestors in the first game is a good example.

However, Conquerors of Wraeclast League takes things to a whole new level. It resembles an SLG-style strategy game, where you become the central hero leading an army, commanding military campaigns, and building castles.

You must choose one of three factions to join: Ezomytes, Maraketh, or Karui. Each faction has its own distinctive fortress designs and recruitable troop types.

One important detail is that this choice is generally permanent throughout the league. However, the game also features a system in which factions controlling too many fortresses face higher maintenance costs. This encourages players to defect to weaker factions and compete for new territory.

On Atlas, you can discover and attack fortresses belonging to other factions. Successfully capturing one grants you and your faction an Item Rarity bonus. This creates an asynchronous, pseudo-PvP experience in which you compete against a shifting balance of power shaped by other players.

You can even recruit Commanders and send them out with troops to automatically farm maps on your behalf, rather than having to run them yourself.

These expeditions take place in real time and continue even while you are offline. They consume gold based on the strength of your troops. In return, they continuously bring back passive rewards, including PoE 2 currency and equipment.

League Currency

The league's core crafting currency is Forgemark. Using it on a rare item allows you to specifically remove one modifier and transform it into a random Fractured modifier.

In higher-level Sanguar fortresses, you can also obtain the more powerful Bloodmark, which can roll exclusive and powerful Fractured modifiers.

These are far from all the features coming in PoE 2 Version 1.0. The official team also mentioned reworks to Skill Gems, Unique Items, and the passive skill tree, among other changes. All of these could have a significant impact on the game, but we will have to wait for the lengthy official patch notes to find out exactly what is changing.

With ExileCon approaching, we will soon learn more about the new classes and skills coming in PoE 2 Version 1.0. However, some underrepresented or relatively weak Ascendancies should not be overlooked. They also need significant improvements before the full release.

These Ascendancies have consistently ranked among the least popular choices across several PoE 2 Leagues, with some falling below a 1% pick rate. They have either been overshadowed by power creep from later content or have been relatively weak since their original design.

Invoker

Strengths

Overall, Invoker is not a particularly bad Ascendancy. It offers considerable value during the early game, especially when leveling a new character.

For a first character with limited resources and poor gear, I Am the Blizzard provides 10% of Damage as Extra Cold Damage and creates Chilled Ground when freezing enemies. Meanwhile, I Am the Thunder creates Shocked Ground and provides 10% of Damage as Extra Lightning Damage. These additional damage bonuses and utility effects help compensate for the lack of resources available to a new character.

One of Invoker's biggest early-game advantages is Lead Me Through Grace. This notable grants Spirit based on the energy shield and evasion rating provided by your body armour.

Since Spirit is an important and often scarce stat, this node allows players to obtain a substantial amount of it without requiring particularly strong equipment. This has always been one of the main reasons why Invoker is a solid League starter Ascendancy.

Weaknesses

Invoker's real problem lies in its endgame scaling. Once players accumulate substantial currency and acquire high-quality equipment, the benefits provided by this Ascendancy become much less significant.

Although Spirit is a valuable stat, it can generally be obtained through equipment in the endgame. More importantly, Sunder My Enemies node has lost much of its relevance.

This node allows Critical Hits to ignore an enemy's non-negative Elemental Resistances, effectively reducing high resistances to zero. This used to be an extremely powerful damage multiplier, but the introduction of Rakiata's Flow has completely overshadowed it.

Rakiata's Flow reverses enemy resistances, and the higher an enemy's resistance, the further it can be pushed into negative territory. This provides an enormous damage multiplier. By comparison, Sunder My Enemies can only reduce resistances to zero and cannot turn them negative. As a result, Invoker has gradually fallen out of the mainstream meta.

Although Rakiata's Flow is extremely valuable, many players actively farm content to obtain it. If they don't want to farm it yourself, they can simply buy PoE 2 currency to get it.

Invoker itself is still in a reasonable state. It has simply been overshadowed by the power creep introduced by Rakiata's Flow. This support gem makes it possible to use almost any Elemental skill without worrying about enemy resistances, and its overall power is arguably too high.

The only significant advantage Sunder My Enemies has over Rakiata's Flow is that it works with all skills, whereas Rakiata's Flow can only be attached to one skill. However, most popular builds currently rely on a single primary damage skill, making this advantage relatively insignificant.

Unless future gameplay moves away from the single-skill meta, Invoker will continue to struggle. To make Invoker viable again without removing Rakiata's Flow, Sunder My Enemies may need a complete redesign.

Warbringer

Strengths

Warbringer has maintained a relatively low pick rate since its release, dropping to around 0.7% in Patch 0.5.5. Although Ascendancy itself has not received many direct changes, a major overhaul to shield mechanics has significantly affected its overall position.

Warbringer is primarily designed around Totem builds. Answered Call provides +1 to Maximum Summoned Totems and triggers Ancestral Spirits whenever you summon a Totem.

Anvil's Weight and Imploding Impacts are also decent nodes. They provide Armour Break, allow Armour Break to increase all Hit Damage, and enable enemies' Armour to be broken below zero. However, the problem is that these seem to be the only two particularly worthwhile nodes in the entire Warbringer Ascendancy.

Weaknesses

Although Answered Call has received several buffs, it is still not particularly powerful. Most players allocate this node simply for the additional +1 Maximum Totem.

This node was extremely useful when Ancestral Warrior Totem builds were popular. However, the current Totem meta revolves around Spell Totem, which already increases the maximum number of Totems from 1 to 2.

When combined with Ancestral Bond Keystone Passive, which doubles the maximum number of Totems, removes the need for Totem Charges when placing them, and makes each Totem reserve 75 Spirit, players can easily reach a total of four Totems. Consequently, Warbringer's additional +1 Totem is not particularly important for current Spell Totem builds.

Pathfinder

Strengths

Pathfinder is not entirely without merit, as it has several useful nodes. Traveller's Wisdom converts Attributes into Damage, survivability, or resource efficiency. In other words, Attribute nodes on Passive Skill Tree that would normally be allocated simply to meet equipment or skill requirements can instead become offensive or defensive bonuses.

Traveller's Wisdom becomes particularly powerful in the endgame. Once equipment provides substantial amounts of Attributes, players can convert their excess Attributes into actual combat power. This means Pathfinder actually has considerable potential for endgame scaling.

Weaknesses

Concoctions are a signature active skill system exclusive to Pathfinder. However, they were heavily nerfed after PoE 2 Patch 0.1 and have remained relatively weak ever since. Improving Concoctions would significantly enhance the overall performance of Pathfinder.

Overwhelming Toxicity is another relatively weak node. Its effect doubles the maximum number of Poison stacks an enemy can have, but significantly reduces their duration. In Patch 0.5.0 balance changes, Poison duration penalty was increased from 35% to 50%.

Poison and other Damage over Time ailments in PoE 2 rely heavily on the initial Hit. The most effective way to scale Poison damage is generally to create a few powerful Poison stacks with a single high-damage Hit rather than accumulating numerous weaker stacks.

Smaller Poison stacks tend to expire more quickly, while Overwhelming Toxicity offers additional stack capacity at a substantial cost. The trade-off simply does not provide enough value.

Additionally, Running Assault also needs adjustments or buffs. It previously provided 50% Less Movement Speed Penalty while using Skills, which made it useful for many classes. However, this was later reduced to 30%, and the node has been almost entirely overshadowed by Gemling Legionnaire.

All three of these Ascendancies have struggled for a long time, with some effectively becoming inferior alternatives to other Ascendancies. With numerous balance patches expected before the official release of PoE 2 Version 1.0, hopefully the development team will improve their overall power and make them viable choices for endgame content once again.