From Press Release:
November 7, Auckland, NEW ZEALAND – The witching hour draws near in Path of Exile, with its next major expansion, Covens of Umbra, launching on November 13, 2026 (PST). Ancient covens have emerged from the shadows, bringing forth darkness, twisted Fates, and forbidden powers that threaten to consume all who seek them:
- Harness Forbidden Powers and Greater Rewards: Challenge the Covens of Umbra, manipulate boss Fates for greater rewards, and harvest fallen enemies to obtain power through new Viscera items.
- Item Drop Improvements and Rehauled Endgame Mechanics: Discover reworked item drops, improved rewards, and revitalised league mechanics that make challenging encounters more rewarding.
- Take Control with Threads of Creation: Replacing Scarabs, this system is a new way for players to enhance their favourite league mechanics, for greater rewards and challenge than ever before.
Confront the Witch Covens of Umbra
Having condemned her homeland of Umbra to eternal darkness, the Coven Queen now seeks to claim Wraeclast. Her followers, the Covens of Umbra, have spread across the continent, performing forbidden rituals around cauldrons filled with grisly offerings.Hunt down these witches and aid Mora, a mysterious prisoner of the Coven Queen, in disrupting their rituals. Defeating the covens grants powerful Fates, which can be invoked to transform boss encounters into deadly trials in exchange for greater rewards. Up to three Fates can be invoked against a single boss, unleashing various horrors ranging from explosive blackfire and deadly vines to harpoons of bone and blood.
Those who survive can claim valuable currency, Unique Items, Maps, and other treasures. Combining matching Fates can unlock even rarer rewards, including Exceptional Support Gems and entirely new Unique items! The greater the risk, the richer the spoils.
Claim the Power of Your Enemies
The dead have power worth taking. The Covens of Umbra league introduces the Wickerman, a twisted wooden effigy that allows players to harvest the remains of defeated bosses and claim their strength. By binding their souls to the Wickerman, players can equip Viscera, grisly trophies torn from bosses empowered by Fates. Each grants unique bonuses, from increased Life and regeneration to more potent poisons.
Over 120 Visceras can be collected from campaign and Atlas bosses, with up to four equipped across the Wickerman’s head, arm, body, and leg slots. This huge variety means there’s a perfect set of Viscera out there for any character build you could think of!
More than two dozen new campaign bosses also emerge from the darkest corners of Wraeclast, to fill the ranks in campaign areas that were missing a boss of their own. This means a distinct Viscera can be claimed from every single campaign area, and every endgame map!
Challenge Pinnacle Bosses with Grim Fates
Even the mightiest foes are not beyond the Coven Queen’s corruption. Covens of Umbra introduces Grim Fates, sinister powers harvested from empowered bosses in higher-level Atlas areas. Unlike ordinary Fates, these persist between instances and can be invoked against specific Pinnacle Bosses, twisting familiar encounters into far deadlier battles.Under the Queen’s dark influence, Sirus’ storms become devastating swarms of crows, Uber Elder unleashes destructive dark energy, and the Shaper conjures deadly illusions that mirror his abilities.
Defeating these empowered Pinnacle Bosses rewards players with the exclusive Pinnacle Boss Viscera, which provide some of the most powerful bonuses the Wickerman is capable of.
Atlas Endgame Overhaul
The Covens of Umbra league is not the only major upheaval coming in 3.30. The endgame has also undergone an overhaul, giving players greater control over the horrors they encounter while bringing more variety, deadlier challenges, and richer rewards across the Atlas.The Atlas now features distinct regions tied to different league mechanics. Completing Maps within these regions strengthens their associated mechanics, unleashing increasingly dangerous encounters with greater rewards and the chance to unlock powerful new modifiers.
In Blight encounters, deadly Mycotic lanes offer greater rewards, empowered Blight Cores summon new minibosses, and entire lanes may become infested with Rogue Exiles.
Other league mechanics have also taken a darker turn. Ritual encounters may draw the attention of the sinister Bodach, unleashing additional waves of enemies in exchange for greater rewards. Ultimatum encounters may tempt players into doubling their rounds for even greater prizes, while Expedition sites may harbour Runic Obelisks capable of raising the dead to fight once more. Almost every league mechanic in the endgame has something new to discover!
Introducing Threads of Creation
One of the biggest changes to Path of Exile’s endgame is the introduction of Threads of Creation, a new system replacing Scarabs.Threads of Creation allow players to enhance the ten primary league mechanics: Abyss, Blight, Legion, Breach, Incursion, Betrayal, Bestiary, Expedition, Ultimatum, and Ritual.
Players can invest up to eight Threads into a single mechanic, increasing its difficulty, rewards, and chances of generating special modifiers. As players progress through the Atlas questline, they can unlock up to three slots in the Map Device, allowing three different primary league mechanics to be guaranteed within their Maps.
The system also streamlines the mapping experience. Thread configurations persist between Maps, with the required items automatically drawn from the player’s stash, reducing the amount of inventory management previously associated with Scarabs. Many of the effects previously provided by Scarabs have also been incorporated into the redesigned Atlas Passive Tree, making more endgame customisation options accessible to players.
A Redesigned Atlas Passive Tree
The Atlas Passive Tree has also been completely rebuilt in 3.30, introducing a new layout with dozens of new passive clusters, modifiers, and powerful effects. Many bonuses previously exclusive to expensive Scarabs are now available directly through the Atlas Tree, offering greater freedom to shape the endgame.New Notables introduce dangerous twists to familiar encounters. True Terrors grants additional modifiers to Unique Monsters, while Fate Bespoken allows Map Bosses to steal Divination Cards, with a chance to duplicate them upon death. Other passives cause slain Map Bosses to release golden orbs filled with Gold, or allow Shrines to unleash Tormented Spirits through Ghostflame Communion.
League mechanics also receive powerful new options. House Supremacy grants greater control over the classes of Mercenaries encountered in Maps, while By the Lanternlight offers a chance for Veiled Items to drop as Allflames. New Abyss passives introduce rare Corrupted Abyssal Jewels with additional modifiers or Veiled modifiers, while Servants of the Well can summon five additional Rare Monsters from the depths.
Major Updates to Existing League Mechanics
Covens of Umbra also introduces substantial changes to many of Path of Exile’s established league mechanics. Mirage becomes part of the core game and can now appear randomly in Maps, allowing players to revisit an entire Map through its mirrored counterpart. The Viridian Wildwood, Sentinels, and Beyond encounters will also have a chance to appear throughout the Atlas, rather than being restricted to only the highest tiers of content as before.Beyond encounters have been expanded with portals leading to dangerous demon realms and enhanced boss fights, while Harvest encounters now begin with tangled roots that can be modified before releasing monsters into the surrounding area.
Incursion receives major changes, including Atziri taking over the Temple of Atzoatl, new opportunities to corrupt previously corrupted items, and the introduction of the Cradle of Creation, which increases the Temple’s difficulty and rewards.
More Rewarding Item Drops and Improvements to Item Rarity
One of the most requested improvements to Path of Exile arrives with Covens of Umbra, bringing sweeping changes to ground loot and making valuable discoveries more rewarding than ever.Magic and Rare items can now drop with visible item tiers, with higher tiers offering stronger modifiers, better base types, and the potential for additional sockets and links. At the highest tiers, coveted base types such as Simplex Amulets and Cord Belts can now be found in the core drop pool, while Tier 5 Magic items have a chance to drop as Fractured items, opening up new crafting possibilities.
Item Rarity has also undergone a fundamental overhaul. Rather than simply increasing the number of Magic, Rare, and Unique items dropped. Monster Item Rarity also now also improves the chances of finding valuable currency, Divination Cards, Gems, and Unique items.
The Coven Awaits
With a sinister new challenge league, more than 120 collectible Viscera, deadly Pinnacle Boss encounters twisted by Grim Fates, a completely redesigned Atlas, and sweeping endgame improvements, Path of Exile: Covens of Umbra unleashes a host of new horrors, forbidden powers, and dark secrets waiting to be uncovered.Confront the supernatural when Path of Exile: Covens of Umbra launches on November 13, 2026 (PST) on PC, Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Epic Games. For more information, please visit the announcement page at pathofexile.com/covens.
About Grinding Gear Games
Grinding Gear Games was founded in 2006 and is based in West Auckland, New Zealand. Its team members come from various countries and have diverse backgrounds, ranging from artificial intelligence and software security to industrial design and professional tournament gaming. In 2024, GGG released Path of Exile 2 into Early Access while remaining committed to the ongoing expansion and new content releases for the critically acclaimed Path of Exile.
