The Path of Exile Crucible League is set to launch on April 7th for PC and Mac, and April 12th for the console. The expansion will also bring improvements to the endgame, with changes to the Breach and Abyss mechanics. Other changes include updates to the game's balance and metagame, including the Passive Skill Tree, Masteries, and Ascendancy classes. Nine new Val Skills and unique items will also be introduced. In this guide, we'll explore the various changes in detail and help you prepare for the upcoming league.

• Val Skills
• Breach
• Abyss
• Masteries
• Ascendancies
• Laboratory
• Atlas Passive Tree
• Ruthless

 

Val Skills

The first major change is the introduction of nine new Val Skills. These skills offer players a range of offensive and defensive options, with skills like Val Arctic Armour providing incredible mitigation against one-shots, while skills like Lightning Arrow and Val Anima Weapon offer powerful single-target damage. Players will need to experiment with these new skills to find the best combinations for their builds.

 

Breach

Breachstones and Blessings are now much rarer, and Breachstones have been upgraded in level. This makes Breach items much more valuable, and players will need to adjust their farming strategies accordingly. Additionally, the Old Pantheon Shield and Old Pantheon Ascendancy bonuses are getting buffed, so players will want to keep an eye out for those items.

 

Abyss

Abyss is also getting some significant changes, with each Abyssal Depth now guaranteeing a Lich. There are also new Spires that drop Jewels and Belts, and all Abyss Uniques are getting buffed. Players will need to clear the Abyss four times to spawn Lichs, so they will need to adjust their farming strategies accordingly.

 

Masteries

Many Masteries have been removed, including Reservation Masteries, and new ones have been added, such as Max Res, Percentage Max Life, Instant Leech, Exposure Mitigation, and Wither Mitigation. Players will need to adjust their builds accordingly to make the most of these new Masteries.

 

Ascendancies

The Ascendancies have undergone significant changes, with Saboteur and Pathfinder being reworked. Saboteur has lost generic damage bonuses and cooldown reduction for traps but has gained generic cooldown reduction. Pathfinder has also been changed, with the removal of the 6% Life bonus from the Mastery and the addition of a new node. Players will need to rework their builds accordingly to make the most of these changes.

 

Laboratory

The Laboratory is getting some significant changes, with Traps and Mines losing generic damage bonuses and cooldown reduction but gaining generic cooldown reduction and the ability to double-trigger skills. Players will need to experiment with these new changes to find the best combinations for their builds.

 

Atlas Passive Tree

The Atlas Passive Tree is getting some exciting changes, with the addition of Wormhole Portals that make it much easier to travel from one side of the tree to the other. Players will need to adjust their build strategies accordingly to make the most of these new changes.

 

Ruthless

The final significant change is to Ruthless, which requires players to kill Uber Izaro and Uber Atziri in Ruthless. This is going to be difficult, as Ruthless has no movement abilities, and Onslaught has been removed as a Skill Gem entirely. Players will need to carefully plan their builds to succeed in Ruthless.

 

In conclusion, the upcoming POE Crucible League brings with it both positive and negative changes. While the new Val Skills and Wormhole Portals offer exciting new opportunities, players will need to adjust their builds to make the most of the changes to Masteries, Ascendancies, and Ruthless. As always, experimentation and adaptability will be key to success in the upcoming league.