Which is the best ARPG ever made? For some, Diablo 2 will never be beaten, while others might call Diablo 4 a new frontier. The excellent Last Epoch has made waves in 2024, and the likes of Torchlight 2, Titan Quest, and Grim Dawn will always have their dedicated fans. Yet among those who count the genre as more lifestyle than hobby, it’s Path of Exile that typically tops the charts. Now, as it heads into its new expansion, PoE 3.25 is set to introduce one of its most long-requested and essential upgrades ever.
Built by a small group of Diablo 2 fans eager to see the genre pushed forwards with new ideas, Path of Exile launched in 2013 and has since blossomed into the genre’s richest and most rewarding name. Among all the best games like Diablo, PoE offers a veritable wealth of build potential, boasting unparalleled depth and complexity for those who want it, while still – and, despite what you might think at first glance, I promise this is true – remaining approachable for interested newcomers.
Path of Exile Settlers of Kalguur is the next PoE expansion, and ahead of a full reveal set for Thursday July 18, developer Grinding Gear Games is already teasing some of the quality-of-life upgrades we can expect to see in the Path of Exile 3.25 update via social media. We’ll go through everything that’s already been announced here, but the biggest news by far is an increase to pickup radius, something many players have called for since the launch of the free Steam game.
Being able to grab items from slightly further away might not sound like the most exciting news at first glance, but it’s tough to overstate just what a difference it will make in practice. Not only should it prevent items from accidentally falling out of reach, which can happen in rare cases, but it should make it much easier to grab things quickly as you run past. Even after more than ten years playing PoE, I still frequently have to double back to items I didn’t quite pick up before accidentally moving on, and I’m anticipating far less of that now.
Perhaps the next most welcome addition is that waypoints will now activate when you run past them, rather than requiring a direct click to activate – an upgrade that makes its way over from the in-development Path of Exile 2. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve forgotten to activate the fast travel points while zooming through zones on a new character, so this is a change I’m certainly grateful for.
Another big change comes to the PoE endgame, where the map device is getting a sixth slot. This should open up a whole new world of possibilities and allow you to create some really powerful and valuable endgame maps. To unlock it, you’ll either need to make it through the first encounter with The Maven, or complete a tier 17 map.
The bandit quest rewards have also changed. These act two bonuses have long been a fundamental part of building your character, but the choice has been pretty static for many years. Now, depending upon who you side with, Oak will give +40 to maximum life, Alira will apply +15% to all elemental resistances, and Kraityn will award +8% movement speed. Choose to kill them all, and you’ll instead get one passive skill point (down from two previously).
Elsewhere, effects that reserve your health or mana such as Heralds and Auras will now stay active through death, meaning you won’t need to turn them all back on before heading back into the fight. Harvest encounters are faster to start, requiring just one click. Also coming over from PoE 2, Act bosses and the endgame Pinnacle bosses will now have static life bars, making it far easier to keep track of their health.
Item quality bonuses on armor and weapons are now multiplicative, which should make them notably more powerful, and the required materials to upgrade item quality are now based on item level rather than rarity, encouraging their use at lower levels. A new Prismatic Oil found in Blight maps can be used to anoint new secret notables on your amulets.
Path of Exile 3.25 Settlers of Kalguur launches Friday July 26. You can play Path of Exile for free on Steam or via the Grinding Gear Games launcher. We’ll be sure to bring you all the news on the seasonal theme and additional changes alongside the full reveal on Thursday July 18, which begins at 1pm PDT / 4pm EDT / 9pm BST / 10pm CEST.
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