Path of Exile: Covens of Umbra Expansion Release Date & Changes

Path of Exile has a date for its November expansion. Covens of Umbra launches on November 13 (PST), and the developer announcement on Steam describes a new challenge league, big changes to the endgame, new unique items and a rework of how loot drops.

If you spend most of your time in maps, this one reshapes the Atlas, so it's worth knowing what's changing before launch day. Below we go through everything the announcement confirms, from the Coven Queen to the end of Scarabs.

What Covens of Umbra Adds

The new league centers on the Coven Queen. You'll encounter wicked covenites performing gruesome rites to summon their Queen, and the announcement says they are trying to plunge the world into unending darkness. Your job is to disrupt them.

• Fates: After you defeat the covenites, you get to select a Fate for the boss of the area you're in. Each Fate has a handful of effects that increase both the rewards and the difficulty of the encounter.
• Viscera and the Wickerman: You can put the remains of fallen enemies to use by placing them on your own Wickerman. Obtain Viscera from a defeated boss empowered by Fates to claim a scrap of their power.
• Grim Fates: These let you empower the most difficult bosses within the Atlas, in pursuit of the greatest of trophies: Pinnacle Boss Viscera. The announcement also hints that you might even be able to hold back the Queen herself.

Threads of Creation and the Atlas Overhaul

The biggest structural change is that Scarabs are being removed. A new system called Threads of Creation replaces them.

Threads are set directly in the Map device. Each one applies a chosen league mechanic to the area while scaling the rarity and difficulty of monsters, and for each thread you spend, you increase the chances of random powerful effects augmenting that league mechanic.

The Atlas passive tree has also been completely refreshed. It gets a new layout and dozens of entirely new wheels, stats and effects. Many of those were previously found on Scarabs, and now you can guarantee them through the tree.

Changes to Existing League Mechanics

Almost every endgame league mechanic has been augmented, modified or revamped in Covens of Umbra. The announcement lists these changes:

• Mirages have returned. They can spawn randomly in Maps or appear as a rollable Map modifier, alongside other mechanics like Mirrors of Delirium or the Viridian Wildwood.
• Beyond: Slaying Beyond bosses no longer stops monster Beyond portals from spawning. Sometimes when you defeat a Beyond boss, they'll open a portal to their realm.
• The Sacred Grove no longer appears in Maps. Tangled roots replace it, and you can use currency on them to add modifiers.
• Gwennen offers an entirely new service, but her gambling days are far from over. She just gambles on your items now.
• Atziri has moved into the Temple of Atzoatl, kicking out the Vaal Omnitect, and she has made several adjustments.

Loot Rework and Release

The developer says it is making fundamental changes to how loot drops in Path of Exile, "unlike anything we've done before." The announcement doesn't spell out the details yet, so we'll leave the specifics until they're published. New unique items are also arriving in Wraeclast with the expansion.

Path of Exile: Covens of Umbra is free to play on November 13 (PST) across all available platforms. You can read the full announcement in the developer's post on Steam.

While you wait for launch, our guides to selling items in Path of Exile and the Ritual Atlas strategy for Necropolis cover earlier systems, and the Necropolis fastest solo leveling route is a handy reference if you're planning your next character.