Summary
The Allflame Podcast brought together developers to discuss the current state of Path of Exile 3.29 and future plans. Key topics included mercenary design philosophy, loot concerns (especially tile loot vs. monster loot), the popular Ghost Flame crafting system, and the massive endgame shakeup planned for 3.30. The podcast also covered Abyss buffs, Legion changes, the return of Mirage in 3.30, and various quality-of-life improvements. To prepare for the changes, buy POE currency and stock up before the market shifts.
Mercenaries: Design and Balance
The Chase for the Perfect Mercenary
Mercenaries are designed as an "extra for experts" playstyle with an insane number of variables. The chase for the perfect mercenary—with the right skills, support gems, and combinations—is what makes the mechanic engaging. Developers are not planning to add a skill-disable feature, as it would undercut the core appeal of hunting for the perfect mercenary.
Skill Rebalancing
A patch later this week will rein in several overpowered mercenary skills that have high one-shot potential, including Conflagration, Divine Ire, Infernal Blow, and Storm Call. These changes will only affect enemy mercenaries, not allied ones.
Support Gem Downsides
Developers are considering a review of support gems with downsides on mercenaries. For example, Brutality has "cannot deal non-physical damage" on the player version, but mercenary supports may not need to keep those restrictions.
Loot Discussion
The Tile Loot Problem
Tile loot—items from chests and containers rather than monster drops—has become too dominant. Originally intended as a "floor" of guaranteed returns, it has become the primary loot source. The plan is to reduce tile loot where appropriate and shift more rewards to monsters.
Core Loot Pool Improvements
Developers want to move more chase drops from niche sources into the core drop pool. For example, Simplex Amulets being gated behind Heist means any amulet found outside Heist cannot be the best chase item. The goal is to make killing rare and unique monsters feel more rewarding, including the chance for higher-tier currency drops.
Abyss Loot
Abyss is currently comparable to Legion and Breach for experience but not for loot. Long-term plans include leaning into Abyss's unique mechanic of copying monster mods, making Abyssal rare monsters explode into loot when killed.
League Mechanic Feedback
The league mechanic's border system and lanterns feel close to being "sick" but currently fall short. The "chance to convert chaos to divine" modifier often feels bugged—players rarely see a divine after clicking it. Developers will investigate and may make the modifier rarer but guarantee the conversion.
Ghost Flame Crafting
What It Is
Ghost Flame crafting is a new system that presents players with three options during crafting, allowing them to pick the best outcome. It creates agency even when a craft fails—you can still pick the best of the worst options.
Why It Works
The system interacts well with memory strands, recombinators, fossils, and other crafting systems. Developers have been crafting more than playing the game this league because the system is so engaging.
Unexpected Interactions
A notable interaction is using Ghost Flame crafting to modify a base, then using an Awakener's Orb to combine two bases together, creating a new base to craft on again.
Endgame Changes in 3.30
The Big Picture
3.30 is planned as a massive endgame shakeup. Developers are going through every league mechanic to add something new, whether through scarab refreshes or fundamental changes to how mechanics work. The goal is to address the endgame feeling stale, especially for players at the top end of builds.
What's Confirmed for 3.30
Mirage is returning - developers confirmed it will be in 3.30, though the exact form is still being finalized
New Ubers and bosses - endgame changes will extend beyond maps to all content, including bosses
Synthesis redesign - not a simple revert; developers want a full "Synthesis 2" with a proper item system
Multiple endgame strategies - developers want 4-5 aspirational farms with distinct rewards and build requirements
Abyss Changes
Short-Term Buffs
Mid-league changes may include further improvements to Abyss loot, though this depends on developer discussions.
Long-Term Direction
The goal is to make Abyss distinct from other mechanics. Instead of being a "million monsters on screen" mechanic like Breach, Abyss should focus on juicing singular rare monsters. The mechanic of Abyss copying monster mods is something developers want to lean into, making Abyss synergize with other mechanics that interact with rare monsters.
Legion Changes
A change is coming this week where you can overcharge Vestigial Uniques multiple times. Each overcharge increases the chance for rarer unique items. For example, charging a common unique three times gives a higher chance of rolling Stasis Prison or Lightning Coil.
Bloodline Ascendancies
Future Plans
Developers plan to keep adding bloodline ascendancies for each major league mechanic's pinnacle boss. This will eventually include Blight, Mercenaries, and other major mechanics.
Multiple Bloodlines
Currently, only one bloodline can be used per character. Developers prefer not to allow multiple bloodlines as it would raise character complexity and reduce the importance of the core ascendancy.
Anomalies
How They Work
Anomalies have a base chance to appear on completing a map, scaled by the quantity of the map completed. Running white maps significantly reduces your chances. Each quadrant will eventually have the same number of anomalies, with one quadrant currently having only two that need a third added.
Quality-of-Life Improvements
Voyage Loot
A "take all" button for voyage loot is coming in the next patch. Control-clicking with affinities while the stash and voyage loot box are open is also underway, likely for the patch after next.
Boss HP Bar
The boss HP bar hides important buffs. A buff UI refactor is planned for both games, but it will happen simultaneously in PoE 1 and PoE 2.
Harbinger
A redesign for Harbinger is in the works with art assets underway, though no release date is confirmed.
Gold
Developers are broadly happy with the amount of gold in the game but would prefer gold to be distributed across more mechanics rather than concentrated in one source. Until then, using POE currency in gold-heavy mechanics will maximize your returns.
Final Thoughts
The podcast covered a wide range of topics, from immediate 3.29 concerns to long-term 3.30 plans. The key takeaways are:
3.30 will be a massive endgame shakeup with new content for every league mechanic
Loot is being rebalanced to favor monster drops over tile loot
Mercenaries will see balance adjustments but keep their "chase" design
Ghost Flame crafting has been a community favorite and will likely influence future systems
Quality-of-life improvements are coming for voyage loot, the boss HP bar, and more
