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The Third Edict, the next major update for Path of Exile 2 in Game Preview, is out now, and brings a massive amount of new content alongside overall improvements to the game. One of the largest additions is the introduction of Act Four, with 12 new bosses to challenge players.
Alongside diving deeper on some of those bosses, we’d like to offer an introduction to some of the new areas included in The Third Edict.
In Act Four, you will have 8 islands to explore, each with its own dangers and, of course… bosses! As each island has a distinct identity, we were able to create a completely unique set of monsters on every single island, allowing us to explore many different cultures of Wraeclast. In total, Act Four brings over 100 new monster varieties to Path of Exile 2!
With nature left to its devices, it seems the creatures on these islands have evolved in rather interesting ways. One such fierce creature is The Great White One. This boss is a trophy kill, dropping a quest item for an optional quest. This is just one of many optional boss encounters throughout Act Four.
The Great White One is a shark – at least at first. As you approach the edge of the rocks on its island you’ll see its fin swim by. You feel safe and comfortable on land, but only for a moment – because, in short order, it will leap out of the water to reveal a very unexpected form. It’s at this moment the player will think “Of course I should have seen this coming… It’s Wraeclast!” as you begin in an epic battle against this land-shark, which attacks with vicious bites and tail swipes, and frequently burrows underground to attack you from below. If it manages to land a bite on you, you’ll find it frenzied by your blood loss, making its attacks more accurate, and more deadly.
After you’ve faced the creatures of the island above, you’ll descend into the Singing Caverns beneath. In these eerie caves, a beautifully disturbing voice echoes throughout, enticing you to its origin. The Siren, Diamora, Song of Death, is the reason the settlements have been abandoned on the shores of Whakapanu Island. Countless Karui and wanderers have met their end here, but perhaps you can put a stop to it.
Diamora is an awesome boss fight that utilizes some pretty difficult mechanics. Diamora initially appears as a Siren, singing and conveying absolute beauty as she shines and maneuvers in the serene water filling her arena. As you approach, you are lured in by her voice and glow. Just as you get close, that’s when things turn dark – she immediately goes into the water, and what emerges is the opposite of what initially brought you there. She is a mutant hybrid fish creature that uses a human form to attract people in to be eaten.
As she dives in and out of the water, summons walls of water, fires concentrated water beams and performs deafening screeches, you’re left fighting to survive. Look closely at her arena and you’ll notice that, in the darkness, there are figures turned to stone – unlucky victims preserved as pets until she grows tired and uses them for food.
This attention to detail is reflected in a mechanic in the fight – as she dives back into the middle and begins singing, you find yourself turning to stone if you look at her directly. You must avoid looking at her, while fighting off swarms of her siren spawn. As you progress through this mechanic, walls of reflective water appear around the outside of the arena too, which can also turn you to stone if facing in the wrong direction. You’ll need to keep moving, face in the right direction, and survive the swarm in order to overcome Diamora. Good luck!
In your travels you may eventually visit the most sacred of all Karui locations: The Eye of Hinekora, a massive sinkhole in the middle of the ocean. After venturing down into the Eye, the worthy are invited into The Halls of the Dead, where notable Karui spend their afterlife. If you are so lucky to be invited, you will face many tests of mettle within.
One such test comes from The Mother of Death’s Speaker – Navali. Navali gives this task to her faithful companion, Yama, the White. This monkey may not look like much at first, but don’t be fooled… his true form reveals a challenging final test you must pass before you can speak with the Mother of Death herself.
Yama, the White combines high agility combat with two powerful spells to truly test your limits. He is extremely agile, able to maneuver around the arena with ease, and jump on top of clusters of totems to get a height advantage over you – only to flip off them, slamming down back onto you. On top of that he embraces Chaos Magic, a type of damage rarely seen in Wraeclast, which shreds your Energy Shield, and your Life.
His true power, though, is one granted to him by Hinekora herself – the power of Foresight. Yama has the capability to see many futures all at once, meaning he can predict what you will often do. This is reflected by a unique mechanic where, all of a sudden, the arena becomes completely dark. You are alone – until you see a copy of yourself running and dying. Then another… and another. These are alternate futures, showing what will happen to you if you follow them. Your job is to find the one version of your future where you don’t die, and attempt to follow it – easier said than done…
As if all of that wasn’t enough, the final boss of Act Four is an entirely different challenge — but we will not be spoiling that fight for you today. Let’s just say we can’t wait to see your reactions…
Path of Exile 2: The Third Edict is available on Xbox Series X|S now.
Path of Exile 2 (Game Preview)
Grinding Gear Games
This game is a work in progress. It may or may not change over time or release as a final product. Purchase only if you are comfortable with the current state of the unfinished game. Path of Exile 2 is a next generation free-to-play Action RPG created by Grinding Gear Games. Journey across the deadly continent of Wraeclast, meeting multiple immersive cultures while facing off against evil in many forms. Path of Exile 2 features twelve character classes, 240 Skill Gems, hundreds of equipment base types, a six-act campaign, more than a hundred unique boss fights, a deep endgame system and so much more. Play with your friends without losing any progress with couch co-op, cross-play and cross-progression on all available platforms. Full details on the latest status of the game, how you can give feedback and report issues can be found at pathofexile2.com.
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Joe Skrebels, Xbox Wire Editor-in-Chief
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