Path of Exile 3.26 pushes the free ARPG away from PoE 2, so both can coexist

Path of Exile 3.26, Secrets of the Atlas, launches this week alongside the new Mercenaries of Trarthus challenge league. It's a long-awaited moment for the hardcore champion of ARPGs; the free-to-play game hasn't had a new season since Settlers of Kalguur in July 2024, with PoE 2's early-access launch taking all of developer Grinding Gear Games' attention. As it makes its grand return, I sat down with game director Mark 'Neon' Roberts to talk about the new PoE league, returning to a four-month cycle, and whether the success of Path of Exile 2 has changed how GGG approaches its predecessor.

With the launch of new Path of Exile update Secrets of the Atlas, the studio is committing to cycling four-month leagues for both of its games (effectively meaning alternate launches every two months). Roberts is very excited for the return to relative normality: "Our comfort zone is working in these three-to-four month intervals, because I know exactly what can be made in three months." He describes the PoE 2 launch as "a hell of an experience," and admits that he and fellow game director Jonathan Rogers mispredicted how long creating all-new elements would take because it was such a different process from league updates.

GGG will now be running two games side-by-side, and with how dramatically different the sequel is, there's a sense that Secrets of the Atlas is focused on the veteran players; those who already considered the original as the pinnacle among games like Diablo. "I 100% want to make sure that the philosophy of one game doesn't bleed into the other," Roberts says. "The core pillars are still the same, but the amount of items dropping, the balance, it's all very fundamentally different between PoE 1 and 2, and it's very important that we keep that."

Roberts maintains that it's "critical" that the first Path of Exile continues to be designed for the players that have supported it for the past decade, while PoE 2 attracts a new audience (with a certain amount of crossover, naturally). "One could argue that they're completely different titles at this point, they just happen to have the same name." He muses that the games could look more similar in a decade's time. "There might be an inevitability to the power creep in such a way that it comes to the same location; we don't even really try and think about it."

Path of Exile hasn't been completely silent since the Settlers league, however; Legacy of Phrecia delivered a fantastically experimental twist on proceedings with a completely new endgame and an entire alternate roster of ascendancies for every class. Roberts explains that this was quick to produce, because there were no requirements to create bespoke art assets or animations given the temporary nature of the mode.

A few of those concepts have influenced designs in the new 3.26 league, but Roberts is clear that he wants to keep production values high to make sure PoE doesn't feel like "a modded game, as opposed to something professionally delivered." He also says he's a big fan of the idol-based endgame, but says he'd want to find a way to integrate it as a secondary option alongside the existing Atlas map, or as a separate system underpinning a new league, were it to become more permanent in the future. He wants to do more experimental events, but is aware of the space constraints in the new schedule: "I'm hoping we don't have to compromise on this extra, fun, event-based stuff we're doing."

With the new schedule giving each league just two months to shine if you want to play them all, and factoring in all the other big ARPGs of late (from the powerhouse that is Diablo 4 to small-studio winners like Last Epoch and The Slormancer), is there a risk of overloading the audience? Roberts agrees there's potential for burnout, but remarks that players can always skip a league and come back for the next if they're feeling too crowded. "We'll still be around, come back at your leisure." He also addresses the fact that PoE and its sequel are pitching to groups that aren't always the same.

"We have two audiences, and honestly those audiences are at civil war with each other here and there - we have to make sure we honor those audiences." As for other games in the space, Roberts seems confident that Path of Exile doesn't need to worry; when I mention the busy ARPG calendar, he just laughs and says, "well, we're about to make it a whole lot busier."

Roberts tells me that Grinding Gear Games is no longer divided neatly between the two entries, but instead moves developers between them as needed. "We're finding it's the change we made that's actually the solution. I know it has its downsides, but it's the thing that is allowing us to have a team that understands both games." He believes the past couple of months have proven that the studio is capable of supporting them simultaneously, but that it'll take a few more expansions to fully confirm that.

The Path of Exile 3.26 update Secrets of the Atlas launches Friday June 13 alongside the new Mercenaries of Trarthus challenge league. You can play for free on Steam or via the GGG standalone launcher.

Looking for more free Steam games that are worth your time? We've got you covered, along with a rundown of the best Path of Exile 2 builds if you're playing GGG's latest.

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