Path of Exile 3.26 gets bigger right before launch, as GGG adds mercenary renown

Path of Exile 3.26 just got even bigger right before launch. Seemingly not content with the sweeping overhauls and additions in its Secrets of the Atlas update, developer Grinding Gear Games has introduced a bonus mechanic right at the last minute. The renown system expands this season's challenge league, Mercenaries of Trarthus, by rewarding you for your successes in battle and punishing you for ducking out of dangerous fights. If you need any more reasons to be excited for the new Path of Exile league start, GGG has your back.

"Since the Path of Exile Secrets of the Atlas reveal last week we've continued to make changes to the Mercenaries league," GGG explains in a video hosted by game director Mark 'Neon' Roberts. "One such change is the introduction of the renown system." The mercenaries are companions that you can hire to fight alongside you. They're central to the free Steam game's new season, and their presence will boost the rewards you get (their enemy and drop scaling is equivalent to about half that of a human player). Alternatively, you can battle them for their gear or loot, or to exile them from the land entirely.

Now, as you defeat mercenaries, you'll earn renown among the Trarthun faction. Each victory raises your rank by one (up to a maximum of three), but losing or backing out of a fight will cost you a level. "To be clear, backing out means you speak to a mercenary, view their gear and skills, then walk away and never fight that mercenary," Roberts explains. "You can come back later to that same area to fight them without penalty." That means you're free to leave and clear out your inventory, as long as you return before they decide you've taken the way of the coward.

Each rank of renown increases your chance of encountering 'infamous mercenaries,' which include some of Trarthus's toughest warriors. They wear more powerful rare items and at least one unique gear piece, but also carry more valuable loot. Most notably, they're the only place you can get items with the new infamous modifiers, which are particularly powerful affixes that typically include a strong buff that comes with a downside. Roberts adds a reminder that these infamous mercs are also more likely to appear in endgame maps with a high number of modifiers on them.

That's the biggest change to the new league, but it's far from the only one. GGG has made additional tweaks ahead of release, which you can find in the patch notes via the PoE website. These include a Gilded Font in Sanctum that lets you turn half of your Aureus into gold, a general increase to the amount of gold that can drop from many specific mechanics such as Breach and Delirium, and adjustments to some class ascendancy trees.

The Path of Exile league start time for Mercenaries of Trarthus is Friday June 13 at 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9pm BST / 10pm CEST. This will also be the release time for PoE 3.26, the Secrets of the Atlas update. If you're curious about Grinding Gear's plans to develop both Path of Exile games simultaneously, I recently spoke with Roberts about the team's current direction and why it's striving to ensure the games can serve different audiences.

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