Path of Exile: Covens of Umbra Arrives November 13 With Major Endgame Changes

While most players are looking forward to Path of Exile 2 finally reaching version 1.0 in December 2026, finally leaving Early Access after nearly two years, Grinding Gear Games hasn’t forgotten about the original Path of Exile. In fact, the developer has announced its next major expansion, Covens of Umbra, which arrives on November 13, 2026, bringing new enemies, equipment, and a massive overhaul to the game’s endgame.

The expansion introduces the Coven Queen, who has already condemned her homeland of Umbra to eternal darkness and now has her sights set on Wraeclast. Players will find themselves hunting down her followers, disrupting their rituals, and working alongside a mysterious character named Mora. Of course, there’s plenty of new loot to chase along the way.

One of the more interesting additions is the new Fate system, which lets players make boss encounters more difficult in exchange for better rewards. Players can apply up to three Fates to a boss, introducing new attacks and hazards that can turn an already challenging encounter into something much worse.

There’s also the Wickerman, a new system that allows players to collect items called Viscera from defeated bosses. With over 120 Viscera available, players can equip up to four at a time to gain additional bonuses for their character builds. More than two dozen new campaign bosses are also being added, giving players even more opportunities to collect them.

The Endgame Is Getting Some Much-Needed Attention

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Outside of the new league content, Grinding Gear Games is making some major changes to the Atlas endgame. The biggest is the introduction of Threads of Creation, which replaces the existing Scarab system and gives players more control over the league mechanics they encounter while running Maps.

The Atlas Passive Tree is also being redesigned, with new passive clusters and modifiers that previously required Scarabs. Several existing league mechanics, including Blight, Ritual, Expedition, and Incursion, are receiving updates as well.

Perhaps just as important, item drops are being improved. Magic and Rare equipment will now have visible tiers, making it easier to identify valuable gear, while changes to Item Rarity should make finding currency, Divination Cards, and other desirable items more rewarding.

It’s a pretty substantial update for a game that’s been around since 2013. And even with Path of Exile 2 getting much of the attention these days, it’s good to see Grinding Gear Games hasn’t abandoned the original, especially for players who still prefer it.

Path of Exile: Covens of Umbra launches November 13, 2026, for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. More information is available on the official Path of Exile website.

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