PoE1 New League 'Covens of Umbra' Preview

Grinding Gear Games (GGG) has revealed Expansion 3.30 'Covens of Umbra' for Path of Exile. At its core are the 'Fate' system, which enhances boss abilities and rewards, and the 'Wicker Man' system, which empowers characters by collecting body parts from defeated bosses.

GGG unveiled the key features of the new league during its ExileCon 2026 keynote in Auckland, New Zealand, on November 7. Set against the backdrop of a centuries-long conflict between witch covens, 'Covens of Umbra' sees players acquire new powers as they face off against the ancient Coven Queen. The expansion is set to launch on November 13 (PST).

At the center of this league stands an ancient Coven Queen of immense power. While defeating the coven's minions, players encounter Moira, a witch trapped by magic. With Moira's assistance, players begin stripping away the coven's power to prepare for the final confrontation with the Coven Queen.

The first system introduced is 'Fate'. Upon completing coven-related combat encounters, players can select Fate cards from a cauldron. Each card carries a specific empowerment effect, and applying it to an area boss enhances the boss's combat capabilities in exchange for greater rewards. Selecting tougher fights naturally yields larger rewards.

As progression increases, the number of coven encounters in a single area rises, allowing players to collect up to 4–5 Fate cards. Up to 3 of these Fates can be applied to an area boss. Combining specific Fates triggers bonus rewards, while applying duplicate Fates triples the reward provided by the first Fate. Depending on the combination, players can obtain rewards such as item rarity bonuses, special support gems, or new unique flasks.

Another key system is the 'Wicker Man'. Slaying a Fate-empowered boss offers a chance to obtain 'Viscera', which represents body parts of the boss. Despite the name "Viscera", it actually includes various body parts such as flesh, bones, skin, and carapace. Impaling these onto the Wicker Man structure allows players to utilize a portion of the power held by that boss as a character buff.

Body parts are divided into four sections: head, arm, torso, and leg, and up to four parts can be equipped to the Wicker Man. Unique body parts exist for each campaign boss and Atlas map boss, coming in three tiers. The highest tier of body parts can only be obtained in the endgame, requiring players to repeatedly target specific bosses to secure their desired buffs.

In the endgame, 'Grim Fate' targets pinnacle bosses. Defeating Fate-empowered bosses in high-level Atlas areas grants a chance to obtain them, and collected Grim Fates can be applied to specific pinnacle bosses. This alters existing boss attack patterns—for example, changing Sirus's storms into swirling crows or causing dark energy beams to fire from Uber Elder's portals.

Defeating these empowered bosses yields pinnacle boss loot with significantly stronger effects than standard body parts. Furthermore, defeating a pinnacle boss empowered by Grim Fate is a prerequisite to reaching the final Coven Queen. Ultimately, collecting Fate cards to empower bosses and defeating those empowered bosses to secure body parts forms the core progression structure of the league.

'Covens of Umbra' allows players to adjust combat difficulty by granting bosses extra abilities while empowering their own characters by harvesting boss body parts. Notably, by providing unique body loot for every campaign and map boss, it gives players fresh incentives to take on existing bosses once again.

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Originally written in Korean, this article was translated with AI assistance and edited by a native English-speaking editor. Every translation is reviewed by our editorial team before publication. [Read Original]

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Jaihoon "Laffa" Jeong

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