TheRetroArcade
Veteran
Posts: 1,997
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
This map's so nice I'll run it twice
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Despite my almost 4,000 hours in Path of Exile, I've never had a raw Mirror of Kalandra drop—the single rarest item in the game. Part of this is probably because I tend to wander off every league before I start getting to turbo juicer strategies, but it remains on my bucket list for the game. With any luck, the new Mirage league will break my streak and let me gaze lovingly at my own reflection, definitely not staring at that face looking back at me and questioning my life decisions.
This is because Grinding Gear Games have fundamentally altered the drop rates of currency across the board, in arguably the biggest change to the game economy since the change to Divine Orbs four years ago. It all comes down to this line in the patch notes: "Currency Items now account for a significantly larger portion of dropped items. This change is to allow currency rewards from slaying of enemies to be more competitive with other sources of it in the game."
You feel this change almost immediately on firing up the game in 3.28. My run through the campaign was blessed with lots more bubblegum currency, especially since I took some time to run mirages, the new league mechanic, as I went. I had to do substantially less shopping as I was able to craft much more freely, and I got to the point where I was updating my loot filter to screen some of the lower tier stuff out much more quickly.
Part of this is because the new league mechanic is sweet. Once a level in the campaign, or once a map, you will find Varashta, an ancient djinn locked in an eternal struggle with her nemesis, Zarokh. She will let you enter a mirage, which is essentially a portion of the area you're in that you can run again. You also get to pick a wish upon entering, which gives you treats inside the mirage. Some of these include currency stashes, increased rarity, or things like a rare pair of boots (extra useful when fishing for movement speed early on).
In the late game, using mirages can let you run your favorite league mechanics twice. If the mirage area covers something like Ritual or Harvest, you'll be able to run it again. Not only does this let you double up on the most rewarding parts of your map, but they also have specific rewards you won't normally be able to get. Harvests, for example, will periodically drop Crystallised Rancour, which allows for ...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
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Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Despite my almost 4,000 hours in Path of Exile, I've never had a raw Mirror of Kalandra drop—the single rarest item in the game. Part of this is probably because I tend to wander off every league before I start getting to turbo juicer strategies, but it remains on my bucket list for the game. With any luck, the new Mirage league will break my streak and let me gaze lovingly at my own reflection, definitely not staring at that face looking back at me and questioning my life decisions.
This is because Grinding Gear Games have fundamentally altered the drop rates of currency across the board, in arguably the biggest change to the game economy since the change to Divine Orbs four years ago. It all comes down to this line in the patch notes: "Currency Items now account for a significantly larger portion of dropped items. This change is to allow currency rewards from slaying of enemies to be more competitive with other sources of it in the game."
You feel this change almost immediately on firing up the game in 3.28. My run through the campaign was blessed with lots more bubblegum currency, especially since I took some time to run mirages, the new league mechanic, as I went. I had to do substantially less shopping as I was able to craft much more freely, and I got to the point where I was updating my loot filter to screen some of the lower tier stuff out much more quickly.
Part of this is because the new league mechanic is sweet. Once a level in the campaign, or once a map, you will find Varashta, an ancient djinn locked in an eternal struggle with her nemesis, Zarokh. She will let you enter a mirage, which is essentially a portion of the area you're in that you can run again. You also get to pick a wish upon entering, which gives you treats inside the mirage. Some of these include currency stashes, increased rarity, or things like a rare pair of boots (extra useful when fishing for movement speed early on).
In the late game, using mirages can let you run your favorite league mechanics twice. If the mirage area covers something like Ritual or Harvest, you'll be able to run it again. Not only does this let you double up on the most rewarding parts of your map, but they also have specific rewards you won't normally be able to get. Harvests, for example, will periodically drop Crystallised Rancour, which allows for ...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?