Grinding Gear Games’ upcoming Path of Exile 3.28 league, Mirage, introduces a system that duplicates and warps parts of an active map and the studio expects it to make monster-dropped items feel more worthwhile.
The comments come from an interview with game director Mark Roberts and game designer Christopher “Octavian” Laferriere, published by PCGamesN that covers the Mirage mechanics, changes to the campaign, and how GGG is thinking about the perennial ground loot debate.
Who said what and why it matters
Roberts explained that some of his Path of Exile 1 responsibilities have been shifted to Octavian and another designer who prefers to go by “Andrew.” Roberts said that handoff improved his work-life balance and called it “an absolute savior of my sanity.” Octavian described moving between both Path of Exile projects in recent years and now focusing “full-on PoE 1” with the games on four-month cycles. Octavian also noted his long personal history with the game, saying he has “16,000 hours in PoE 1.”
Roberts’ time split between titles came up against the studio’s work on Path of Exile 2, which recently received a major update; readers may find additional context in a Path of Exile 2 update that introduced the Druid class and other changes here.
How Mirage works and what to chase
The Mirage system generates an “imperfect copy” of a local section of a player’s current map and layers twisted versions of other league mechanics and map objects into that copy. Octavian said about “90% of things do work” inside Mirages, but warned that mechanics which transport the player to a separate subzone, such as Vaal side areas, are a functional exception and cannot be mirrored inside a Mirage.
Octavian recommended several activities to pursue inside Mirages. His top pick was Blight, which can award an anointable belt. He also suggested hunting map bosses because Mirages augment those encounters with “astral hazards” and sometimes drop maps that are themselves enchanted to become fully covered in a Mirage. Delirium was highlighted for its currency that alters cluster jewel enchantments, enabling precise crafting combinations that can add modifiers not normally available on a jewel.
What GGG says about ground loot and balance
The question of how valuable monster ground drops feel compared with other sources has been a recurring community topic. Roberts described loot balance as an “ebb and flow situation” that has been present since the earliest days of Path of Exile. He pointed to past leagues such as Necropolis and Affliction as examples of extremes that pushed player expectations in one direction, then required corrective adjustments when elements were folded into the core game.
Roberts said Mirage “will certainly” help make ground loot feel more rewarding, but he cautioned that Path of Exile’s drop model is complex and that adjustments cannot be rushed. He warned that a wrong change could “brick” systems and create irreversible problems unless fixed quickly. He added that the studio is “aware of the problem” and that player feedback is “mandatory” when deciding how and when to act on loot concerns. The interview notes Roberts’ preference for listening to players, planning changes, and then executing gradual fixes rather than abrupt shifts.
Campaign additions and player pacing
Alongside the league mechanics, 3.28 will add roughly 20 new campaign side rooms to find. Each room grants a small power boost. Some of these will be easy to spot while others will be more hidden, but Octavian expects players to locate them within days and said “We’re not talking Fromsoft level.” Roberts emphasized that the studio wants to expand campaign content so that players who return to the game and stop at the campaign still have meaningful things to discover instead of only driving straight into endgame mapping.
The developers said making the campaign feel fresh again is part of a longer-term plan to pair mechanical leagues with additional discoveries during the story. Roberts described wanting to track what players receive at different checkpoints, from early levels up through mid and late acts, to ensure those experiences are worthwhile.
Have thoughts about how Mirage might change ground loot or which new campaign rooms will matter most to you? Tell us in the comments and follow X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Instagram for updates.
Path of Exile 2
Developed by Grinding Gear Games
Path of Exile 2 is a next generation Action RPG created by Grinding Gear Games. Set years after the original Path of Exile, you will return to the dark world of Wraeclast and seek to end the corruption that is spreading. Path of Exile 2 is a free-to-play online multiplayer game with co-op for up to six players.
- Genre: Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Mac
- Modes: Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
- Release: 2024-12-06
- Publisher: Grinding Gear Games, Kakao Games
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Age Rating:
GRAC 19+ / PEGI 18 / ESRB M
- IGDB Rating: 82.1/100
