Grinding Gear Games has announced Echoes of the Atlas, Path of Exile's latest expansion, will launch for PC on January 15. It'll be released a bit later for consoles on January 20, bringing new end-game content and a challenging new boss called The Maven.
"Path of Exile: Echoes of the Atlas will test the mettle of players brave enough to face its many challenges," said Grinding Gear Games. "The Maven is hungry to witness the player's fight for survival against the Atlas' most dangerous enemies." Defeat three map bosses in her presence and you'll be summoned to her realm – where you'll need to fight all three bosses at the same time. Once that's done, she'll incrementally up the ante – once you slay ten bosses simultaneously, you'll finally be able to challenge The Maven.
To help with this challenge, a bunch of new end-game content is available. New regional passive trees, three types of Craftable Watchstones to upgrade your Atlas, and The Maven's Orb – an object that can randomly upgrade items – will all make your time with Echoes of the Atlas a bit easier to stomach. In total, 13 unique items and several Divination Cards will be added with the expansion.
You'll also gain access to a new challenge league called Ritual League. This will put you up against waves of monsters that become increasingly difficult with each completed stage. Along the way you'll earn Tribute, which in turn can be spent on powerful rewards and upgrades.
Grinding Gear Games is also making a few adjustments to Harvest and Heist before adding them into the core game. The studio is celebrating Echoes of the Atlas' launch with two new Supporter Packs, both of which include exclusive armor sets and character effects, and are a great way to jumpstart your latest adventure.
Path of Exile: Echoes of the Atlas will release on January 15 for PC and January 20 for consoles. All told, you'll have a total of 11 new maps to explore, each with a variety of biomes, bosses, and new gear.