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Path of Exile: Curse of the Allflame Sends Exiles Into the Frozen Seas
Grinding Gear Games has revealed Path of Exile: Curse of the Allflame, the next major expansion for Path of Exile, launching on July 24. The new update sends players beneath Wraeclast’s Frozen Seas, guided by corsair captain Valerie and her cursed navigator Vesper. From there, exiles will board The Sovereign, piece together treasure charts, and descend into the ocean depths inside an Allflame-powered Bathysphere.
Survival will depend on Allflame Lanterns, which create temporary pockets of safety under the water. Players will need to complete encounters before the light fades, or retreat before the creatures lurking beyond the darkness close in.
Voyages Add a New Strategic Layer
Each completed expedition records a Chart in Valerie’s journal, which can then be placed on the Voyage Board to build larger interconnected expeditions. Charts add modifiers to individual encounters, adjacent Charts, or entire Voyages. Some can transform drops into Gold, summon friendly jellyfish, empower monsters with Wildwood Wisps, or introduce entirely new encounters.
With up to 9 Charts forming a single Voyage, careful planning can dramatically increase both risk and reward. The Voyage Board in Path of Exile: Curse of the Allflame will also feature shifting Corruption Currents, randomised effects that change how nearby Charts behave, encouraging players to experiment with layouts instead of simply repeating one safe route.\
Allflame Crafting Gives Players More Control
Dead Man’s Sulphur, gathered from coral formations in the depths, powers a new Allflame Crafting system aboard The Sovereign in Path of Exile: Curse of the Allflame. By combining an item, crafting currency, and Dead Man’s Sulphur, Vesper can split an item into multiple ghostly crafting possibilities. Players can inspect the possible outcomes before choosing one, while the remaining results vanish.
The system supports most forms of currency crafting, giving players more control over expensive crafting decisions. However, repeated use makes an item more intangible, gradually reducing future options and adding long-term consequences to each attempt.
Rare Ducats found in specialised Charts also unlock unique crafting effects, including modifier-preserving copies, attribute requirement changes, and mysterious Aspects inspired by Wraeclast’s ancient gods.
Luminary and Mercenaries Expand Companion Builds
The Mercenaries of Trarthus are returning as a permanent core mechanic from Act 3 onwards. Players can challenge honour-bound warriors to duels, claim their equipment, and temporarily recruit defeated Mercenaries. In Maps, Mercenaries can also grant Warrants, allowing them to be summoned again later or traded to other players.
The Scion is also receiving the new Luminary Ascendancy, built around permanently recruiting, equipping, and customising Mercenary companions. That should open up new build options for players who want to command a stronger supporting force rather than fight entirely alone.
Endgame Systems and Sockets Get Major Changes
Path of Exile: Curse of the Allflame is also making several major changes outside its new league content. Abyss has been reworked into faster encounters built around already-open pits, while Legion gains Vestigial Unique Items and a redesigned reward structure. Talismans are being revitalised as Bestiary-exclusive rewards, and Atlas Anomalies will introduce strange self-contained encounters across the Atlas.
The update also reimagines sockets and links for the first time in nearly 20 years. Players will now be able to socket any coloured skill gem into linked equipment, while coloured sockets remain meaningful through quality bonuses.
Spellcasting is receiving a major balance pass as well, including stronger caster staves, improved Intelligence Ascendancies, clearer elemental identities, and new Exceptional Skill Gems called Pacts.
For long-time players, Path of Exile: Curse of the Allflame looks like one of the game’s biggest system updates in years. Between Frozen Seas expeditions, Mercenary builds, Allflame Crafting, and long-requested progression changes, Wraeclast is getting far more than another seasonal detour.
