Atlas Invasion: Path of Exile's best holiday is currently live

Path of Exile is an ARPG monolith that rose to prominence, thanks to Diablo III’s disastrous performance. Armed with a freakishly long list of skills, millions of gears, and a meme-inspiring skill tree, Path of Exile does not hold back on its players in regards to complexity.

And to reinforce their stance on throwing their players to the deep end, Path of Exile is sending off 2021 with a host of week-long events that make the game even harder.

Atlas Invasion began December 24 and will end January 2.

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Path of Exile’s December events is setting the festive mood in the most grueling fashion

December kicked in rather normally for exiles. Players were put through the ropes in the all-time classic Endless Delve event, where they could only venture down a limitless mineshaft for gear and glory. Challenging and harsh but fun, Endless Delve was the perfect introduction for newer players while getting veterans ready for the real doozy to follow.

Next in line was the Krangled Gauntlet, juiced up more than before. Alongside all the old mods, Grinding Gear Games decided to add two new mods, which made for a week-long extravaganza of death and despair.

Players and streamers alike were falling victim to unsuspecting attacks from bosses and random enemies with juiced-up mods. For a long time, a low-level boss called The Weaver became the biggest threat for even the veterans. At the end of the week, however, Lightee7 became the first player to win the Gauntlet thrice.

Where Lightee7 succeeded, Grinding Gear Games, unfortunately, dropped the ball on the third strike. Endless Heist, which sounded good on paper, was a real letdown. Being a league mechanic removed from the rest of the game, Endless Heist suffered from stunted XP gain and a generally painful experience overall. Thankfully, Atlas Invasion arrived just in time to save Christmas.

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Atlas Invasion is shaping up to be Path of Exile’s best event to date

In normal times, Path of Exile’s biggest boss fights is saved for the deepest endgame encounters. These bosses are no cakewalk as they require meticulous preparation and gearing to even learn, let alone defeat them.

But Atlas Invasion takes all those bosses out of their domain and throws them into the foray from the get-go. It is truly a sight to behold as one enters the beach and discovers Chayula and The Elder lying in wait to send them back to town.

Echoes of the Atlas was a wild ride (Image by Grinding Gear Games)

Now, these bosses have their health and damage adjusted so players can have a fighting chance. Upon death, the bosses drop powerful and unique items, making them prime targets for players. If player feedback is anything to go by, Atlas Invasion is a rousing success thanks to its incredibly chaotic playtime.

There is one event left before Grinding Gear Games and Path of Exile enter the new year. Endless Delirium is the final hurdle exiles have to cross before 2022. But players doubt that it can match up to Atlas Invasion’s incredibly stimulating and enjoyable experience.

Delirium has had a reputation for hampering the performance of PCs and consoles alike. And while Delirium is rewarding, it also suffers from being repetitive and fairly boring as a mechanic.

Regardless of how Endless Delirium might perform, Atlas Invasion has most certainly proved its worth as a standalone event. At a time when most games experience a dip in the player base, Path of Exile has succeeded in retaining its players through these one-off events. And in a weird twist of fate, Path of Exile’s most ruthless enemies have become a Christmas miracle.