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Over the last few weeks, Grinding Gear Games has been teasing the Path of Exile 3.26 update. A few days ago, however, it finally shared the name of the expansion, Secrets of the Atlas, which will be revealed on June 5, 2025. The short clip showcased a new character asking for help to find the originator.
While there wasn’t much to go on except for the full reveal and release dates, there were a few hints about what players can expect. Combined with the information available, this article attempts to predict what we might get with Path of Exile 3.26.
Note: This article is purely based on speculation for Path of Exile 3.26 and does not serve as official information/confirmation.
Path of Exile 3.26 league predictions
It has been nearly a year since we saw a Path of Exile 1 league. But with the work GGG seems to be putting in with patch 3.26, this may be one of the biggest expansions for the game.
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1) Zana’s Return
Right from the first teaser when Atlas was included, the first name that came to mind was Zana. Our beloved map lady has been dormant for a while now, and it seems like the right time to bring her back. However, the latest teaser gave us something slightly different – a new character asking for help.
The clip also had rose petals, indicating that Zana is involved in one way or another. The new character talks about endless worlds, which seems to indicate a different timeline. This raises the question: Is the new character Valdo Caeserius from a different timeline, or is Zana in trouble?
Also read: 5 reasons to try Path of Exile 1 if you're burnt out with Path of Exile 2
2) New boss difficulty or map tier
The Atlas expansion also points towards a new challenge in terms of difficulty, perhaps another tier of maps that we can access, or a new boss difficulty. The highest you can go is tier 17. Maybe GGG will introduce tier 18 maps.
As for boss fights, we already have Uber boss difficulty, and it’d be interesting if the devs add another layer over that. For now, the only thing that seems viable is adding new mechanics or modifiers.
3) New endgame boss
Each Atlas expansion generally introduced new bosses to fight, and Path of Exile 3.26 is also shaping up to be the same. The teasers mentioned locating the originator, so there’s undoubtedly a new pinnacle encounter awaiting players.
The question is who we will be facing. Do we meet Zana halfway through the story, or will she be the one standing as the Uber Zana boss fight? Many questions will hopefully be answered during the reveal.
4) New crafting options
New leagues offer players alternative ways to craft or modify powerful gear. While there’s nothing more satisfying than crafting a powerful item using currencies in your inventory, league crafting provides a great alternative.
Harvest crafting and the recent corpse crafting method in the Necropolis league were quite popular. They allowed players to have more control over their craft. Considering we may get a new difficulty and bosses, new crafting also seems likely.
