Path of Exile 2 Rise of the Abyssal League mechanics, explained

Path of Exile 2 brings back the Abyss in the Rise of the Abyssal League with patch 0.3. Starting Act 1, you’ll come across breaches that influence monsters in the surrounding area. The concept remains the same as the first game, but it includes more gameplay aspects and a new currency item that can add veiled Abyss modifiers to weapons and waystones.

Even if you have experienced Abyss before in Path of Exile 1, things will feel a little different with the addition of a new crafting system. Here’s how the new Abyss League mechanics work.

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All you need to know about Abyssal League mechanics in Path of Exile 2

Seal fissures to summon Abyss creatures from the pit in Path of Exile 2 (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

As mentioned, the concept for the Abyss remains the same. You’ll find fissures throughout an area, affecting the surrounding monsters, defeating whom will close the related fissure. Seal enough of them to force monsters from the Abyss to come out.

There are a lot of things to keep in mind while fighting Abyssal monsters. On top of being much more dangerous, they are influenced by the monsters you defeat around the fissure, and will take on their modifiers and rarity. Special modifiers like mana leech aura will transform into an Abyss modifier.

As you progress through the campaign, the fights will get tougher. The monsters also interact with unique enemies; for instance, a Rogue Exile will be revived with Abyss modifiers, while defeating the map boss will spawn a special Abyss boss.

Well of Souls in Path of Exile 2 Abyssal League (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

In both cases, defeating them could reward unique items. Additionally, the Abyss can also affect essences, turning them into something different. In all cases, closing the final fissure will reward you with an Abyssal trove that will drop magic and rare items.

Completing an Abyss encounter also offers a chance of opening a path for the Dark Domain. It leads to an Abyssal city filled with challenging monsters with Abyss modifiers. Defeating the boss will reward better loot and multiple Abyssal Troves that could contain the new Lineage Support Skill Gems.

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Abyss crafting overview for Path of Exile 2 patch 0.3

Abyss crafting in Path of Exile 2 (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

After completing an encounter, you could acquire ancient bones, the new currency used to assign veiled Abyss modifiers to an item. It will look similar to the Immortal Syndicate veiled mods, which you can unveil in a new area.

During Act 2 in the Mastodon Badlands, you’ll come across a new area called Lightless Passage. Heading through the passage will lead you to the Well of Souls, where you can throw the weapon in the pit and select one of the veiled Abyss modifiers. The Lurking Creature will bring it back with mods applied.

Abyss wasn’t the most popular league in Path of Exile 1. However, with the Abyss crafting system featuring exclusive modifiers, there’s a possibility that things might improve. The currency and modifiers on weapons through this League mechanic should play a big part.