Path of Exile: Betrayal League mechanics guide

Path of Exile’s Betrayal League is a fairly old expansion, but it remains quite popular to date. Introduced in December 2018 alongside patch 3.5, the League introduced the Immortal Syndicate, featuring 18 members you can fight throughout a variety of different encounters.

The objective is to gather information and take down the syndicate's safehouse to disrupt their operations. This serves as the base mechanic of Betrayal in Path of Exile, so let’s dive into more detail about the league.

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Betrayal League mechanics in Path of Exile explained

Transportation encounter in Path of Exile Betrayal (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

As you progress through the Path of Exile's campaign, you’ll encounter Jun Ortoi, the Veiled Master. She asks for assistance in investigating the Immortal Syndicate and disrupting their ongoing activities. The syndicate members can be encountered across four activities, which can happen randomly across maps. These include:

• Transportation: The syndicate members will be transporting cargo from one point to another, and your objective is to defeat them before they reach their destination
• Fortification: Sometimes, you’ll come across a small fort where a few members are hiding. To defeat them, break the doors and take down the members. Note that turrets on the walls will also target you during the encounter.
• Research: This encounter will send you to an underground hideout. After your arrival, enemies will start destroying the research, and your job is to defeat them before they can destroy everything.
• Intervention: With you chasing the activities of Immortal Syndicate, it’s a matter of time before they try to take revenge. In Intervention, you’ll be ambushed by some of the members.

Investigation phase

Take syndicate members out of the equation (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

Each time you defeat syndicate members, you’ll have a few choices. You can Interrogate, Bargain, Execute, or Betray these NPCs. However, not every option will be available all the time.

• Interrogation will allow you to gain information about the syndicate but will also prevent the member from spawning for the next three encounters. That’s because you are holding them in your custody.
• Bargaining with one of the defeated members can net you some rewards in exchange for letting them go. This option is present only when there is only one member present.
• Choosing to Execute will immediately kill the member but also increase their rank on the investigation board. The rank can go up to three stars, which can pose a challenge.
• Betrayal will have one member going behind the back of another and create a rivalry between them. Rivals can spawn during each other’s encounters.

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The Syndicate board

you can move members on the syndicate board (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

As you encounter different members, you’ll fill out the Syndicate board, revealing each member’s connection with each other and the safehouse. You can find out who to focus on through the strings.

• Green: Connected members trust each other.
• Red: Connected members are rivals.
• Yellow: Connected members are part of the safehouse.

With all the options available after defeating and investigating these members, you can also move them around and place certain members in the desired spot. Interrogating them will provide intelligence.

Once the intelligence for the safehouse reaches 100%, and you are satisfied with how the members are positioned on the board, talk to Jun to raid the safehouse.

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Raiding the Safehouse

Jun will help you raid safehouses (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

Talking to Jun after a specific faction reaches 100% on the syndicate board will grant you access to the safehouse. After entering the portal, you’ll end up in a special area containing all the members from the particular faction.

For example, if you raid after reaching 100% in Fortification, you’ll encounter all the members from that area of the board. After defeating all the members, you can interrogate the leader of the safehouse to gain Mastermind intelligence progress.

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Loot and Betrayal improvements in Path of Exile 3.26

Veiled crafting can be very strong in Path of Exile (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

After completing the safehouse raid, you’ll get access to the living quarters containing loot. The loot will depend on the safehouse and members defeated. There’s a lot of loot to find, including currency, gear (veiled), map fragments, and more.

With the Path of Exile 3.26 update, Grinding Gear Games is bringing some quality-of-life changes to the Betrayal League mechanics. In a short clip, it was revealed that unveiling the veiled items will no longer require you to go to Jun. Instead, simply right-clicking and using the unveil option will show all possible modifiers.

Additionally, unveiling the item was previously the only way to unlock the crafting option. However, with the next update, these crafts can be acquired through the endgame content in Path of Exile.

Note that these aren't the only changes for Betrayal. There are a few more improvements, which the devs will reveal on June 5, 2025.

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Finishing Betrayal with Mastermind encounter

Catarina behind her syndicate members (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

After going through the entire league mechanics a few times and filling up the Mastermind intelligence, you can challenge Catarina, Master of Undeath, in the Mastermind's Lair.

This process is fastest upon reaching the endgame, as you can pick up atlas passives for Betrayal. Additionally, you can use the map mod to always ensure a syndicate encounter.

Note that you can start building intelligence as soon as the first Betrayal encounter, although you may be a bit under-levelled. Catarina Lair is a minimum of level 68, so prepare accordingly. Defeating Catarina can net you some decent loot drops.

Here are all the possible drops after defeating Catarina:

• Cinderswallow Urn Silver Flask (45% chance)
• Bitterbind Point Titanium Spirit Shield (20% chance)
• Cane of Kulemak Serpentine Staff (15% chance)
• The Queen's Hunger Vaal Regalia (15% chance)
• The Devouring Diadem Necromancer Circlet (5% chance)
• Veiled Orb
• Random veiled items

Each syndicate member has their signature mods, including Catarina. Her veiled mods offer an increased level of support gems and increased quality of support gems. However, with Path of Exile 3.26 changing how you can acquire veiled mods, it remains to be seen if boss signature mods are also included on the list.