League mechanics

League Mechanics are a set of challenge league features which were reworked and permanently added to the game after their respective league finished. Each represent a powerful way to obtain crafting material, item drops, or augment items. They are named after the league in which they first appeared and are sometimes referenced by that name in game.

Most are considered Extra Content and their chance to be encountered in maps can be positively modified. Many can be eliminated entirely.

Abyss

Abysses are interactable objects which spawns cracks and pits that spawn monsters. The Abyss cracks trail randomly along the area, and on the final pit it spawns an Abyssal Trove, containing rewards. Occasionally, they may instead spawn a Stygian Spire or an entrance to the Abyssal Depths, which contains a boss. Abysses can close up if the player takes too long to kill the monsters. Abysses are marked on the minimap with a green icon .

Affliction (The Viridian Wildwood)

An area may spawn a portal that leads to the Viridian Wildwood, a forest covered in perpetual darkness. Sacred Wisps will uncover the darkness as you move, but you can only uncover a limited amount of darkness before you must return. You can collect three types of Wisps that are dispersed into the main zone once you leave the Wildwood, empowering random enemies by increasing their power and item drops. You may also find various random encounters inside the Wildwood.

Ambush (Strongboxes)

Strongboxes are a special type of loot container. When opened, a strongbox will release groups of monsters to surround and attack the character.

Anarchy (Rogue Exiles)

Rogue Exiles are unique monsters with player skins which use players skills. On death, exiles drop a large amount of items, including one for each equipment slot.

Bestiary (The Menagerie)

Beasts are marked on the minimap with a yellow icon or red icon and can be hunted with Einhar Frey. Captured beasts can be interacted with in The Menagerie for crafting effects.

Betrayal (Immortal Syndicate)

The Immortal Syndicate have three encounters on a map. Syndicate members are marked on the minimap and may be guarding a transport , fortification or research . They may also appear out of portals and attempt to assassinate the player.

Defeating the syndicate members will provide intelligence in the investigation which is coordinated with Jun Ortoi. Once intelligence in a faction reaches 100%, the player can raid their safehouse for significant rewards based on the leader and rank of the safehouse members. Sufficient safehouse encounters will result in a boss fight against the Syndicate Mastermind.

Beyond

When an area has a Beyond encounter enabled, enemies have a chance to spawn a small red orb on death. If there are enough other red orbs around each other, they will spawn a pack of hostile Beyond demons. Occasionally, a Beyond boss may spawn instead. Once a Beyond boss spawns, no more Beyond monsters can be spawned in that area.

Beyond monsters have a chance to drop tainted currency.

Blight

Blights are tower defence-like encounters that can spawn from Fungal Growths in any map area, which will always be accompanied by Sister Cassia. The player must defend the pump while building towers until all monsters are slain.

Blight encounters are also found in Blighted maps and Blight-ravaged maps that have all the monsters removed, save for a single special Blight encounter.

Breach

Breaches are timed monster-spawning portals identified by a red hand-like construct within a purple circle . Walking into the hand will activate the breach, expending its area gradually then collapsing after a certain period of time.

Delirium

A Delirium mirror spawns on a map.

A Mirror of Delirium is a glittering black gateway which spawn within a close distance from the zone entrance. Once a player passes through it, it spawns a gray mist that spreads outwards throughout the map, beginning the Delirium encounter. Delirium is a zone-wide effect that spawns new enemies and empowers existing ones. As the player kill enemies inside the mist, a reward bar on the bottom left will start filling up. By default, Delirium encounters only last a short period of time and can be ended prematurely.

Delve (Azurite Mine)

Voltaxic Sulphite appears on the minimap as a golden yellow mineral and can be mined with Niko, Master of the Depths. It provides fuel to explore the Azurite Mine which is one of the Endgame activities.

Domination (Shrines)

Shrines can appear randomly in most areas, granting significant bonuses to nearby monsters or casts spells at nearby players, and are often guarded by monsters. Players can activate the shrine to temporarily gain its bonuses.

Essence

An essence can be obtained by killing monsters trapped in essence crystals. Activating the centre essence crystal three times will break the crystals, freeing the trapped monsters. Essences are used for crafting.

Expedition

The player will encounter one of the four Expedition NPCs. The player can place explosives in the area to unearth monsters and chests. An Expedition logbook can drop and be taken to Dannig, who can open portals to larger Expedition areas with more remnants, flags and placeable explosives.

Harbinger

A Harbinger

A Harbinger is a blue glowing monster named with strange runes. They can only be harmed by killing their minions and mainly drop currency shards.

Harvest

A portal leading to the The Sacred Grove may spawn in areas. There, you can find multiple patches of plants connected to each other in pairs. You can activate one of these patches to begin harvesting it by defeating the monsters that spawn from it. These monsters drop Lifeforce, which are used for various Harvest crafting options via the Horticrafting Station.

Heist (The Rogue Harbour)

A Smuggler's Cache is a type of loot container that contain contracts, Rogue's MarkersRogue's MarkerStack Size: 50000Creates a portal to the Rogue Harbour from a Town or Hideout
Used as Currency for services in the Rogue HarbourRight click on this item while in a Town or Hideout to use it., and a quest contract. These can be used in The Rogue Harbour which is one of the endgame activities.

Incursion (Temple of Atzoatl)

A Temporal incursion is a short-duration visit to a temple room. Defeating one of two Vaal Architect in the incursion or using a Stone of PassageStone of PassageThis item can be placed into an Altar of Passage to create a connection between two adjacent rooms in the Temple of Atzoatl. This item will drop on the ground when leaving an Incursion. will customize and upgrade The Temple of Atzoatl. After all incursions are finished, a map of the Temple may be opened.

Legion

Legions are ancient armies frozen in the midst of battle. They can be encountered by touching a Timeless Monolith , which spawns the Legions and gives the player a window of time in which they can be "killed". Once the timer ends, "killed" mobs are broken out and can fought for rewards.

Ritual

Multiple Ritual altars can spawn in areas. Once the enemies around the altar are slain, interacting with a Ritual altar begins a Ritual encounter. During the encounter, the altar traps the player within its area and spawns enemies killed near the altar until all enemies are slain. Each subsequent Ritual encounter in the same area will spawn all the monsters that were spawned by previous altars.

Each enemy slain during a Ritual encounter grants Favour. Favour is used to purchase items offered by the Ritual altars and does not carry over outside the zone. Items can also be deferred instead, paying a part of its cost to have it reappear in future Ritual encounters.

Sanctum

Forbidden TomesForbidden TomeArea Level: (68-83)Mundus noster cecidit. Daemones ubique sunt. Librum
hunc in sacrarium conicio, ut forte alius viam inveniat...Take this item to the Relic Altar in the Forbidden Sanctum to enter. have a chance to drop randomly in areas. You can use them to enter the Forbidden Sanctum, a roguelike-inspired dungeon where you must travel deep into the Sanctum while avoiding enemies and traps that damage your Resolve. The players can acquire boons and afflictions along the way that make the run easier or harder, as well as collect Relics that can be used to give yourself a bonus for future Sanctum runs. It is one of Path of Exile's endgame activities.

In the Forbidden Sanctum, you can acquire currency items immediately, at the end of the floor, or at the end of the dungeon. Certain unique Relics allow you to gain exclusive unique items by completing a Sanctum run with it.

Sentinel

Sentinels are constructs that when deployed empower enemies in exchange for increasing their item drops.

Tempest

Areas containing Tempests will randomly spawn coloured circles of winds that empower or hinder both allies and enemies inside its radius after a delay. Enemies empowered by a Tempest often drop more items.

Currently, Tempests cannot be encountered normally, but can be made to spawn through various means, such as Scarab of Radiant StormsScarab of Radiant StormsStack Size: 20
Limit: 1Area contains a Resplendent TempestThe great cacophony of life roars to a crescendo.Can be used in a personal Map Device to add modifiers to a Map. or in The Temple of Atzoatl when the temple has the room Tempest Generator or its upgraded variants.

Torment (Tormented Spirits)

Tormented Spirit

A Tormented Spirit is a green spirit which flee when encountered and imbue nearby monsters with dangerous powers, which improves their item drops.

Ultimatum

The Trialmaster can appear to offer an Ultimatum encounter. To begin, you must choose a difficulty modifier to add to the encounter. You must them complete up to 10 waves (by default) of the objective without leaving the zone or dying. For each wave you complete, you earn a reward. You may either end the encounter and take all your earned rewards, or continue to the next wave by adding another modifier. If you fail the encounter, all earned rewards will be lost.

Warbands

Warbands are four factions of special monsters. Warbands can drop exclusive unique items or magic items with an exclusive modifier.

Currently, Warbands can only be found in certain maps as map bosses, or in specific nodes in the Azurite Mine. There are no Atlas passive skill directly associated with Warbands.

Removed

Bloodlines

Bloodlines is a special type of monster modifier that can appear on Magic monsters.

In Version 3.18.0, many Bloodlines modifiers have been removed or merged into Archnemesis modifiers. Archnemesis modifiers were replaced with a simpler modifier system in Version 3.20.0.

Crucible

The Crucible Forge allows players to unlock and level up Crucible passive trees on weapon and shields.

The mechanic was not added to the core game after Crucible league.

Necropolis

The Lantern of Arimor allows players to gather corpses and use Embers of the Allflame. Corpses are used for crafting in the Necropolis.

The mechanic was not added to the core game after Necropolis league.

Nemesis

Nemesis is a special type of monster modifier that can appear on Rare monsters.

In Version 3.18.0, many Nemesis modifiers have been removed or merged into Archnemesis modifiers. Archnemesis modifiers were replaced with a simpler modifier system in Version 3.20.0.

Metamorph

Monster organ sample may drop from monsters marked with a green "arrow" on their bodies and marked on the mini-map with a circular green icon . These can be combined to create a powerful Metamorph boss monster. A sufficiently powered Metamorph can drop itemised organ samples that can be taken to Tane's Laboratory to create an even more powerful Metamorph.

Metamorph was removed from the game in Version 3.23.0.

Perandus

Perandus chests are guarded by monsters and magical effects that can only opened after enough of its guardians have been slain. They contain Perandus CoinsPerandus CoinStack Size: 5000Trade coins to Cadiro Perandus. that can be traded to Cadiro Perandus, who will offer a random unique items for coins.

Perandus chests did not spawn normally, but could be made to spawn with a map device craft or Perandus Scarabs.

Perandus mechanics were removed from the game in Version 3.16.0.

Prophecy

A Silver CoinSilver CoinStack Size: 30Cross Navali's palm with silver to receive a prophecy.
Shift click to unstack. can be used to receive a Prophecy from Navali. Each Prophecy will triggers its effect when you fulfill the condition it meets. Some Prophecies let you upgrade a unique items into a Fated item.

Prophecies were removed from the game in Version 3.17.0.

Trial of the Ancestors

Trial of the Ancestors is a tournament against fallen Karui chieftains and their tribes in the afterlife. Destroy enemy totems to win rounds and gain rewards.

The mechanic was not added to the core game after Ancestor league.