A decade after its initial release, Path of Exile 3.27, known as ‘Keepers of the Flame,’ is pushing new boundaries for one of PC’s most beloved action RPGs. This latest seasonal league marks a significant first for Grinding Gear Games: a direct sequel to an existing mechanic. They’ve chosen Breach, a fan-favorite system from 2016, which was already slated for integration into the highly anticipated Path of Exile 2. Before this exciting new update, I sat down with game director Mark Roberts to discuss the inspiration behind this choice, ongoing quality-of-life improvements, and the challenges of developing two major titles simultaneously.
Interestingly, Roberts revealed that Grinding Gear Games initially had no intention of creating a ‘sequel league’ with Keepers of the Flame. Instead, the team began by designing core systems. This led to the creation of ‘grafts,’ which are character attachments enabling new skills, and the ‘Genesis Tree,’ a hideout feature that produces valuable item-yielding fruits. When conceptualizing the grafts, Roberts emphasized a desire for a ‘grotesque’ and ‘dark, horror’ aesthetic, steering clear of anything too whimsical.
This design direction rapidly evolved into the idea of characters growing extra limbs. Roberts recalled the natural progression: ‘What league features hands prominently? Breach is centered around hands, so it seemed like a perfect fit.’ Once this connection was made, the team recognized Breach’s unique potential. Given that many updated monsters and animations from Path of Exile 2 already existed, incorporating Breach into Keepers of the Flame provided an excellent opportunity to bridge the narrative gap between the PoE 1 and PoE 2 timelines for this particular mechanic.
While Grinding Gear Games could potentially build new leagues around other existing mechanics, Roberts confessed a general aversion to creating direct sequels. He explained, ‘If we announced a Harbinger sequel, a significant portion of the player base, say 30%, might be immediately uninterested, regardless of the actual improvements.’ Breach, however, was an ideal candidate. Its age and ‘simple and elegant’ nature mean it enjoys a very high approval rating among players, minimizing the risk of alienating fans with a follow-up.
Thus, Keepers of the Flame introduces a relatively conventional twist to Path of Exile’s established formula, contrasting sharply with more experimental leagues like the autobattling of Trial of the Ancestors or the city-building of Settlers of Kalguur. Yet, Roberts assured that these more unusual concepts won’t be exclusively reserved for Path of Exile 2. He stated emphatically, ‘I absolutely want to continue incorporating them into the first game.’ He believes in maintaining a healthy balance between leagues that offer an ‘X factor’ and push creative boundaries, and those that stick to traditional ARPG combat.
Roberts firmly advocates for a balanced approach, a sentiment I wholeheartedly share. He’s resolute about avoiding radical changes to beloved classic systems like Breach. ‘Players know and love it,’ he explained. ‘If we complicate it too much, turning it into a game within a game or a completely different genre, players will instantly feel like we’ve ruined what they enjoyed.’ While this might not affect a vast number of players, Roberts’ goal is to keep such mechanics as faithful as possible to their original design and appeal. Otherwise, he fears the backlash would be: ‘Don’t ever do a sequel again; you’ll just break what we already liked.’
With two games now under simultaneous development, Grinding Gear Games faces the ongoing challenge of deciding which features to unify and which to differentiate. Roberts explained that there’s no rigid rule; for instance, the new asynchronous trade system was integrated into both games without much debate because it’s simply a beneficial addition for all players. However, he expressed caution about rapidly transferring league mechanics between titles. ‘I genuinely believe it feels a bit cheap,’ he admitted, ‘especially with many players engaging with both games. Despite the distinct balancing, I want to avoid giving the impression that we’re taking shortcuts.’
As a case in point, Roberts cited the pinnacle boss from Path of Exile 2’s Rise of the Abyssal league, Vessel of Kulemak. This boss was an adaptation of Path of Exile 1’s Incarnation of Dread, featuring entirely new skill sets but retaining the same core animation set and monster silhouette. Roberts shared that Grinding Gear Games deliberately downplayed its marketing. During a livestream, he recalled, the team felt, ‘This just feels cheap.’
He elaborated, ‘We realized it actually was cheap, and we probably shouldn’t have done it.’ While the boss fight itself was enjoyable and introduced fresh mechanics and a new appearance, Roberts concluded, ‘Let’s not repeat that; that boss is now effectively on cooldown for a year.’ He acknowledged that player feedback wasn’t overwhelmingly negative, with only a few comments, but internally, the team felt it wasn’t right and would prefer to create entirely unique bosses going forward.
As both games find their development rhythm, I inquired about the sustainability of this dual process. Roberts candidly replied, ‘It’s quite demanding, primarily for me, as I serve as game director for both titles. Balancing my time between them is a constant challenge.’ He quickly added, ‘But I’m skilled at it; we’ll manage. It’s not an insurmountable issue, and I’m committed to giving my all to both projects.’ He highlighted that the team has significantly expanded its QA department, recently onboarding six exceptionally talented individuals whose insights have proven invaluable.
Path of Exile 3.27 temporarily removes mercenaries, the prominent feature from the last league, but Roberts confirmed their eventual return. ‘We’re very firm on this; many designers and I agree that we want them back,’ he stated. ‘They’ll likely undergo significant adjustments, but their core functionality will remain.’ He envisions them as a valuable asset, particularly for newer players, though he clarified, ‘I don’t want every character in the game constantly accompanied by a mercenary. That would likely be too many.’
In lieu of mercenaries, the update introduces bloodlines, acting as secondary ascendancies earned by conquering specific signature bosses. This offers a compelling incentive to re-explore the game’s older leagues. Roberts expressed his enthusiasm: ‘I truly admire players who choose a class based on a fantasy concept rather than solely chasing the meta.’ He added, ‘Doing both is perfectly fine, but for those who wish to fully immerse themselves, like a slayer wielding occult powers, they should absolutely go for it.’
Roberts also shared his delight at the renewed interest in Heist, spurred by a change that now starts all rogues at maximum level. ‘Reading the YouTube comments brought a huge smile to my face,’ he recounted. ‘It made me think, ‘Damn, we should have implemented this change much earlier.’ It was truly an oversight.’ This positive feedback has prompted him to consider: ‘Are there other leagues where a single, overlooked change could suddenly revitalize player engagement? I suspect there might be, to be honest.’
Roberts further emphasized his personal mission: ‘To implement at least ten quality-of-life improvements with every Path of Exile 1 expansion.’ This update delivers several highly requested features, including mass identification, a seamless swap between augmentation and alteration orbs, an Atlas respec using gold, and the ability to disenchant items directly in towns and hideouts. Revisiting Blight, he noted, sparked valuable discussions within the team about simple yet impactful enhancements that could be made. ‘I hope we’ll eventually address everything to some extent,’ he concluded.
The ‘Keepers of the Flame’ league for Path of Exile 3.27 launches on Friday, October 31. This free-to-play experience is available on Steam and Grinding Gear Games’ standalone launcher. For more action RPG recommendations, explore our list of the best games similar to Diablo. To enhance your gameplay, consider upgrading to one of the best gaming keyboards. Share your thoughts on the new PoE league and mechanics with our community on Discord!