The Path of Exile Sanctum League has proven to be a hugely popular addition to the long-running hardcore RPG, catching players’ attention after a somewhat disappointing series of expansions with the introduction of its roguelike dungeon The Forbidden Sanctum. It’s been so good, in fact, that developer Grinding Gear Games wants it to be a more permanent part of Path of Exile, but it won’t be coming in the 3.21 PoE update.
Path of Exile leagues typically last around three months, which means we’re nearing the end of the Forbidden Sanctum league run. This means that the core mechanics introduced in the Path of Exile 3.20 update will rotate to make way for whatever happens in the next league, which in this case means the eponymous Forbidden Sanctum dungeon will continue.
Appearing intermittently throughout your leveling experience, the dungeon lets you fight your way through a randomized dungeon that draws on elements from the best roguelike games, with your character tracing a path and collecting various perks and disadvantages over time. through the floors. It’s a cool mode, and as such Grinding Gear Games is understandably reluctant to pass it up.
“While Sanctum won’t be a core part of the next expansion, we really like this mechanic and how it challenges Path of Exile players,” the team says in a community post. “We loved seeing your visits to Sanctum and the best relics you found. We really want to find a way to integrate it into Path of Exile.
However, this will not happen immediately. GGG notes that before Sanctum becomes a more permanent item, it “needs global rebalancing, could benefit from more content, and needs to be integrated into your gameplay loop in a way that allows players to specialize in it. if they wish.” but they don’t.” Don’t force it on players who prefer the base game.” This is certainly understandable, as the focus will be on the new mechanics of the current league and it’s important that Sanctum doesn’t deviate too dramatically from that.
GGG adds, “We’re currently working on a lot of things for 3.21, so we haven’t included the Sanctum rework in its scope. But hopefully that’s something we can look forward to in future leagues.” Given that the current league is currently set to end “early April”, GGG also reminds players that Relics and Summons will be gone by this time. stage, so all pending Sanctum challenges should complete before then.
Other mechanics have managed to break out of leagues in the past; notably, the Path of Exile Archnemesis system was retained for several leagues after its initial introduction, before finally being changed in 3.20 after GGG determined that it caused too many balance issues.
However, player feedback and retention in the Path of Exile Sanctum league has been better than usual, with many players saying they think the game as a whole is in a much better place, even outside of the dungeon. himself. a lot. of hope for the future, even if the Sanctum no longer exists for the moment.
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