Grinding Gear Games (GGG) has revealed Expansion 3.30 'Covens of Umbra' for 'Path of Exile'. At its core are the 'Fate' system, which enhances boss abilities and rewards, and the 'Wicker Man' system, which empowers characters by collecting body parts from defeated bosses.
GGG unveiled the key features of the new league during its ExileCon 2026 keynote in Auckland, New Zealand, on November 7. Set against the backdrop of a centuries-long conflict between witch covens, 'Covens of Umbra' sees players acquire new powers as they face off against the ancient Coven Queen. The expansion is set to launch on November 13 (PST).
At the center of this league stands an ancient Coven Queen of immense power. While defeating the coven's minions, players encounter Mora, a witch trapped by magic. With Mora's assistance, players begin stripping away the coven's power to prepare for the final confrontation with the Coven Queen.
The first system introduced is 'Fate'. Upon completing coven-related combat encounters, players can select Fate cards from a cauldron. Each card carries a specific empowerment effect, and applying it to an area boss enhances the boss's combat capabilities in exchange for greater rewards. Selecting tougher fights naturally yields larger rewards.
As progression increases, the number of coven encounters in a single area rises, allowing players to collect up to 4–5 Fate cards. Up to 3 of these Fates can be applied to an area boss. Combining specific Fates triggers bonus rewards, while applying duplicate Fates triples the reward provided by the first Fate. Depending on the combination, players can obtain rewards such as item rarity bonuses, special support gems, or new unique flasks.
Another key system is the 'Wicker Man'. Slaying a Fate-empowered boss offers a chance to obtain 'Viscera', body parts from the boss. Despite the name Viscera, these actually encompass a variety of body parts, including flesh, bone, skin, and carapace. Impaling them on the Wicker Man structure allows players to harness a portion of the boss's power as character buffs.
Body parts are divided into four categories—head, arm, torso, and legs—with the Wicker Man capable of equipping up to 4 parts. Every campaign boss and Atlas map boss possesses its own unique body part, categorized into 3 tiers. The highest-tier body parts can only be obtained in the endgame, requiring players to repeatedly farm specific bosses to secure their desired buffs.
The endgame also introduces 'Grim Fate', targeted at pinnacle bosses. Defeating Fate-empowered bosses in high-level Atlas areas grants a chance to acquire them, and collected Grim Fates can be applied to specific pinnacle bosses. This alters existing boss attack patterns—for example, causing Sirus's storms to transform into swirling crows or Uber Elder's portals to fire beams of dark energy.
Defeating these empowered bosses yields pinnacle boss loot carrying significantly stronger effects than standard body parts. Furthermore, defeating pinnacle bosses modified by Grim Fate is a requirement to reach the ultimate foe, the Coven Queen. Ultimately, collecting Fate cards to empower bosses and defeating them to harvest body parts forms the core progression structure of the league.
'Covens of Umbra' allows players to customize combat difficulty by granting bosses extra abilities while collecting boss body parts to empower their own characters. By assigning unique body loot to every campaign and map boss, the expansion provides a compelling reason to defeat existing bosses once again.
