Grinding Gear Games has officially unveiled Path of Exile: Curse of the Allflame, the upcoming 3.29 expansion that introduces one of the game's most ambitious league mechanics to date. Launching later this month, the free update takes players beneath the frozen seas of Wraeclast for the first time, combining underwater exploration, a brand-new crafting system, and the long-awaited return of Mercenaries into a single content-packed expansion.

Unlike previous leagues that focused on a single combat mechanic or encounter, Curse of the Allflame revolves around exploration. Players will work alongside a ruthless pirate captain to recover long-lost relics buried beneath the ocean floor while surviving the dangers lurking in the deep.

Explore the Ocean Floor

The centerpiece of the new league is an underwater expedition system led by the pirate captain Vi and her modified vessel, the Kingmaker. Throughout Wraeclast, players will discover Sea Charts that unlock expeditions to different underwater locations.

Once aboard the ship, players descend into the ocean inside a diving sphere powered by the mysterious Allflame. Rather than simply clearing monsters, each expedition requires players to carefully expand their exploration area by placing Allflame Lanterns, which create temporary safe zones beneath the crushing pressure of the sea.

Outside these illuminated areas, darkness and the ocean itself quickly become deadly. Players must continue pushing deeper, collecting treasure, defeating sea creatures, and searching for valuable resources before retreating safely back to the surface.

Build Your Own Treasure Route

Curse of the Allflame also introduces an entirely new voyage planning system.

Instead of treating each expedition as an isolated encounter, every explored Sea Chart can later be connected together to form a larger voyage consisting of up to nine different locations. Each completed section contributes special modifiers that affect neighboring charts or even the entire expedition.

Some routes may dramatically increase gold drops, while others summon friendly allies or empower enemies with additional league mechanics. Because these modifiers interact with one another, players are encouraged to experiment with different chart layouts to maximize rewards rather than simply running maps as quickly as possible.

The result is a league mechanic that combines exploration, planning, and risk management into a much deeper gameplay loop than previous expansions.

Ghost Crafting Brings a New Way to Upgrade Gear

Exploration isn't only about finding treasure. Throughout underwater expeditions, players will collect Dead Sulphite, a valuable resource that powers one of the expansion's biggest new features: Ghost Crafting.

Instead of committing to a single crafting outcome, Ghost Crafting allows players to spend currency and Dead Sulphite to generate multiple possible crafting results simultaneously. Players can then inspect every outcome before selecting the one they want to keep.

This dramatically reduces the randomness associated with expensive crafting attempts while still preserving the excitement of item progression.

Grinding Gear Games also revealed a new collection of rare relics that further expand crafting possibilities, allowing equipment to be modified in ways that were previously impossible.

Mercenaries Return to Wraeclast

Another major surprise is the return of the Mercenary system.

Beginning in Act 3, players will once again encounter wandering Mercenaries carrying their own equipment and skill sets. Before fighting them, players can inspect their gear and wager on specific items. Winning the duel rewards the chosen equipment, while defeated Mercenaries may temporarily fight alongside the player afterward.

Grinding Gear Games has also introduced Mercenary Contracts, allowing players to encounter specific Mercenaries again in future maps while giving the community a new item to trade.

The system becomes even more interesting through the new Radiant Apostle Ascendancy for the Scion. Unlike ordinary Mercenaries, permanently hired companions can equip player-provided gear, opening entirely new build possibilities centered around companion customization and support gameplay.

A New Direction for Path of Exile

Curse of the Allflame feels less like a traditional seasonal league and more like an entirely new gameplay framework. Instead of simply asking players to clear maps faster, the expansion encourages careful exploration, strategic planning, and long-term progression through interconnected voyages and meaningful crafting decisions.

While the new league mechanic forms the heart of Version 3.29, it is only part of the update. Grinding Gear Games has also overhauled several core endgame systems, including Abyss, Legion, Atlas progression, socket mechanics, and spell balance.

We'll take a closer look at those sweeping gameplay changes in Part Two.