Players of Path of Exile have a pretty big download ahead. More specifically: they will need to reload the entire game. This is due to a patch that fundamentally changes the game, at least in the background.
Developers announce major patch: As the developers of Path of Exile announced, patch 3.11.2 will go live next week. This patch is in preparation for the new expansion “Heist”, which replaces “Harvest” and focuses on planning and executing heists.
“Heist” will be released on September 18, but patch 3.11.2 is expected to come sooner. This aims to prevent potential issues from arising at the release of Heist. Additionally, this way, the big download is already out of the way.
The developers want to take the opportunity to implement enhancements they’ve been “waiting for years”. Each of these changes would have required a complete re-download of the game, which is why they decided to bundle everything in this patch. The new patch will reload the entire game, which means a download of over 30 GB. But what are these changes?
Major patch changes a lot about the technology behind Path of Exile
Here’s why the re-download is necessary: The new patch is set to change not only in-game content but also technical aspects that are not easily interchangeable. This includes how Path of Exile stores its data. The game will receive a standalone patcher that bundles data and allows patches to be implemented much faster. The Steam version of Path of Exile is also said to be much quicker to patch after the update.
The new method of storing data is also expected to improve preloading of important assets. The developers emphasize that players without SSDs will particularly notice significant advantages.
Since all data must be re-downloaded by the players, this also provided the opportunity to add further enhancements:
- All textures have been overhauled and are expected to be much sharper in-game.
- All audio files have also been re-exported and should offer a better sound experience. According to the developers, such a patch would typically not have been conducted as it is very large – but since everything is being reloaded anyway, it can be justified.
- In addition, the patch includes many small bug fixes and performance improvements.
So, anyone starting Path of Exile after the patch can expect an overall improved gaming experience. It already belongs to our list of top hack and slash games.
