The developers of Grinding Gear Games have introduced the new league for Path of Exile. In September, Blight will start, bringing a deadly infestation that players will fight against using a somewhat unusual system: they will build towers.
What is Blight? Periodically, Path of Exile receives new leagues that are comparable to the seasons in Diablo 3. However, in Path of Exile, new mechanics are introduced with the leagues, giving the game a whole new flavor.
The next league for Path of Exile, following the current Legion league, is named Blight. Path of Exile Blight will be released on September 6th for PC. The league will follow on consoles PS4 and Xbox One on September 9th. The league will run on all platforms until December.
What’s new in the league? Blight also brings a new gameplay element to Path of Exile. The league is entirely inspired by tower defense games. In the story of Blight, the new NPC Sister Cassia helps you against the infestation. However, you must protect her invention while she works against the deadly overgrowths.
And that’s where the towers come into play: Cassia has various towers in her arsenal that can chill, shock, stun, burn, summon, enhance, petrify, and weaken. Players must select the different towers wisely and place them cleverly to deal with the infestation and cleanse the infested maps.
In encounters with the infestation, there are different oils to loot, which Cassia can use to anoint your jewelry. Several oils can be combined to achieve different results.
Details about the new league are presented by the developers in the official trailer for Blight:
What improvements are there? The developers are continuously working on changes and improvements. With Blight, there are buffs for the three class archetypes Necromancer, Poison Assassin, and Mine Saboteur.
In addition, it will no longer be necessary to complete a master’s mission immediately upon encountering him. With Blight, you can unlock master missions and start them from your hideout. This allows you to accumulate as many missions as you want and finish them at any time on any map.
For fans of older league content, the Betrayal rewards have been improved, access to deeper levels in the Azurit mine has been simplified, and the Legion content and Synthesis boss fights have been integrated into the main game.
What do players say? The innovations of Blight have been well received by players. Especially the many improvements are appreciated, such as the overhaul of the class archetypes. Even the changes to the melee classes in Legion were celebrated by players.
Players are curious about how the tower defense minigame will perform in Blight. However, some users are skeptical about how the towers will fit into the game and whether the minigame will not become too cumbersome and mechanically intensive.
