Case Study 3: “Veil of Path of Exile 2 Currency Shadows” League
League Overview:
The “Veil of Shadows” league introduced a league mechanic where certain Expedition zones were shrouded in darkness, reducing player visibility and applying a debuff that lowered damage output unless specific “Light Orbs” were collected in the zone.
Impact on Expedition Farming:
Visibility and Combat Difficulty: Reduced visibility made it harder to navigate excavation sites and locate enemies, leading to slower clears and more deaths.
Damage Penalties: The damage debuff encouraged players to seek out Light Orbs scattered around the zone to mitigate the penalty, adding an exploration and risk management element.
Build and Gear Changes: Builds that relied on summons or ranged damage had an advantage, as minions could help reveal enemies or soak damage. Defensive layers became essential.
Strategic Expedition Selection: Players selectively avoided the darkest zones early on, prioritizing lighter, safer Expedition areas for farming.
Reward Adjustments: Zones shrouded in darkness had improved rewards to compensate for the increased challenge, incentivizing high-risk, high-reward farming.
Player Adaptations:
Adjusted playstyle to cautiously explore zones with careful positioning.
Prioritized skills that revealed enemy positions or enhanced vision.
Used flasks and items that increased light radius and vision.
Formed parties to combine different light-orb gathering strategies.
Case Study 4: “Celestial Alignment” League
League Overview:
The “Celestial Alignment” league introduced periodic global events where Expedition bosses were empowered with celestial buffs for limited time windows, increasing their stats and adding unique mechanics.
Impact on Expedition Farming:
Timed Power Windows: Players had to plan their farming runs around these buff windows to maximize the chances of facing tougher bosses that dropped exclusive league loot.
Risk vs Reward: Buffed bosses were much harder to defeat but dropped higher-quality items and more Logbooks.
Increased Group Play: Solo players often struggled with buffed bosses, leading to increased cooperation and party formations for Expedition farming.
Meta Shifts: Players developed builds with burst damage and crowd control to path of exile 2 trade quickly dispatch buffed bosses before their abilities overwhelmed them.