Grinding Gear Games has published the full patch notes for Path of Exile Content Update 3.30.0, the Covens of Umbra expansion that launches on November 13 (Pacific time). The notes landed on Tuesday afternoon and confirm that Scarabs are leaving the game entirely, replaced by a new item type called Threads, while the Atlas Passive Tree has been rebuilt from scratch. Check out the official post down below:
How The Covens Of Umbra League Works
In the Covens of Umbra challenge league, players run into covenites performing rites to summon their Queen. Disrupting a coven lets players pick a Fate for the boss of the area they are in, and each Fate adds several effects that raise both the difficulty and the rewards of that fight. Defeating a boss empowered by Fates can drop Viscera, which players place on their own Wickerman to claim a piece of that boss's power.
Grinding Gear Games' follow-up FAQ adds that Viscera can be traded, that each character gets its own Wickerman, and that Grim-Fate empowered pinnacle bosses always drop their Viscera. Regular bosses have a higher chance to drop it the more Fates are invoked, and a higher chance still when duplicate Fates are stacked.
The league comes in Standard, Hardcore and Solo Self-Found versions, with private league options. It carries 40 new challenges, plus 8 more for Ruthless Covens of Umbra. Completing the 19th challenge and every third one after it awards a piece of the Covens of Umbra Totem Pole hideout decoration.
Scarabs Are Gone And Threads Take Over
The largest endgame change is the removal of Scarabs. Threads now take their place, and players spend them at the Map Device to add a specific league mechanic to a map. Each Thread spent, up to 8, also raises the chance of powerful randomized effects tied to that mechanic. The 10 Thread types are:
- Abyss Thread
- Bestiary Thread
- Betrayal Thread
- Blight Thread
- Breach Thread
- Expedition Thread
- Incursion Thread
- Legion Thread
- Ritual Thread
- Ultimatum Thread
A new currency, the Frayed Thread, grants a random Thread. Existing Scarabs convert into the matching Thread or into a Frayed Thread, and Veiled Scarabs all become Frayed Threads. The Shaped Region system was also reworked around Threads, with 10 region types that grant free Threads to the maps they cover. The FAQ confirms that primary league mechanics with an associated Thread will not appear unless a player spends a Thread or runs a map inside a Shaped Region of that type.
A New Atlas Passive Tree And 31 Returning Maps
The Atlas Passive Tree has been completely reworked so players start at the center and build outward. The maximum number of Atlas Passive points rises to 150 from 138, and the Maven, Searing Exarch, Eater of Worlds and each of the Maven's 6 special Invitations now award 2 Atlas Skill points instead of 1. The Uber Elder now awards 4.
The Crop Rotation, Endless Tide, Lucid Dreams, Meticulous Appraiser, Refiner's Bargain and Synthesised Stability keystones are gone. A new keystone, Phantom Anomalies, makes Atlas Anomalies appear when a Shaped Region is completed. The Atlas clusters for Delve and Heist have been removed.
The map pool is also changing. Academy, Ancient City, Armoury, Crimson Temple, Dungeon, Maze, Necropolis, Racecourse, Underground Sea, Villa and 21 other maps return to the Atlas, while 31 maps leave it, including Alleyways, Atoll, Beach, Courthouse, Foundry, Gardens, Lair, Plaza and Waterways.
Mirage Goes Core And Atziri Moves Into The Temple
Mirages from the Mirage league can now be found in maps, and The Black Barya can appear on the Atlas in every league with an area level of 84. The notes also say the Saresh, of the Weeping Black fight has been made "significantly more difficult."
Atziri has taken over the Temple of Atzoatl. The Throne of Atziri room is now the Cradle of Creation, and any Temple containing it becomes area level 84 and holds Uber Atziri. The 9 Vials no longer drop, and the unique items that needed them now drop inside Temples with a Cradle of Creation. A new Royal Visage currency from Atziri adds an enchantment to Tier 16 maps that makes Temporal Incursions "Alluring," with harder monsters and better rewards.
New Skills, Uniques And Item Drops
The update adds Arcane Link, an Intelligence skill that links a player to an ally and gives that ally extra lightning damage based on the caster's mana. If the linked ally dies, the caster dies too. A new transfigured gem, Fireball of Radiation, inflicts a short but strong fire damage over time debuff. The patch also adds 11 new unique items, a Mycelium Core jewel base and 96 more foiled uniques for the Voidborn Reliquary.
Grinding Gear Games also rewrote how item drops are generated so that Item Rarity matters more, while cutting rarity on several sources. Eldritch Altars now grant 10 to 20 percent increased item rarity (previously 15 to 30), and The Pillars of Arun unique map drops to 100 to 150 percent rarity from 200 to 300. Gamefragger covered the early signs of this rework in Path of Exile 1 Could Be Heading For Another Golden Age As GGG Readies An Endgame Shakeup In 3.30.
Grinding Gear Games revealed the expansion at ExileCon 2026 and released this trailer:
Path of Exile is free to play on PC, Mac, Xbox and PlayStation. Covens of Umbra goes live on November 13 (Pacific time).
Will Threads and the rebuilt Atlas tree bring you back to Path of Exile 1 for Covens of Umbra, or are you sticking with Path of Exile 2?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.