I. Path of Exile: Delirium – A strange portal and even stranger mists
Path of Exile players have been guessing what the next expansion’s title would be. Examples include “Asylum” and “Insanity.” The Delirium expansion, however, still evokes that sense of horror and psychological torture.
Path of Exile: Delirium‘s main antagonist is a shady, mysterious figure. You’ll learn more as you progress through its content via the Mirror of Delirium.
Early on in Path of Exile‘s areas, you’ll find this strange portal. Going near one shows you a ghostly version of yourself. Accessing a Mirror of Delirium then twists the area around you, shrouding it in mists. Monsters will start spawning left and right. As long as you’re close to the original location, the fiends won’t be too harmful. But, the further you explore the mists, the deadlier they get.
Some creatures that spawn will have on-crit and on-death effects. Others can interact with the mist in distinct ways. There are also demons and horrific manifestations that spawn all throughout, splitting open existing enemies prior to attacking you. Here’s an example of high-level gameplay in Delirium:
Although the effects of the Mirror of Delirium are only temporary, it encourages taking risks in order to obtain more rewards. It’s also possible to keep pushing onwards until you reach familiar areas.
In fact, Path of Exile: Delirium‘s mechanics are fully integrated into all existing content. For example, you can access a Mirror of Delirium and then tackle Incursion‘s encounters or attack Betrayal‘s Immortal Syndicate strongholds:
Here’s a short gameplay video showcasing a montage of how these mechanics are integrated:
Likewise, if you access the Mirror of Delirium, make your way through the mists and engage in a boss fight, you’ll be able to tackle that encounter with Path of Exile: Delirium‘s effects and aesthetics. This even includes endgame and uber boss battles.
Of course, Delirium really isn’t an underwater league or a fishing league, but I guess this next footage is as close as we’ll get to one. Here’s Delirium‘s take on the Brine King boss fight:
Orbs of Delirium and the Simulacrum
Path of Exile: Delirium offers rewards such as currency items, map items, and more once you’ve killed enough monsters. You can even redo the activity to clear mobs to earn additional rewards, though there are diminishing returns.
Along the way, you’ll also find Orbs of Delirium. You can apply up to five of these to modify a map, adding specific reward types and increasing monster density:
The modified maps that are affected by Delirium‘s mechanics will provide unique drops called Simulacrum Splinters. You need to collect a hundred of these so they can be merged into a Simulacrum.
The Simulacrum is a special item that lets you open a portal to tackle Path of Exile: Delirium‘s unique endgame challenge. What that challenge is, well, it’s up to you to find out. Grinding Gear Games is keeping this a secret.
Next, head over here to check out the new skills, unique items, and jewels that increase your passive nodes.
