Path of Exile Update 1.71 Echoes of Atlas Patch Details

Path of Exile has been updated to version 1.71 today on January 20 bringing in Echoes of Atlas content and more as seen in the patch notes.

This new update adds an expansion to Path of Exile’s extensive endgame, this update includes the Ritual Challenge League, which is available at all levels, a broad rebalance of all Ascendancy classes (including some reworks), many changes to skill balance, new items, maps, boss fights, systems and more.

Path of Exile Update 1.71 Echoes of Atlas Patch Notes

Console-Specific Changes

• Updated the Microtransaction Shop UI.
• Added the stash folders feature.
• Images in the MOTD can now be selected and loaded on the built in web browser.
• Improved smart targetting of area skills when they’re triggered (i.e Cast while Channelling).
• Improved the Betrayal crafting spree minigame (Tiny’s Trial), A/X now auto applies currency to the craftable item rather than needing to move the cursor to the item.
• Using Portal Scrolls and Rogue Markers now automatically closes the inventory UI.
• During Blight encounters, hidden loot will now have a slight delay before shown when pressing ‘L3’.
• Added support for ‘R3’ quick movement of the game cursor while holding ‘L3’ on the following UIs: Harvest Crafting, Harvest Silo, Map Device, Crafting Bench, Unveiling UI, Unique Stash and Divination Stash.
• Moved Talismans to their own amulet subcategory on the trade market.
• DPad can now be used to navigate Atlas region trees.
• Fixed a visual glitch when socketing Atlas Watchstones.
• Fixed a bug which wouldn’t store crafted Watchstones.
• Fixed a rare crash when exiting to character screen, or the login screen.
• Fixed server messages not showing their entire messages on certain chatbox sizes.
• Fixed a bug which could occur when bypassing stash affinities.
• Reworked the Map Device UI to accomodate new features.
• Added craftable Watchstones to the trade market categories.
• Casting a Mark skill on a group of monsters will now target the monster which has the highest rarity.
• Updated various legends.

Echoes of the Atlas

• The Sealing of the Elder has sent shockwaves far beyond the Atlas. Unknown and unseen entities now move towards the Atlas, lured by the sudden absence of one of their own.
• Heralded by the Envoy, an entity known as the Maven is the first to arrive. Her desires are clear — to witness the exquisite struggle for survival between mortal entities. Those brave and resilient enough to withstand her brutal trials are to be rewarded with unequalled control of the Atlas.
• New Atlas Passive Skill Trees provide the capacity for Exiles to pursue, control, and customise the game content they most enjoy on a per-Region basis, so long as they prove their worth to the Maven.

The Ritual Challenge League

• Challenge leagues are a great opportunity for a fresh start in a new economy. All of your old characters and items are still present in the Standard and Hardcore leagues, but you’re encouraged to join the new leagues, complete challenges and demonstrate your mastery of Path of Exile!
• In the Ritual Challenge League, Ritual Altars have appeared throughout the world. By slaying the monsters that guard the Ritual Altars, then activating them, you will call more monsters into the Ritual Circle that surrounds it. Slaying those monsters awards you Tribute, which can be spent on rewards from the Altar. Each area has several Rituals, and monsters slain in a previous Ritual in the area will be revived in subsequent Rituals.
• You can buy Ritual Splinters from completed Rituals which can be combined to create a Ritual Vessel. Using a Ritual Vessel at any completed Ritual Altar will turn it into a Blood-filled Vessel, capturing a record of all the monsters first slain at that Ritual. Blood-filled Vessels can be placed alongside any Map in the Map Device to imbue the Rituals in that area with the captured monsters.
• Some items are only available from Ritual Altars, and may be very costly to purchase. You can pay part of the Tribute cost for such items to Defer them, causing them to appear again in a later area. You can Defer items multiple times, allowing you to eventually afford expensive items over time.
• With 3.13.0, there are Standard, Hardcore and Solo Self-Found variations of the Ritual challenge league available. They have the same core mechanics and items. You can create private league versions of these leagues, with mods that make the game harder.
• The new challenge leagues include a set of 40 new challenges. When you complete 12 challenges, you will receive the Ritual Weapon Effect. When you reach 24 challenges, you will receive the Ritual Character Effect. At 36 challenges completed you’ll receive the Ritualist’s Hideout. These microtransactions are only obtainable in this league.
• From the 19th challenge onwards and for every third challenge after that, you will receive pieces of the Ritual Totem Pole decoration to display in your hideout. The Totem Pole permanently showcases how many of the Ritual challenges you completed during the league.

Major New Content and Features

• Added a new Intelligence Skill Gem – Hydrosphere: Creates a sphere of water, or moves an existing sphere and resets its duration. The sphere continually applies a drenched debuff with a short duration to enemies in its area or those it moves through. You can hit the sphere with other skills to inflict cold and lightning ailments (other than chill). The sphere pulses at regular intervals while afflicted by an ailment, and after moving, damaging all drenched enemies in a large area with that ailment.
• Added a new Intelligence/Dexterity Support Gem – Trinity Support: Supports skills that hit enemies, causing them to gain bonuses while you have resonance of all three elements and grant resonance of elements other than the highest-damage element in a hit. Supported skills deal more elemental damage and penetrate elemental resistances based on the lowest of your three resonances.
• Added 13 new Unique Items.
• Added 15 new Divination Cards, designed by supporters.
• Added 11 new Maps.
• Added Heist to the core game, rebalanced around the lower rate of encountering Heist gameplay (see Heist Changes).
• Added Harvest to the core game in a significantly modified form (see Harvest Changes).

Minor New Content and Features

• Texture Streaming has been reworked. Many textures that were not previously streamed now are, and the image quality of streamed textures has been improved. This also addresses some hiccups around the first time certain events occured within a session (such as slaying some monsters). This change will be monitored and improved in future updates based on player data.
• Kinetic Blast and Storm Call have brand new effects.
• Firestorm has a new skillbar icon.
• Pets now have a very slight delay before they will follow you when you move.
• Opening the portals to the Temple of Atzoatl or to a Syndicate Safehouse in your hideout after you’ve acquried a Map Device now creates those portals at your Map Device.
• Continued to incrementally improve the sound, art, effects and environments.