The Path of Exile 3.21 release date is set for early April, making it the perfect time to get your fix of loot in one of the best free RPG games once the Diablo 4 beta comes to an end. The new expansion is titled Path of Exile Crucible, and the new challenge league and other content will be revealed fully in an upcoming livestream with developer Grinding Gear Games.
Path of Exile Crucible is the new expansion and challenge league coming with Path of Exile patch 3.21. The next update will be revealed in full during a livestream on March 30 at 12pm PDT / 3pm EDT / 8pm BST / 9pm CEST (note that the UK and Europe will have moved to summer time by this date).
While we don’t get many more details than that so far, the name reveal trailer seen below shows a character approaching what appears to be a forge of sorts, with lava flowing into a pit under a giant stone statue of a person. Perhaps we can expect to be gathering resources for a special crafting system that will enable us to make distinct, custom rares or uniques during the seasonal event?
The previous league, Path of Exile The Forbidden Sanctum, has proven one of the most popular PoE expansions in a while; this is thanks in large part to really solid core balance updates, with players enjoying the rebalancing of enemy modifiers and an overhaul to make loot drops more consistent and plentiful.
The eponymous Forbidden Sanctum mode itself has been such a success that GGG says it’s considering ways to make Path of Exile Sanctum permanent in future leagues, although it notes that this won’t be happening with POE 3.21.
If you’ve been enjoying the Diablo 4 beta and Blizzard’s return to a more deliberate, thoughtful gameplay style that’s somewhat reminiscent of Diablo 2, then I’d definitely recommend taking a look at Path of Exile during the Diablo downtime post-beta. Path of Exile was, after all, initially conceived as a love letter to D2 of sorts, and its dark fantasy world and rewarding gameplay systems offer a lot to explore and enjoy – and it’s free to play, after all, so why not give it a shot?
The Path of Exile 3.21 release date is April 7 on PC and Mac, with the Crucible expansion arriving later on Xbox and PlayStation consoles on April 12. As a free PC game, the Path of Exile Crucible expansion is also available for free to all players, although it will include several new purchasable cosmetic items and bundles available for real money.
Certainly something to consider while you wait for the Diablo 4 release date, then. Alternatively, take a look at more of the best games like Diablo on PC, or read how Path of Exile Ruthless is winning back the genre’s most hardcore players with its ultra-punishing scarcity.