The new expansion for Path of Exile, 3.29 Curse of the Allflame, will officially launch on July 24th at 1 PM PDT.
Based on the trailers released on July 6th and July 12th, it can be inferred that the gameplay of PoE 3.29 might be based on a twisted and dark life pact, using curses and Allflame to convert the souls of the dead.
POECURRENCY.com, based on these trailers, official practices, and player feedback, makes bold predictions about Path of Exile 3.29 before the official livestream on July 16th, dividing them into three nerfs and three buffs.
Nerfs
1. Minion Pact Support
Minion Pact Support is an extremely powerful and disruptive Exceptional Support Gem introduced in Path of Exile 3.28.
In standard PoE mechanics, affixes like additional base physical damage typically only provide a few hundred points of bonus.
However, Minion Pact Support gains an additional 2.8% of a summon’s maximum health as physical damage simply by sacrificing one, resulting in a maximum damage bonus of at least 5,000-6,000 points in a single fight.
Advanced players in PoE 3.28 also developed a perfect Snapshot mechanic; combined with Blade Vortex, the damage bonus doesn’t disappear even without sacrificing a summon.
This is why POECURRENCY.com predicts Minion Pact Support will be nerfed in PoE 3.29. Its power and numbers are too terrifying, and given the official practice of not directly banning items, a nerf is the only likely outcome for game balance.
2. Kinetic Fusillade
Introduced in Path of Exile 3.27, Kinetic Fusillade became a phenomenal meta-defining and Endgame clearing skill in PoE 3.28 thanks to Totem.
Its core mechanic lies in its non-precursor fire; instead, it generates a suspended kinetic projectile behind the character, capable of charging up to 12 projectiles.
All projectiles automatically lock onto nearby enemies, causing an area explosion and automatically chaining increasing damage, with each projectile increasing by 3%-8%. Therefore, when stacked to 12 projectiles, the damage output becomes terrifying.
Unlike Minion Pact Support, Kinetic Fusillade is only slightly stronger than other skills.
Therefore, POECURRENCY.com believes that Kinetic Fusillade is unlikely to receive a significant nerf in Path of Exile 3.29, with only numerical adjustments or mechanic changes expected.
3. Screams of the Desiccated
Screams of the Desiccated is a well-known Unique Leather Belt in the current Path of Exile, almost as crucial as Headhunter, and in certain builds, it even replaces Mageblood.
Its most overpowered aspect is its core affix, which grants one or two permanent altar buffs. However, the specific effect is determined when the belt drops and cannot be re-rolled using Divine Orbs. This results in a wildly varying market price for Screams of the Desiccated depending on the randomly generated affix.
A belt with high-value affixes typically costs around 220+ Divine Orbs. If two high-level affixes are obtained, it can be worth several Mirrors.
However, some players have reported a bug where skills experience an unexplained drop in actual damage when using it.
This could just be a bug, or it could be an official hint that Shrine value of Screams of the Desiccated will be nerfed in Path of Exile Curse of the Allflame. After all, after PoE 3.28, Mirage may not appear on every map, making it significantly harder to obtain Screams of the Desiccated, thus driving up its market price.
If you want to acquire Screams of the Desiccated or other expensive gear faster after Path of Exile 3.29 goes live but don’t have the budget, you can buy POE currency from POECURRENCY.com. We offer the best prices and secure, fast service.
Buffs
Now that we’ve discussed the nerfs, let’s look at what might be buffed.
1. Self-Cast Spells
Self-Cast Spells in the current Path of Exile have completely overcome their previous low damage and poor mobility issues, thanks to the aforementioned Screams of the Desiccated and Minion Pact Support.
However, as we predicted above, the nerfs to key equipment may cause Self-Cast Spells to return to their previous marginalized state. For balance and fairness, the developers will probably strengthen Self-Cast Spells mechanic while nerfing equipment.
Furthermore, based on GGG’s similar adjustments in previous Leagues (3.27 for Wand Attacks, 3.28 for Holy Skills), it’s time for Self-Cast Spells in 3.29.
2. Reliquarian
Reliquarian is a brand-new second Ascendant class specifically designed for Scion in PoE 3.28, breaking Scion’s 13-year tradition of having only one Ascendant class.
However, Reliquarian’s strength in 3.28 is not strong, even quite weak. Not only can’t the unique effect be unlocked early on, but Passive Tree path also creates mutual exclusion. After each new League, Reliquarian’s passive nodes rotate, which is a nightmare for builders.
This setup and strength are completely inconsistent with its intended purpose, or rather, it hasn’t achieved the developers’ expected effect. Therefore, Reliquarian might be buffed in PoE: Curse of the Allflame.
3. Bloodline Ascendancy Classes
Introduced in Path of Exile 3.27 and beginning to emerge in 3.28, Bloodline Ascendancy Classes are designed as a second Ascendancy system applicable to all classes. Players can unlock corresponding Bloodline Ascendancies by defeating specific Endgame Bosses while retaining their original primary Ascendancy.
Its weakness is also quite obvious. Bloodline Ascendancy doesn’t offer additional Ascendancy points; it shares 8 Ascendancy points provided by the regular Lab with the main class. This creates a new problem with point allocation, requiring players to have a top level of build understanding.
Such high-level players are not the majority. The best solution is to enhance the mechanics of Bloodline Ascendancy Classes themselves, making it easier for players to configure their builds.
Of course, some dedicated nodes should also be enhanced.
The above are some nerfs and buffs predicted by POECURRENCY.com for the upcoming Path of Exile 3.29 Curse of the Allflame. For specific official announcements, let’s focus on the official launch on July 24th.