Path of Exile: Curse of the Allflame Expansion Arriving Next Week

Grinding Gear Games announced its latest free content expansion for free-to-play action RPG Path of Exile. The Curse of the Allflame expansion will release on July 24, 2026, for PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Curse of the Allflame‘s new Challenge League content sees players joining corsair captain Valerie and her navigator Vesper as they uncover treasure charts, seek to board the legendary vessel known as The Sovereign, and chart a course to descend into the abyss. Players will embark on expeditions into the depths from inside the Bathysphere, where they hope to find valuable relics. Upon reaching the sea floor, they will need to deploy Allflame Lanterns that create temporary pockets of safety from the surrounding waters as they take on foes and collect a valuable resource called Dead Man’s Sulphur. Encounters will need to be completed before the lanterns fade, with players needing to return to the Bathysphere to escape.

Completing expeditions unlocks new charts in Valerie’s journal, which can be arranged on the voyage board to create a single interconnected expedition. Up to nine charts can be joined, with each chart providing its own modifiers that might affect adjacent charts or the entire expedition. Players will also encounter Corruption Currents, which are effects that alter adjacent charts in each new voyage. Special charts may also uncover unique locations.

Dead Man’s Sulphur is used for a new crafting system found within the Sovereign. Players can combine an item, a crafting currency, and Dead Man’s Sulphur, to split the item into ghostly possibilities that represent possible crafting outcomes, with players able to choose their preferred result. Players will also be able to find rare Ducats. These are relics left behind by the pirate lords and unlock unique crafting effects. They can only be found within specialised charts.

In addition to the Challenge League content, the expansion will see the Mercenaries of Trarthus return as a permanent core game mechanic. They will appear from Act 3, allowing players to challenge the honour-bound warriors in exchange for gold and equipment, also giving players their temporary service as an ally in combat. Mercenaries found in end-game maps can also grant players warrants that let players summon them in a future map. The Mercenaries of Trarthus are also being integrated into the Atlas Passive Tree and Scarabs, while the Scion is gaining a new Ascendancy Class called the Luminary, which lets players permanently recruit, equip, and customising Mercenaries. Players will also be able to find new Mercenary types in the Curse of the Allflame content.

The expansion will also include end-game improvements, notably for the Abyss and Legion. The Abyss has been reworded to include many of the improvements added to Path of Exile 2. Meanwhile, Legion includes an overhaul to its reward system, while encounters within it are being streamlined. Players will also be able to see strange new locations known as Atlas Anomalies appear within the end-game Atlas, which provide new encounter opportunities. Finally, the expansion will feature significant improvements to spellcasting and early-game character progression.