Grinding Gear Games is preparing to start Path of Exile's next official league. Path of Exile: Harvest takes players to the mysterious Sacred Grove, an ancient garden where unconventional flora takes root. The June expansion will have Path of Exile players growing crops of enemies, which when defeated is turned into a crafting currency called Lifeforce. Players will be able to start farming their own Harvest Lifeforce starting June 19.
If the Harvest expansion for Path of Exile sounds a bit like an odd sort of farming simulator, that's because it is. The Sacred Grove is, for the most part, the player's inherited farm. It's a relatively small patch of earth where the player can plant all manner of incredible seeds. Seed Caches will be wearable in Path of Exile's explorable areas. These seeds are varied in nature and can grow into all manner of monsters. To grow more challenging enemies, players will have to carefully arrange and grow a large variety of crops.
For example, a Wild Bramblebuck Bulb is a tier 3 seed that spawns a level 78 monster when harvested. As a seed, it has 15 Growth Cycles, with each Growth Cycle requiring 20 units of Vivid (yellow) Lifeforce. In order to grow at all, four other tier 2 Wild plants need to be grown adjacent to it. Those tier 2 plants will of course have their own requirements, making for a sizable pack of enemies when harvested. It an all-new type of gameplay for Path of Exile.
Harvesting itself is an exciting event. Once fully grown, packs of plants don't activate on their own. The player places a harvesting machine of sorts next to them which can then be activated, leading each of the plants to sprout their respective enemies. ARPG players then take care of those enemies like normal. As the player eliminates each enemy, it turns into Lifeforce of its respective type/color. It's a perfectly morbid Path of Exile idea.
Once Lifeforce has bene harvest, players will be able to use the currency in a variety of ways. They can spend it to upgrade items or craft something new. They can store it for later so as to purchase more expensive crafting options. Or it can be used to grow other crops, as plants in the Sacred Grove are apparently quite cannibalistic.
Path of Exile players participating in the Harvest League may at first think themselves uninterested in farming. But in just a matter of days they'll find themselves with a sprawling network of blue, purple, and yellow plants, as well as the mechanisms required to make them grow. To grow a Legendary enemy like the three primordial beasts, Ersi, Janaar, and Namharim, requires more than just a green thumb. Only the best gardeners will receive the best rewards.
Path of Exile is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.