In our PoE 3.29 patch overview, we explore the core mechanics of the Curse of the Allflame league. We will tell you in detail about new unique items and core game changes.
Read on to learn how the new Allflame crafting system works, what currencies have been added to the game’s economy, and how a Path of Exile boost can help you master the nautical content.
PoE 3.29 Content Update
One of the small quality of life improvements in the early stages of the game is the gem socket rework. Now, all sockets are white by default, allowing you to equip any gem regardless of color. When crafting items using Chromatic Orbs, one socket is guaranteed to be colored, and equipping the corresponding gem grants a +10% quality bonus.
Talismans have been greatly reworked to feature special Enchantment modifiers instead of Implicit modifiers, and they are no longer Corrupted by default or eligible for Anointing. These items are now strictly tied to Bestiary content, dropping from Red Beasts or Bestiary bosses. At the same time, non-Unique Talismans are completely removed from the core drop pool and restricted to Bestiary encounters, specific Divination Cards, and Thane Jorgin’s Betrayal Safehouse rewards.
To support Talismans’ revamp, Bestiary bosses’ health received a significant buff. Now these bosses scale to the Red Beast’s area level, with their specific Unique body armours now only dropping in areas level 80 or higher. Finally, the revamp updates the Bestiary crafting bench to allow rerolling Talisman base types or imprinting rare Talismans, shifts Thane Jorgin’s crafting spree to use regular currency, discontinues the Primal Delirium Orb, and renames the Craicic Chimeral Beast to the Craicic Croaker.
Curse of the Allflame Mechanics
In the Curse of the Allflame, the main league mechanic is exploring the underwater realm. You can now descend to the ocean floor using the bathysphere located on the ship The Sovereign. To avoid drowning, you must place Allflame lanterns; these movable objects create a limited zone where you can freely battle enemies and gather loot.
The challenge of this new area lies in the exceptionally powerful enemies guarding precious resources, as well as the limited supply of Allflame lanterns. If the lanterns run out of energy, you might not make it back to the bathysphere in time and will drown.
To gain the ability to dive underwater, you need new items similar to maps – Charts. You can find these in new encounters scattered across the world. Such encounters typically feature a group of undead, corsairs, or deep-sea monsters guarding a Cursed Treasure; these troves contain the necessary Charts and activate a zone-wide bonus based on the type of enemy encountered.
After completing specific underwater zones using various Charts, you can assemble large, full-scale Voyages on a dedicated board. You can combine up to nine Charts in total; these expansive custom zones offer even greater reward potential. To bring back everything you discover on the seabed, you can load all the loot into special Allflame Capsules, which will appear on The Sovereign once you complete the location.
During Act 3 of the league, you may encounter the new Mercenaries of Trarthus mechanic. Defeating a mercenary in a duel allows you to hire them for a limited time. These helpers scale with the zone level but do not count as party members. The Scion’s new Luminary Ascendancy allows you to hire a mercenary on a permanent basis via the Noble Blood passive skill; additionally, progressing along this path enables the mercenary to equip Unique weapons, shields, and quivers.
PoE 3.29 New Unique Items
In addition to new undersea locations to conquer, the new Path of Exile update introduces new Unique items that can be obtained while completing various Charts. The chance of obtaining Uniques increases when you undertake Voyages. Below, you can see some of the key new items:
| Unique Item | Item Class | Item Stats |
| The Draugur’s Lantern | Shield | (5-10)% increased Spell Damage (15-20)% Chance to Block Spell Damage+(66-99) to maximum LifeIgnites you inflict deal Damage (15-20)% fasterDraugurflames burn enemies around you for 8 seconds after you Ignite a target |
| Rotmother’s Mutiny | Amulet | +(8-10)% to all Elemental Resistances +(20-25)% to all Elemental Resistances+(1-3)% to all maximum Resistances(25-75)% increased Light Radius |
| Spinesnatch | Two-Handed Axe | 50% increased Critical Strike ChanceHas 6 Abyssal Sockets(25-50)% increased Physical Damage per socketed Murderous Eye Jewel(8-16)% increased Attack Speed per socketed Searching Eye Jewel(20-40)% increased Critical Strike Chance per socketed Hypnotic Eye JewelMinions have (20-40)% chance to Impale on Attack Hit per socketed Ghastly Eye Jewel |
| The Wellhook | Fishing Rod | (35-40)% increased Cast Speed(50-80)% increased Fishing RangeKulemak’s Corpsebait(20-30)% increased Rarity of Fish Caught per held Dead FishCan catch Abyssal Fish |
The items listed above represent only a small fraction of the Uniques added in the Curse of the Allflame league. You can also find a detailed list of all Uniques and their modifiers on PoEDB, the game’s official knowledge base.
Path of Exile Allflame Crafting
While exploring underwater areas, you will come across clusters of emerald-green coral known as Dead Man’s Sulfur. This is a key component required for modifying items in the new Allflame crafting system. A new mechanic allows you to see the possible crafting outcomes; for instance, if you use an Exalted Orb on an item within the Allflame crafting window and consume a specific amount of Dead Man’s Sulfur, you are presented with a choice of several outcomes rather than a single random one.
Dead Man’s Sulfur is a tradeable item; this not only makes it a viable form of currency but also simplifies the process of acquiring the necessary amount. You can use PoE boosting services like Boosthive to get fast, affordable delivery of any amount of Dead Man’s Sulfur – as well as other essential currencies like Exalted Orbs – without needing to farm maps or grind underwater zones.
In Allflame crafting, you can also use different types of Ducats to apply modifiers, isolate a specific modifier on an item, or change the attribute requirement for equipping it. Below, you can see the list of key ducat types available in PoE 3.29:
- Ukatoa’s Ducat – replaces the modifier on a non-unique amulet with an Eldritch one;
- Brinehook’s Ducat – grants an Aspect skill to items capable of providing skills;
- Kishara’s Ducat – splits an item into several copies, each containing a single modifier, allowing you to strip away unwanted modifiers so that desired ones can be applied later;
- The Genteel’s Ducat – replaces an item’s attribute requirement with the one you need.
You can farm all these ducats from standard and Wide Voyages, and there is also a chance for them to drop from Pinnacle endgame bosses.
Curse of the Allflame Mechanics
One of the small quality-of-life improvements in the early stages of the game is the gem socket rework. Now, all sockets are white by default, allowing you to equip any gem regardless of color. When crafting items using Chromatic Orbs, one socket is guaranteed to be colored, and equipping the corresponding gem grants a +10% quality bonus.
During Act 3 of the league, you may encounter the new Mercenaries of Trarthus mechanic. Defeating a mercenary in a duel allows you to hire them for a limited time. These helpers scale with the zone level but do not count as party members. The Scion’s new Luminary Ascendancy allows you to hire a mercenary on a permanent basis via the Noble Blood passive skill; additionally, progressing along this path enables the mercenary to equip Unique weapons, shields, and quivers.