Path of Exile’s next major update, Secrets of the Atlas, arrives June 13 and marks a major turning point for the long-running ARPG. After a brief period of internal turbulence, Grinding Gear Games is reaffirming its commitment to the firstPath of Exilewith a new four-month expansion cycle, and Secrets of the Atlas is first up. The 3.26 update dives deep into the Atlas' hidden layers, introducing a new endgameprogression systembuilt around warped memory threads, the return of Zana, and plenty of powerful new bosses, items, and crafting systems.
Game Rant recently interviewedPath of Exilegame director Mark Roberts about the upcoming Secrets of the Atlas expansion, during which he divulged a wealth of information about various aspects changing with the update. One element, in particular, should catch the eye ofPath of Exile’s endgame enthusiasts, especially those who like to hoard a ton of maps before they run a session.
The Real Purpose Behind Secrets of the Atlas' New Storage Panels
One of the standoutquality-of-life updates inPath of Exile’s Secrets of the Atlas expansion is its new storage system designed specifically for players who push the endgame mapping loop to its limits. More than anything else, the upgrade is meant to make one of the most demanding aspects ofPath of Exile’s late-game economy far easier: map preparation. When asked specifically about how the upgrade will enhance the overall player experience, Roberts replied:
There are a few things we might be able to do, but, for now, it was just simply that a lot of what endgame ends up looking like — I wouldn’t say your average player is going to be dealing with this in endgame. It’s more like once you get very, very high end. What a lot of players like to do is craft many, many, many maps. They’ll do one big crafting session and then run many maps back to back. And some people are more like, craft a map, run the map, craft a map, run the map. That’s also fine.
So, this new storage upgrade is good for both styles of play, of course, but it was clearly built with the more hardcore mapmakers in mind. The ability to craft dozens of maps in one sitting and then use them all at once is a hallmark quality of a dedicatedPath of Exileplayer. Until now, that kind of preparation came with a mess of maps, scarabs, and fragments that needed to be manually sorted or retrieved between runs. The new setup makes the process much smoother by localizing all the necessary components into oneinventory inPath of Exile. Roberts continued:
But we have quite a large audience who like to craft many, many maps and then run all of those maps in one go. And so they’ll get, say, their 20 maps, they’ll get their 20 of each type of scarab or fragment they want to use, and then they’ll just run them back to back to back to back to back. After doing all 20, they’ll do another crafting or trading session and then rinse and repeat. And so this is mostly targeted towards helping those players, because they now get to keep all of those maps in that little inventory as well as their scarabs and whatever can fit there. And then they get to do their big mapping session and then, once it’s empty, they get to go back and craft a whole bunch more and refill it.
In short, this storage system is designed to keep playersmoving inPath of Exile. High-end mapping largely depends on rhythm, and small interruptions can throw off that rhythm entirely. With everything stored in one place, players can prepare for a full run without those delays. There’s no need to dig through stash tabs or stop to reorganize between maps, so it helps players stay focused and keep their sessions efficient.
At the same time, it’s not a gated or exclusive feature.Casual playersor those still progressing through their Atlas can still benefit from the storage upgrade, even if they’re only storing a few maps at a time. The system adapts to whatever playstyle a player prefers, but it really shines in the hands of veterans who already have a cadence to their endgame grind. On that note, Roberts stressed:
It’s kind of hitting a specific target audience, and it’s probably more at the top end of people who are really farming the end game as opposed to, you know, just progressing through it. But of course, it’s always nice to just have a little inventory there. It’s like, “Oh, here’s the next three maps I’m going to run.” You just have them there. It’s nice.
Path of Exile’s new storage system may seem like a small change on the surface, but for players who essentially turn mapping into a science, it’s an upgrade that is a game-changer for planning sessions. Rather than stuffing maps into scattered stash tabs or trying to juggle fragments in the middle of a run, players can now spend more time focusing on how best to execute their strategy moving forward. It’s a practical change forPath of Exilebut an arguably necessary one.
