POE: Ultimatum’s Latest Mechanics

POE has had many exciting game expansions and updates introduced into the world of Wraeclast, keeping existing player bases happy to stick through with the game until today.

As of April 2021, POE is now welcoming its latest gameplay additions in the form of its newest expansion, Ultimatum.

Before you proceed to explore this new challenge in POE, here are some of the things you will need to know first:

1. New Skill Gems

- POE: Ultimatum introduces four (4) new Skill Gems for players to experiment with, relevant to the current theme of blood and sacrifice of the lost Vaal Empire.

- Below are brief breakdowns of the Skill Gems in question:

· Exsanguinate (Requires: Level 12)

o Shoots out blood tendrils in front of your character, dealing physical damage while inflicting damage-over-time effects (stacks 3 times).

· Corrupting Fever (Requires: Level 16)

o Inflicts additional damage-over-time effects on your enemies by using your character’s own blood to envelope all your physical attacks for a short duration.

· Petrified Blood (Requires: Level 24)

o A character buff which creates a low-life limit, ensuring that any damage taken by the character (once life is lowered until the limit) is converted into damage-over-time instead, allowing you precious time to heal using life flasks.

· Reap (Requires: Level 28)

o A scythe-like attack which deals both massive physical damage and damage-over-time debuffs to enemies.

o Subsequent Reap attacks deal more damage (but higher mana cost) if the enemies hit are alive (stacks).

2. Additional Support Gems

- In addition to new Skill Gems, additional Support Gems are also introduced to supplement game builds utilizing the loss of a character’s life pool to create massive damage counters.

- Here are the new Support Gems introduced:

· Lifetap Support (Requires: Level 8)

o Skills which utilize Lifetap Support will use the character’s life pool instead of mana, with the Lifetap buff (increases the skill’s damage) activated once enough life is drained.

· Cruelty Support (Requires: Level 18)

o Any damage-over-time effects are improved with this Support Gem, and physical damage is also increased slightly.

o Damage-over-time effects are further increased if your character hits become stronger (via other skills or buffs).

· Arrogance Support (Requires: Level 31)

o Reserves life pools instead of mana if attached with another relevant Skill Gem, while also boosting aura effects too.

· Bloodthirst Support (Requires: Level 31)

o When in low health, a percentage of your character’s life will be converted into raw physical damage, making them much more dangerous as they become closer to death.

3. Changes to existing Vaal Skill Gems

- Plenty of existing Vaal Skill Gems have also been tweaked to reflect gameplay changes for Ultimatum.

- The Skill Gems which have seen improvements are:

· Vaal Earthquake

· Vaal Ground Slam

· Vaal Blade Vortex

· Vaal Burning Arrow

· Vaal Cyclone

· Vaal Lightning Strike

· Vaal Rain of Arrows

· Vaal Reave

· Vaal Spectral Throw

· Vaal Arc

· Vaal Blight

· Vaal Cold Snap

· Vaal Fireball

· Vaal Flameblast

· Vaal Ice Nova

· Vaal Lightning Trap

· Vaal Power Siphon

· Vaal Righteous Fire

· Vaal Spark

· Vaal Storm Call

· Anger

· Bladestorm

· Flesh and Stone

· Punishment

· Seismic Cry

· Vigilant Strike

· Vitality

· Blade Blast

· Blade Vortex

· Toxic Rain

· Brand Recall

· Frost Bomb

· Wave of  Conviction

· Divergent Berserk

- The Support Skill Gems which have also been updated are:

· Brutality Support

· Blastchain Mine Support

· High-Impact Mine Support

4. Trials of Chaos

- The main highlight of Ultimatum, this is where you will encounter the Trialmaster, emissary of Chaos.

- The Trials of Chaos will pit you against waves of spawned enemies within an arena, ensuring a reward worthy of the challenge.

- If you wish to receive more rewards, you will then be able to choose to continue with the next wave plus added gameplay modifiers.

- As is the philosophy of the Vaal Empire, higher risk is befitting of more profitable rewards, but failure to complete any subsequent waves will lead you to lose ALL rewards accumulated thus far (choose to continue or accept the rewards to end the challenge wisely).

5. Inscribed Ultimatums

- Dedicated for the end game, these Inscribed Ultimatums are specific challenges catered for high-level players whom may receive these as rare drops from monsters all over Wraeclast.

- Almost similar to Trials of Chaos, these specific challenges differ in that there will only be ONE round of combat with the spawned enemies, but the catch is to offer a specific item in exchange for a potential reward of another item worth double of the offered equipment.

- These challenges will be significantly harder than Trials of Chaos, as they do not scale in difficulty from the onset.

6. The Vaal Reliquary

- An exceptionally rare Reliquary Key which can be found from anywhere and drop from anything in the game, this special in-game item has the lowest possible chance for you to obtain.

- However, if you are found lucky enough to obtain one, you will then be lead to a sacred yet secret vault which houses items or equipment of invaluable in-game worth.

Now that you have read a fair bit about Ultimatum, you are finally worthy of committing yourself to the Trialmaster’s harrowing trials.

Be prepared to risk it all, for the ultimate prize!

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