A Comprehensive Redesign of Map Modifiers - By Alyssa Calhoun

Hello everyone!

This is gonna be a long one, so buckle up.

After over 1.500h of gameplay, I regularly find myself displeased with the current modpool for Maps. As such, below you'll find a comprehensive list of all current Map modifiers as-they-are (in red) and, associated with them, modifiers of my own devising, intended to supersede those they are based on.

These new modifiers have two purposes:

1. Reduce the impact of powerful, singular modifiers, which often shut down a character's entire build by themselves, regardless of other present modifiers.

2. Enrich the modpool with a vast array of new potential combinations, wherein each modifier contributes to a greater challenge, without completely disabling a character on their lonesome.

The notation system I employed is as follows:

[+,-](a-b)% -- Positive, or negative, numerical range of modifier;
(a-b|c-d|e-f|g-h) -- Numerical ranges of modifier, separated based on Map Tier (White|Yellow|Red|Special)
(lorem/ipsum/...) -- Randomly selected, mutually exclusive Tags pertaining to the effects of modifer.
I., II., ... -- Number of modifier group; modifiers of the same group are mutually exclusive.

For example:

03. (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% increased Monster (Physical/Fire/Cold/Lightning/Chaos) Damage for (Attacks/Spells)

Reads:

For White Maps, Monster Damage is increased by 5-10%.

For Yellow Maps, Monster Damage is increased by 10-15%.

For Red Maps, Monster Damage is increased by 15-20%.

For Special Maps, Monster Damage is increased by 20-25%.

The type of Damage is randomly selected between Physical, Fire, Cold, Lightning, and Chaos.

The source of damage-to-be-increased is randomly selected between Attacks and Spells.

Some modifers have been tagged as deprecated. This is because, given the revised modpool, they've either become conflicting, or redundant.

As for the magnitudes of the modifiers, it may seem they've been "excessively" reduced, however, given the availability of Atlas mechanics which additively increase the values of Explicit modifiers on Maps, these ranges may be increased well beyond twice as high as-presented-herein.

And lastly, I'm aware that Special Maps have unique modifiers that cannot be generated on other Tiers. These have not been addressed, as they draw from specific in-game mechanics or League content.

I look forward to your feedback on my work!

Cheers~ <3


~ Alyssa Calhoun

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[EDIT 22/09/2025, 14:21] On Modgroup 20, added "Recoup" to the range of affected Recovery sources.

[EDIT 22/09/2025, 16:34] On Modgroup 04, adjusted range of numerical values of modifier to best align with intended functionality.

[EDIT 22/09/2025, 16:39] On Modgroup 27, adjusted range of Tags to best convey the modifier's effects.

[EDIT 23/09/2025, 14:31] On Modgroup 28, added distinction between damage sources affected by the modifier. (Thank you, Esubane#6099)

[EDIT 23/09/2025, 14:34] On Modgroup 21, added distinction between damage sources affected by the modifier.

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(20-30)% increased Magic Monsters
01. (10-20|20-30|30-40|40-50)% increased Magic Monsters

(20-30)% increased number of Rare Monsters
02. (10-20|20-30|30-40|40-50)% increased number of Rare Monsters

(22-25)% increased Monster Damage
03. (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% increased Monster (Physical/Fire/Cold/Lightning/Chaos) Damage for (Attacks/Spells)

(25-30)% increased Monster Movement Speed · (35-45)% increased Monster Attack Speed · (35-45)% increased Monster Cast Speed
Players have 40% less Cooldown Recovery Rate
04. (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% increased Monster (Attack/Cast/Movement) Speed
04. Players have (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% less Cooldown Recovery Rate for (Attacks/Spells)
04. Players have (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% reduced (Attack/Cast/Movement) Speed

Monsters cannot be Taunted · Monsters' Action Speed cannot be modified to below Base Value · Monsters' Movement Speed cannot be modified to below Base Value (deprecated)

(40-49)% more Monster Life
Monsters gain (40-49)% of Maximum Life as Extra Maximum Energy Shield
05. (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% more Monster Life
05. Monsters gain (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% of Maximum Life as Extra Maximum Energy Shield

(25-30)% more Monster Life · Monsters cannot be Stunned (deprecated)

+25% Monster Chaos Resistance · +40% Monster Elemental Resistances
Players have (-12--9)% to all maximum Resistances
06. +(5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% Monster (Fire/Cold/Lightning/Chaos) Resistance
06. Players have -(1-2|2-4|4-8|8-12)% to maximum (Fire/Cold/Lightning/Chaos) Resistance

+40% Monster Physical Damage Reduction
Players have 30% less Armour · Players have 40% reduced Chance to Block
07. +(5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% Monster Physical Damage Reduction
07. Players have (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% less Armour
07. Players have (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% reduced Chance to Block

60% less effect of Curses on Monsters
Players have 60% reduced effect of Non-Curse Auras from Skills
08. (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% less effect of (Hexes/Marks) on Monsters
08. Players have (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% reduced effect of Non-Curse Auras from Skills

Monsters are Hexproof
09. (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% less duration of Hexes on Monsters

All Monster Damage from Hits always Ignites
10. Monster (Physical/Fire/Cold/Lightning/Chaos) Damage from Hits of (Attacks/Spells) has (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% Chance to (Bleed/Crush/Impale)
10. Monster (Physical/Fire/Cold/Lightning/Chaos) Damage from Hits of (Attacks/Spells) has (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% Chance to (Ignite/Scorch)
10. Monster (Physical/Fire/Cold/Lightning/Chaos) Damage from Hits of (Attacks/Spells) has (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% Chance to (Brittle/Chill/Freeze)
10. Monster (Physical/Fire/Cold/Lightning/Chaos) Damage from Hits of (Attacks/Spells) has (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% Chance to (Sap/Shock/Unnerve)
10. Monster (Physical/Fire/Cold/Lightning/Chaos) Damage from Hits of (Attacks/Spells) has (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% Chance to (Decay/Poison/Wither)

Monsters have a 20% Chance to Ignite, Freeze and Shock on Hit (deprecated)
Monsters' Attacks have 60% Chance to Impale on Hit (deprecated)

11. Area contains many Totems

12. Area contains two Unique Bosses

Unique Boss deals 25% increased Damage · Unique Boss has 30% increased Attack and Cast Speed
13. Unique Boss deals (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% increased Damage
13. Unique Boss has (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% increased Action Speed

Unique Boss has 35% increased Life · Unique Boss has 70% increased Area of Effect
14. Unique Boss has (10-20|20-30|30-40|40-50)% increased Life
14. Unique Boss has (10-20|20-30|30-40|40-50)% increased Area of Effect

Unique Bosses are Possessed
15. Unique Bosses are Possessed by (1-1|1-2|1-3|1-4) Tormented Spirits

16. Area has patches of (Burning Ground/Chilled Ground/Shocked Ground/Desecrated Ground/Consecrated Ground)

17. Area has increased Monster variety
17. Area is inhabited by (Abominations/Animals/Cultists of Kitava/Demons/Ghosts/Goatmen/Humanoids/Lunaris fanatics/Sea Witches and their Spawn/Skeletons/Solaris fanatics/Undead/ranged monsters)

Buffs on Players expire 70% faster
18. Buffs on Players expire (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% faster
18. Buffs on Monsters expire (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% slower
18. Debuffs on Monsters expire (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% faster
18. Debuffs on Players expire (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% slower

Monsters Blind on Hit
Monsters Hinder on Hit with Spells
Monsters Maim on Hit with Attacks
19. Monsters have (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% Chance to (Blind/Hinder/Maim) on Hit with (Attacks/Spells)

Monsters Poison on Hit (deprecated)

Monsters cannot be Leeched from
Players cannot Regenerate Life, Mana or Energy Shield
Players have 60% less Recovery Rate of Life and Energy Shield
20. (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% less (Life/Mana/Energy Shield) Recovery from (Recoup/Flasks/Leech/Regeneration)

Monsters deal (90-110)% extra Physical Damage as Cold
Monsters deal (90-110)% extra Physical Damage as Fire
Monsters deal (90-110)% extra Physical Damage as Lightning
Monsters gain (31-35)% of their Physical Damage as Extra Chaos Damage · Monsters Inflict Withered for 2 seconds on Hit
21. Monsters deal (20-25|25-50|50-75|75-100)% extra Physical Damage as (Attack/Spell) (Fire/Cold/Lightning/Chaos) Damage

Monsters fire 2 additional Projectiles
Monsters' skills Chain 2 additional times
22. Monsters' (Attacks/Spells) Chain (1-1|1-2|1-3|1-4) additional times
22. Monsters' (Attacks/Spells) fire (1-1|1-2|1-3|1-4) additional Projectiles

Monsters gain a Frenzy Charge on Hit
Monsters gain a Power Charge on Hit
Monsters gain an Endurance Charge on Hit
Monsters steal Power, Frenzy and Endurance charges on Hit
23. Monsters have (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% Chance to gain (Endurance/Frenzy/Power) Charge on Hit with (Attacks/Spells)
23. Monsters have (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% Chance to steal all (Endurance/Frenzy/Power) Charges on Hit with (Attacks/Spells)

Monsters have (360-400)% increased Critical Strike Chance · +(41-45)% to Monster Critical Strike Multiplier
Monsters take (36-40)% reduced Extra Damage from Critical Strikes
24. Monsters have (100-150|150-200|200-250|250-300)% increased Critical Strike Chance for (Attacks/Spells)
24. Monsters take (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% reduced Extra Damage from Critical Strikes of (Attacks/Spells)

Monsters have +60% Chance to Suppress Spell Damage
Monsters have 50% increased Accuracy Rating · Players have -20% to amount of Suppressed Spell Damage Prevented
Players have 25% less Accuracy Rating
25. Monsters have +(5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% Chance to Suppress Spell Damage
25. Monsters have (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% increased Accuracy Rating
25. Players have -(5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% to amount of Suppressed Spell Damage Prevented
25. Players have (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% less Accuracy Rating

Monsters have 100% increased Area of Effect
Players have 25% less Area of Effect
26. (Normal/Magic/Rare/Unique) Monsters have (10-20|20-30|30-40|40-50)% increased Area of Effect of (Attacks/Spells)
26. Players have (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% less Area of Effect for (Attacks/Spells)

Monsters have 70% Chance to Avoid Elemental Ailments
Monsters have a 50% Chance to avoid Poison, Impale, and Bleeding
27. Monsters have (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% Chance to Avoid (Physical/Fire/Cold/Lightning/Chaos) Ailments from Hits of (Attacks/Spells)

Monsters reflect 18% of Elemental Damage
Monsters reflect 18% of Physical Damage
28. Monsters reflect (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% of (Physical/Fire/Cold/Lightning/Chaos) Damage from (Attacks/Spells)

Players are Cursed with Elemental Weakness
Players are Cursed with Enfeeble
Players are Cursed with Temporal Chains
Players are Cursed with Vulnerability
29. Players are Hexed with (Conductivity/Elemental Weakness/Enfeeble/Despair/Flammability/Frostbite/Punishment/Temporal Chains/Vulnerability)
29. Players are Marked with (Alchemist's/Assassin's/Poacher's/Sniper's/Warlord's) Mark

Players cannot inflict Exposure
30. (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% reduced effect of (Fire/Cold/Lightning) Exposure on Monsters

Players gain 50% reduced Flask Charges
31. Players gain (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% reduced Flask Charges
31. Players have (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% reduced Flask Effect magnitudes
31. Players have (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% reduced Flask Effect duration

Monsters reflect 18% of Elemental Damage
Monsters reflect 18% of Physical Damage
28. Monsters reflect (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% of (Physical/Fire/Cold/Lightning/Chaos) Damage


LOL no.

If you're doing a drastic redesign of mapmods, you should not EVER keep reflect in the modpool. Not in a 1 000 000 years.

There's a reason why POE 2 doesn't have reflect in modpool.

"

Monsters reflect 18% of Elemental Damage
Monsters reflect 18% of Physical Damage
28. Monsters reflect (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% of (Physical/Fire/Cold/Lightning/Chaos) Damage


LOL no.

If you're doing a drastic redesign of mapmods, you should not EVER keep reflect in the modpool. Not in a 1 000 000 years.

There's a reason why POE 2 doesn't have reflect in modpool.

Hello!

Thank you for your feedback.

I understand the concern. I'm not a fan of Reflected Damage either, but I've decided to keep it because most modgroups I've devised are actually multiple modifiers in a trenchcoat. For example:

03. (5-10|10-15|15-20|20-25)% increased Monster (Physical/Fire/Cold/Lightning/Chaos) Damage for (Attacks/Spells)

This modgroup actually contains 10 distinct modifiers.

Extend this logic to the rest of the pool, and you have enough dilution that even a modifier as dangerous as Reflected Damage can be preserved, as there are enough alternate possibilities that you won't be rolling it as often as you would in the current state of the game.

The Reflected Damage modgroup itself is also a collective of modifiers. Whereas, in the current version, it either spans all Elemental Damage or all Physical Damage, the one I've devised is much more case-specific, and thus much less likely to brick a Map on its own should you roll it.

I have, nonetheless, taken your input into advisement and made an adjustment to the modgroup in question. Thank you for your contribution!


~ Alyssa Calhoun

Yeah, no. Reflect mod is an instant -1 from me.

You will never convince me that it can exist in the game, no matter how diluted the mod pool becomes. Bear in mind that unlike in PoE 1, you can't just scour maps and alch them. If you get a reflect mod, you either pay a not-insignificant value to chaos the waystone, or accept the fact it's been bricked and throw it away if your build can't run it.

That's one big upside of going from PoE 1 to 2, never having to put up with that silliness.

"

Yeah, no. Reflect mod is an instant -1 from me.

You will never convince me that it can exist in the game, no matter how diluted the mod pool becomes. Bear in mind that unlike in PoE 1, you can't just scour maps and alch them. If you get a reflect mod, you either pay a not-insignificant value to chaos the waystone, or accept the fact it's been bricked and throw it away if your build can't run it.

That's one big upside of going from PoE 1 to 2, never having to put up with that silliness.

Hello!

Thank you for your feedback.

Though I must ask:

You do realise this is the Path of Exile 1 subforum, right? Not PoE 2?

None of what I've devised was intended for PoE 2, so much so I've paid no mind to PoE 2 during its elaboration.

Again, I understand Reflected Damage mods are a pain, but given the circumstances I've failed to see your argument toward not having them as I've devised.

Perhaps should you provide an alternate modifier to supersede it, we could, then, continue this discussion more constructively, rather than bicker about a minor inconvenience.


~ Alyssa Calhoun

I wrote that in the morning shortly after I woke up so I had brain fog. Could've sworn I saw this topic in the PoE 2 subforum and had to double check to make sure. Apologies.

Point still stands, reflection is a mod that exists to brick maps for most builds that aren't summoners, totemancers, or RF.

The only way I'd want reflection to be in the game is if it functioned like bloodline/nemesis(?) mods in its short lifespan before archnemesis mods took over. The monsters receive the damage then immediately fire the accumulated damage back as an AoE centered on the attacker. This preserves the mechanic and threat of reflect, but puts a skill requirement on the player to pay attention and properly dodge the retaliation.

"

I wrote that in the morning shortly after I woke up so I had brain fog. Could've sworn I saw this topic in the PoE 2 subforum and had to double check to make sure. Apologies.

Point still stands, reflection is a mod that exists to brick maps for most builds that aren't summoners, totemancers, or RF.

The only way I'd want reflection to be in the game is if it functioned like bloodline/nemesis(?) mods in its short lifespan before archnemesis mods took over. The monsters receive the damage then immediately fire the accumulated damage back as an AoE centered on the attacker. This preserves the mechanic and threat of reflect, but puts a skill requirement on the player to pay attention and properly dodge the retaliation.

Hello!

Thank you for your feedback.

That's a very interesting concept! Having Reflection behave as you suggested would certainly make it more amenable, though I still stand behind the setting that Reflected Damage needs to be Type- and Source-sepecific.

Of course, that would put Reflected Damage in the realm of "visual clarity", which the game is infamously plagued by the lack thereof. Perhaps there is no other way to proceed than just removing it entirely, after all?

Even without it, there'd still be 30 Modgroups left in the revision I've elaborated, many of which have multiple modifiers under their umbrella. So, I suppose losing the one modgroup that has just one modifier, and that being Reflected Damage, wouldn't really put the scales off balance.

But what if we replaced it with a modifier that gives Monsters Chance to Block? There's a mod like that for T17s, so I think it'd fit nicely. With smaller values of course. Let me know what you think!


~ Alyssa Calhoun