In Path of Exile: Scourge (our October 3.16 expansion), we're making a number of changes to improve how characters mitigate ailments, use flasks, and build the defence of their characters. We're also addressing the extreme power of Auras and Curses in parties, while improving the strength of these mechanics for builds with a smaller investment. Finally we're changing Elemental Overload and Elemental Equilibrium and massively buffing elemental damage over time to be less dependent on them.

We're planning to share our balance changes across three news posts. Part 1 covers Ailment Mitigation and Flask Improvements, Part 2 covers Core Character Defences and Recovery and Part 3 covers Auras, Curses and Elemental Damage over Time. Today, we're talking about Ailment Mitigation and Flask improvements and will share parts 2 & 3 in subsequent days.

We've assembled this article as a set of identified problems and our intended Solutions. Below each Solution is a spoiler tag with the specifics of what we're currently intending to change. Please note that as we're still a couple of weeks out from release, anything here is subject to change based on our further testing and your feedback.

Ailment Mitigation

Problem:
In 3.15, we changed how flasks prevent ailments and curses on you, but didn't provide enough reasonable alternatives for mitigating ailments.

Solution:
Introduce a large number of options and improve existing options for characters to deal with Ailments. Characters should now be able to pick between reservation skills that mitigate ailments, remove effects reactively with life or mana flasks, gain immunity at a cost through Utility Flasks, or use improved modifiers on items and the passive skill tree to mitigate ailments and curses.

Specifics:

Flasks

Problem:
Many Flask modifiers grant buffs during Flask Effect, which isn't well-suited to a Life or Mana Flask's short and reactive nature.

Solution:
Added new modifiers to Life and Mana Flasks that are impactful but brief, and have a Duration rather than applying during Flask Effect.

Specifics:
Problem:
Utility Flasks are usually used proactively, but the Ailment protection modifiers introduced in 3.15.0 work by reacting to an Ailment on you.

Solution:
Replace the Ailment Removal Modifier on Utility flasks with one that grants Ailment Immunity but lessens flask duration. Note that base durations on Utility flasks have been increased to compensate (see below).

Specifics:
Problem:
Utility Flasks are sustainable with enough character damage and clear speed, but there aren't easy ways to sustain Utility Flasks for less-powerful characters.

Solution:
Add new modifiers and improve existing modifiers on Flasks that affect their duration or charge gain. Add some new Passive Skills to help sustain Flasks. Extend the base duration of Utility Flasks to reduce how often they need to be used.

Specifics:
Problem:
Even after lowering the power of many Unique flasks in 3.15.0, Unique Flasks still outclass most Magic Utility Flasks. In addition, the item level of flasks did not matter after a certain point.

Solution:
Add multiple tiers to most Flask modifiers. At higher levels, Flasks now have much more powerful effects available. Flask modifiers that increase Armour or Evasion are now weaker at their first tier as the changes to Armour and Evasion below make them more powerful. These changes allow us to restore some of the power that was removed from Flasks in 3.15 without affecting the early-mid game so much.

Specifics:
Problem:
Enkindling effects on Flasks aren't impactful enough, and aren't bringing Flasks back to the kind of power that non-permanent uptime should grant.

Solution:
Buff some Enkindling Orb effects, most notably the increased Flask Effect modifier.

Specifics:
Problem:
Belts are the item slot intended to enhance Flasks, but only have a limited list of modifiers that actually affect Flasks in their modifier pool.

Solution:
Add more tiers to Flask modifiers on Belts, and move the Flask Effect modifier out of the Influence modifier pool into the base modifier pool for Belts.

Specifics:
Problem:
Instant-recovery Life Flasks are by far the most reliable tool for survivability, as the total Life recovery from a Flask is reasonable but spread over a long period of time.

Solution:
Keep the total Life Recovery from all Life Flasks the same, but halve the amount of time for this to occur, which doubles their healing per second. This is a huge improvement to how effective non-instant Life Flasks are at keeping you alive in tough situations.

Specifics:
Problem:
There are no accessible tools for a player to change their charge gain method if gaining charges on kill isn't well-suited to their slower playstyle.

Solution:
Rework the "Survival" Jewels available from the "Through Sacred Ground" quest to let you gain charges another way, while reducing the charges gained from kills. These designs are still in progress.

Problem:
Rangers don't have a form of Life Recovery that they excel at, while almost every other core character has a signature special Recovery method.

Solution:
Add new and improve existing passive skills specialising in the recovery of charges for life and mana Flasks as well as life recovery from Flasks in the Ranger section of the Passive Skill Tree.

Specifics:
That concludes Part 1 of our 3.16 expansion balance changes. Tomorrow, we'll share Part 2, which covers our plans for Core Character Defences and Recovery. Please keep in mind as we're so far away from launch, elements of what we've written here may change after further play testing, feedback and iteration. There's plenty more to discover in our upcoming reveal of Path of Exile: Scourge and its patch notes. See you tomorrow!