Path of Exile has always been about going through troves upon troves of items, from POE Currency to all manner of gear. That’s why the latest expansion, Heist, couldn’t be more apt in that regard. Aside from the Ocean’s Eleven-esque theme, we also get a lot of new meta-changing (or even breaking) items.
Unique But Not Genuine
Perhaps the kind of new items that rocked the proverbial boat the hardest is the Replica Unique items. Tier-wise, they’re also considered Unique items. The Replica tag, however, means that aside from not being the real thing lore-wise, they also have a different modifier than the original one.
Take for example the Unique bow Iron Commander. One of its modifiers is that you get 1 additional Totem for every 200 Dexterity. Meanwhile, the Replica Iron Commander grants you 1 Totem for every 200 Strength.
That one small difference greatly changes the PoE build the item is for. So, if you have a strength-based Totem build that requires a bow, then you go for the Replica. Now, you can save up your POE Currency on other gear.
Not all Replica Unique Items, however, are simply for a different Path of Exile build. Some are objectively worse than the original unless you have a certain mechanic in your PoE build that turns that particular con into a pro.
Take for example Ambu’s Charge. The original grants you 2% regeneration after getting hit. On the other hand, the Replica causes you to lose 2% of your life. Whether this is Grinding Gear Games’ way of giving you a semi-best in the slot but with a twist or their way of trolling, it sure is a creative addition to the game.
Elementary, My Dear Exile
Not done with their play on the traditional PoE item types, they also added a new kind of weapon: Experimental Base Types. While they deal with more subdued physical damage, they mostly deal with elemental damage. These weapons are perfect for POE builds that are heavily reliant upon elemental damage, including those that are centered on attacking.
Last but definitely not least on Grinding Gear Games’ PoE Items With a Twist List are alternate quality gems. Much like other Heist items on the list, what sets them apart is that they provide a different bonus. For example, while the Cast on Critical Strike support gem boosts the critical strike chance of the spell it supports as a bonus, the Alternate Quality gem of the same kind boosts attack power instead.
Much like Replica Unique Items, these Alternate Quality gems are perfect for players that are looking for more customization options in their chosen PoE build.
Like Lucky Charms
With the wilder item additions out of the way, let’s move on to a completely new kind of Path of Exile item: trinkets. These PoE items are socketed on your equipment (which will have sockets for trinkets) and change the RNG’s behavior to your advantage, but they are Heist-only.
There are only two of them:
- Apocalypse Shine – increases the rarity of items, as well as the chance to drop corrupted Path of Exile items and double divination cards from treasure chests
- Ancient Glimmer – increases the chance for Exalted Orbs to replace Regal Orbs, Rogue’s Markers dropped by monsters, and double maps and scarabs from Heist chests
Heist’s motif is kind of like you gambling, as you have to decide on whether to quit when you’re ahead or keep going. After all, we’re not simply being movie-lovers when we brought up Ocean’s Eleven: it’s actually the flick that inspired GGG to make an expansion like this.
Going back, with these trinkets, you have better chances of getting your winnings early on, which means you won’t be taking as many risks.
There you have it–the crazy yet very welcome new items of Path of Exile: Heist. So, excited to get your hands on them and tweak your PoE builds to their utmost potential? You better be.