Scarabs are out. That's the line Path of Exile players should circle in Covens of Umbra, the free expansion Grinding Gear Games has dated for November 13 PST.
The date is on the studio's Steam announcement, and that's all we could read there. We couldn't check GGG's own Covens page directly, so every feature detail below comes from Inven Global's report of a press release sent out around the ExileCon 2026 reveal in Auckland. When we say "the release", we mean Inven's account of it. Treat the specifics as announced, not final.
The change that hits every map
Start with the part endgame players will care about most. According to the release, Threads of Creation replace Scarabs, and they can guarantee up to three primary league mechanics inside Maps.
If you've been away, Scarabs are map fragments that you slot into the Map Device to change the area you're about to run. They've been the way to bolt extra content onto a map. So replacing them isn't a minor item swap. It changes how you set up a map.
The guarantee is the bit to watch. Up to three primary league mechanics on demand means you can aim your maps at the content you actually want, rather than hoping it turns up. Exactly which mechanics count as primary, and what a Thread costs you to run, is what players will want to pin down in the patch notes.
It doesn't stop at Threads. Inven's report lists a redesigned Atlas Passive Tree and revamped league mechanics as well. That's a lot of the endgame moving at once, so old Atlas habits may need a rethink before you commit your points.
Witches, Fates and a Wickerman made of bosses
The expansion pits you against ancient witches, and the new system is the Wickerman, built from the corpses of slain bosses. Yes, really. Nothing says endgame like arts and crafts with dead bosses.
The official pages, as Inven describes them, tie it together with boss Fates, which raise both difficulty and rewards. Viscera are trophies for the Wickerman. How those pieces connect in play isn't spelled out in Inven's report, so that's one to read closely when the full notes land.
Loot is changing too. Inven says the wider endgame changes include tiered unidentified Magic and Rare drops. That one's easy to skim past, but anything that changes what's worth picking up changes your whole filter and your pace through a map.
Where and when to play
Covens of Umbra is free and arrives on PC, Steam, PlayStation, Xbox and Epic Games, per the release.
One thing worth checking before you book the evening off. The date is given in PST, and neither the Steam headline nor Inven's report includes a launch hour. Depending on where you live, November 13 PST could mean a later local date, so hold off on planning around it until the studio posts a time.
It's also a busy stretch for the studio. Path of Exile 2's full release follows on December 11 PST, so the sequel's players get their turn four weeks after this one lands. Two big launches, four weeks apart, from one West Auckland studio.
Inven says the official trailer is on the Path of Exile YouTube channel and the rest of the detail sits on GGG's Covens announcement page. Six days to go. Plan your Atlas accordingly.
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