Grinding Gear Games is making bold changes to Path of Exile 2's item drop system in its latest developer blog, particularly around the game's highest-tier loot: Mythic Uniques. These elusive chase items- long criticized for being too rare- are getting a major rework aimed at making the endgame grind more satisfying, fair, and rewarding for dedicated players.

Here's everything you need to know about the changes coming to Uniques, item drop mechanics, and what's ahead for loot in PoE2.

The Problem with Mythic Uniques

Path of Exile has always featured unique items as part of its core identity, but Path of Exile 2 introduced a tiered system: Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Mythic Uniques. The latter are the true "chase items" in the game, meant to be the rarest and most desirable drops, often build-defining or power-spiking for specific archetypes.

The issue? These Mythic Uniques were so rare that they were practically unobtainable.

For context: the Mythic-tier amulet Astramentis was found to be 47,000 times rarer than a Divine Orb, one of the game's top-tier currency items.

Players rightfully pointed out that such a drop rate made the chase feel pointless, especially in a seasonal ARPG model where builds only last a few months.

The Mechanics Behind the Problem

Grinding Gear Games explained that PoE2's unique drop system rolls for an Item Class first, then picks a unique item from that class. For example, if the system chooses "boots," it only pulls from boots, making it impossible to get a rare amulet, sword, or helmet in that roll.

This item class filtering meant that certain Mythic Uniques became vanishingly rare due to their class being picked so infrequently.

Combined with Path of Exile 2 having fewer total Uniques than PoE1 (due to the game still being in development), the system unintentionally bottlenecked Mythics into obscurity.

The Solution: A Revamped Drop System

To make Mythics more attainable without compromising their prestige, GGG is rolling out several significant changes:

1. Removing Item Class Filtering for Uniques

·The game will no longer roll an Item Class first when determining unique drops. This widens the pool of possible Mythic Uniques during a drop event and levels the playing field for different gear types.

2. Dynamic Drop Scaling by Map Rarity

·As you run higher-tier maps with increased item rarity, Common Uniques will scale down in drop rate while Uncommon, Rare, and Mythic Uniques scale up. This ensures that endgame players aren't flooded with Common trash and have better odds at high-tier gear.

3. Increased Number of Mythic Uniques

·The overall quantity of Mythic-tier Uniques in the drop table will increase. This means more chase items, better variety, and less reliance on RNG miracles to complete specific builds.

What This Means for Players

For fans of grinding and loot-hunting, this is huge:

·More accessibility to Mythic Uniques means more build diversity, as previously "myth-only" builds can now be tested and played by more than just lucky streamers.

·Endgame becomes more rewarding, especially with high-rarity maps giving players the feeling of actually earning powerful loot.

·Trade economy impact: Mythic items will still be valuable, but they won't be astronomically priced due to scarcity alone- demand will still keep them premium, but more accessible to buy POE2 Currency.

New Items and Previews Coming

While GGG didn't fully reveal the list of new Mythic Uniques or preview item-specific mechanics yet, the devs hinted that future updates will include new Mythic items and revamped legacy ones. This signals a future where Mythic crafting, fusion, or transformation systems might be introduced- something long requested by the PoE community.

GGG has also teased that more loot-focused reveals are coming in the lead-up to the game's next beta phase, including:

·New Aspect-based item systems

·Adjustments to Path of Exile 2 Currency drop weighting

·Possible Mythic-specific map bosses or drop zones

Final Thoughts

These Mythic Unique changes mark an important turning point for Path of Exile 2. GGG has always prided itself on punishing mechanics and deep systems, but when rarity becomes indistinguishable from impossibility, the thrill of the chase dies.

By rebalancing the unique item drop system, the developers are preserving the integrity of chase loot while acknowledging the importance of player reward loops. This strikes a delicate balance between maintaining PoE's hardcore identity and delivering a more accessible, engaging item grind for its growing player base.

If these changes work as intended, PoE2's loot game might finally reach the dream balance of desirable, rare, and obtainable- something most ARPGs struggle to nail.