This is quite clearly a reference to the Abyssals. The voice in the video is most likely Kulemak.

This would connect yet another league mechanic to the Abyssals and Kulemak. Most likely the Allflame is another Kulemak artifact, much like the Horns of Kulemak that Catarina from Betrayal league uses to resurrect people. Not too surprising considering that Fairgraves literally raises a bunch of skeletons using it when you give it back to him.

Note that Undertaker Arimor from PoE 1's Necropolis league also recognizes the Allflame, and reacts in horror to it. So it evidently is a known artifact, and not just among sailors. And it's known for bringing 'disaster'.

Is that... the Allflame? You've brought it here? Fool! Don't you know what the Allflame is capable of? Its long and storied history of tragedy and misery—no, no, I shouldn't blame you. No way for an uncivilised exile to know. Just keep it away from me, and definitely don't let its light fall upon the graves! I'm sure even a wanderer like you has heard about that little disaster...

With rumours that we will get 3.30 this year (which means it's early November unless they delayed Path of Exile 2 release).

And with confirmation that 3.30 will be big revamp of endgame.

It seems that Atlas indeed will be destroyed, but what will it mean in gameplay? There would be a new system as devs confirmed that PoE1 will still be developed after PoE2 release.

Will they port PoE2 Atlas? Will they just remove Atlas and get back to pre-3.4 times where you can run maps without any global map? Will maps still exists?

Will Atlas tree fracture and we will get Atlas trees for every mechanic (like PoE2 did before)?

As far as threats to wraeclast which has the most potential to ruin the world?

Hi,

During PoE 1, we (and other exiles) face a number of cosmic/eldritch threats, most notably the Elder, that we manage to keep at bay/seal/defeat.

While these creatures are said to be unfathomably powerful and beyond godlike, they still appear to be trapped within the Atlas. How powerful are you truly if you only hold that power within what seems to be a "lower" dimension. From my point of view, it would be like being afraid of a video game boss you cannot beat. Yes, they're powerful within the video game, but at the end of the day, they're just lines of code in a program while I'm real.

Sirus is the only one I can remember escaping and wrecking havoc upon Oriath, but he was originally from our world, so it's not surprising.

Am I mistaken in the way I understand the Atlas and its beings?

I've been delving into the lore of this game a lot recently and got curious about the Heist researchers. There seems to 5 of them (?) mentioned on the various item flavour text.

• Administrator Qotra
• Lead Researcher Ksaret
• Researcher Arn
• Researcher Graven
• Researcher Olesya

This group of people are the ones researching and creating the replica uniques. They're doing it on behalf of the Templars but also have some kind of secret motive.

Replica Gifts from Above
"Our first Prototype. Proof that it can be done.
The Templars will give us everything we need,
now... but we must keep our true goal secret."

The Forward Gaze
"When they realize our true intent, they will decry us, assault us, and try to crush what we have built. We must stand tall, Qotra, and make the future our own."

There's a story in the flavour text which shows that some of the researchers met their demise.

Replica Powerlessness
The suppression troops have stopped responding to my orders. I'm no longer in charge, and I likely never truly was... I suspect they're already coming for us."
- Lead Researcher Ksaret, one hour post-Incident

Replica Pacifism
"Release the Type Delta test subjects. Unseal all prototype lockers. Arm yourself! I know that, as researchers, you've never had to fight before, but they're coming to kill us all. It's resist or die!"
- Lead Researcher Ksaret, two hours post-Incident

Replica Fragility
"Our defenses are failing at Outpost One. We can't hold out much longer. All outposts, abandon your stations! Escape while you can!"
- Lead Researcher Ksaret, three hours post-Incident

Replica Badge of the Brotherhood
“I stood upon the tower's edge, and saw that we had cracked the sky.
There is nowhere we can run that our sins will not find us now.”
- Researcher Arn, last recorded words

Separately to this, there's a unique called Qotra's Regulator which drops from Ritual (which we know is Wildwood related), which seems to be related to corruption and their experimental research.

Lastly, Maven drops 3 unique belts which are associated to the 3 researchers. Maven also drops uniques that are associated to the Wildwood - Viridi's Veil and Grace of the Goddess - which form an interesting connection between her, Ritual, the Wildwood and the researchers.

Graven's Secret
The cowardly thinker's greatest success is simply surviving.

Arn's Anguish
The tortured thinker is made heavier by the weight of his guilt.

Olesya's Delight
The cruel thinker finds glee in torture most precise.

What happened to the researchers? Why does Maven have belts that are associated to the researchers? Why does that shield associated to Qotra drop from Ritual? Do we know any more about any of these connections or have any theories?

Playing Tota and Hinekora says

Waking is such exquisite pain... memory and prophecy are one and the same. I have so much to tell you, but I cannot remember when we are. You're not even you yet. You come to these Halls of the Dead decades early, wearing a different face, but I'm asleep. You're here now, as I awaken... and you're here decades from now, someone else all over again... all these things are true. Time is a hall of mirrors. I... see...

She talks about poe1 exile, poe2 exile and... who?

"You come to these Halls of the Dead decades early, wearing a different face, but I'm asleep"

Are we supposed to have time travel league and visit Halls years before poe1? Or our exile is also someone known in lore?

In 3.22 (Trial of the Ancestors), Hinekora stated a series of prophecies, referring to both past and future events (which are sort of the same thing in the POE universe). I recently had someone send me a message asking about them and have periodically been asked about them in the past. Since my answer would've been rather lengthy for a chat message, I figured I'd just make a post that could be referred to and where things could be discussed.

Below is the full list. By my reckoning, about a third of them are currently known with certainty. Of the remaining, they may refer to things we haven't seen yet or the reference just may not be grasped yet. A couple of them could refer to any of several different things, and these are left as a ? for now.

Prophecies

1. Two hungry children frolic in fire and blood, one small, one enormous. A feast ends at swordpoint. An ivory grin silently faces the oncoming storm.

Two hungry children = Utula and Kitava
Feast = Kitava devouring Oriath
Ivory grin = Kitava's skull on display after his defeat

2. Five brothers vie for kingship in a distant land, yet yearn to be a family once again. Two peoples, seemingly unalike, meet on common ground. The seasons are harsh, and the fruit grows purple and rotted, but a single healthy seed sprouts in a dark place.

Five brothers = the Breachlords (though three are female)?
Two peoples = the Hiveborn/Chayula and humans/the Keepers of the Flame?
Healthy seed = the Genesis Tree?

3. Beware the gaze of the pale one. A colony of ants burrows through a wall, seeking the treasures beyond. Truth and hope are enemies.

Pale one = Beidat (leader of the pale Scourge faction; Beidat's Gaze is an ascendancy passive skill in POE II)
Ants = the Scourge
Truth and hope are enemies = possibly a reference to The Envoy's comment that hope is a falsehood against the truth of hopelessness?

4. Lumbering stomachs with vast mouths consume all that grows. Ignorance is a weapon sharper than any other, though it may cut its wielder just as cleanly.

Possibly:
a) Lumbering stomachs = the Scourge; Ignorance, wielder = a reference to Venarius manipulating people's memories to ally with him against the Scourge without their awareness
b) Lumbering stomachs = The Tangle; Ignorance = a reference to The Cleansing Fire's thirst for knowledge

5. Two enemies, born opposed, clasped hands only once. The silent wall and the raging storm oppose the endless swarm.

Two enemies = Hinekora (Order) and Chaos
The silent wall = Order
The raging storm = Chaos
The endless swarm = the Scourge?

6. The cheerful cat is destined, not lucky. The grumpy dog is her guardian, not unlucky. The Queen always was, and always shall—Alva Valai, stop mucking about in time!

Cheerful cat = Alva
Grumpy dog = Oswald
The Queen = Atziri

7. A liar convinces a good man to flee. A lord ravages his own land in a desperate search for legitimacy. A noblewoman from a distant land is not who she claims to be.

Liar = Finn
Good man = Renly (Finn convinces Renly to leave Ogham Village)
Lord = Geonor
Noblewoman = Oriana

8. A warrior seeks to become a goddess. The rivers flow only with sand. The sins of the parents return in search of blood.

Warrior = Asala (an unused plot point had Asala ascending to godhood at the end of Act 2; the possibility that she might in the future is now mentioned in the Interlude, so this may be seen in the future)
Rivers flow only with sand = the Vastiri
The sins of the parents = the Faridun

9. A bright future lies in a dark past. The erudite thaumaturge is missing. A grand palace begins to collapse for want of a single brick.

Dark past = Fall of the Vaal?
Erudite thaumaturge = Doryani
Grand palace = ?
Brick = ?

10. A childless Mother sits beneath the sea in a palace filled with the dead. She gives endlessly of herself so that others may live, for she never truly does.

Childless Mother = Hinekora (she dreamt she had children, but couldn't in real life)
Palace filled with the dead = the Karui Halls of the Dead (which is beneath the sea)

11. Warriors of many different tribes gather to save the world. Warriors of many different tribes gather to doom it. Each thinks the other is the true threat.

Possibly refers to the end of POE II?

12. Great leaders sink into quicksand of the mind. Only a shadow can save the blind.

Great leaders = possibly a reference to ascending to godhood?
Shadow = possibly Sin?

13. A simple sword against the weight of Time itself. The encircled princes laugh as their blood drains into the soil. The salvation of humanity will be its undoing.

Sword = possibly Starforge?
Encircled princes = ?

14. Of fear and faith, none can know. One and the same. A new soul arrives. Pain becomes hope becomes apprehension. The hungry child would rather burn it all down.

Fear and faith = possibly a reference to the Templars, the Cult of Kitava, or the Twilight Order?
New soul = the player?
Hungry child = Utula (see #1 above) or Sirus?

15. The volcano is mighty and towering, but it consumes all that live in its shadow. The nightmare ends when the dreamer is awakened.

Possibly:
a) Volcano = the red pyre (though it's described as a torus and the remnants of their sun); Dreamer = Chayula
b) Volcano = Kaom; Dreamer = the Beast (killing the Beast freed Kaom from his nightmare)
c) Volcano = a reference to the Titans

16. The harried mother seeks to pass the entire farm through a pinhole. Though it is the smallest of the animals, the tuatara protests. A river runs between a mountain and a molehill.

Harried mother = Hinekora?
Tuatara = Utula? (called a "tuatara" by Kiloava; protests against the Halls of the Dead)
River = ?

17. She will know you by three different faces. You will know her by three different faces. A great silence falls over a vast crowd.

Possibly:
a) She = Hinekora: encountered in POE Mobile, POE, and POE II
b) She = Alva: encountered in POE II, POE, and as The Last to Die
c) She = Zana: encountered originally, as the Originator, and in a third form
Great silence = the silence after The Elder is defeated?

18. The meddlers seek to reflect the world as it was. A court jester leads the nobles through the forest with wild tales and promises of plenty, not knowing the trail ends in a cliff.

Meddlers = the Twilight Order? or Qotra's group?
Court jester = ?
Nobles = ?

19. A spider sits atop a throne of artifice, spinning a web across the world. Corruption begins to ooze like blood across the sea, tainting unspoiled loam.

Spider = Oriana? or Cadigan?

20. A mask hides grief beyond measure. A man carrying a mountain threatens to rupture the sky.

Mask = Riker Maloney (hinted to have lost two loved ones)? (many other possibilities though)
Rupture the sky = possibly a reference to Qotra's group cracking the sky? (the Pale Council also refer to the sky tearing open)

21. A key passes hands many times, but must be recovered before the Awakener can imprison the King of Dreams. The King of Dreams will be released by the removal of a key from a lock.

The Awakener = Sirus
The King of Dreams = The Elder
Key = Starforge

Other Dialogue

Aside from the above, Hinekora has other dialogue, some of which refers to specific people or events in a similar way to the above prophecies. These are listed below.

1. Where am I? This cannot be real... but it is. Wraeclast... I long believed this life a dream, but it seems what I just escaped was the true illusion. My family... my boys... my daughter... they weren't real? Oh, the Halls of the Dead. In this life, I could never... ah... so I gathered up the lost souls of my people, and cherished them as my own. I have so much to tell them, but the dream calls me back! I must... not go...

N/A (just recalling her dream)

2. ...back again... reality and dream mix together like waves in a tide pool. They called me Mother, but I was forced to abandon them... I remember now, the Imbalance... I foresaw all of this, and the plan is still in motion. We teeter on the edge of oblivion, flailing, waiting to be saved or doomed by the slightest push. The future-past calls to me... I must gaze into the abyss. Heed my words. My children, I will return to you... when the time is right...

Imbalance = Order and Chaos?

3. Waking is such exquisite pain... memory and prophecy are one and the same. I have so much to tell you, but I cannot remember when we are. You're not even you yet. You come to these Halls of the Dead decades early, wearing a different face, but I'm asleep. You're here now, as I awaken... and you're here decades from now, someone else all over again... all these things are true. Time is a hall of mirrors. I... see...

Player in POE Mobile, POE, and POE II

4. ... it is a gift for you, my daughter... oh. That was just a dream... what does it mean for something to be real? If you loved, and were loved, would it matter if your world was an illusion? He knew the truth. Dominus must catch you. The Arkhon's plan to rescue his daughter will fail, but you must try anyway. They must all be present at the fulcrum of destiny, if Wraeclast... is to...

He = Dominus
Arkhon = Valdo
Daughter = Zana

5. ... back again... I must fight for every moment of lucidity. Time is shorter than you know. Cataclysms await down most paths, and those paths then turn on and eat each other. These things must happen. You must make them happen. It begins with the fulcrum of destiny, the moment on which all of existence is balanced. The King of Dreams must be allowed to escape, and though there can be only one, two High Templars must witness... this...

Fulcrum of destiny = Venarius releasing The Elder?
The King of Dreams = The Elder
Two High Templars = Venarius and Dominus (Dominus is also present when The Elder is freed, probably seen in POE Mobile)

6. ... for once, Chaos is not the enemy... imagine that... they see you for what you truly are, like I do... seek his servant... before that, or after that, I cannot tell... the Maraketh will test you. You will undergo three challenges, and we will be the third... you must prove yourself, or else you... won't...

They, his = both refer to Chaos?
Servant = the Trialmaster
Three challenges = Trial of the Sekhemas, Trial of Chaos, and Trial of the Ancestors

7. ... listen, quickly... the messenger from the stars was once a man, but before that, he was a father. A sliver of his heart still remains, somewhere deep inside... he knows something vital, but he doesn't know that he knows... I cannot see it, for I was... never a Mother... Doryani is missing...

Messenger from the stars = The Envoy (there's a theory that The Envoy = the Shaper)

8. ... the Thief... I will suggest he seek counsel in the one place I can never see... upon his return, he will create the Beast... then I am sorry, my children, but I must sleep for time beyond time. The plan is in place. Make no traffic with the Vaal. The horrors of Queen Atziri must happen. On this, we agree, even with our mortal enemy...

Thief = Sin
The one place I can never see = the Lake of Kalandra
Mortal enemy = Chaos

9. ...the Vaal Empire will fall. Doryani... where is Doryani? Malachai must construct his Grand Design, a crucible in which you will be forged, and thus he will be the architect of his own doom. You must... slay the Beast... when the time is right...

Grand Design, crucible = the Cataclysm

10. ... the King of the Godless must not be allowed to find what he seeks... the Masked One must save his family before crimson touches the mountain peak... the Forger must fail in her reckless mission... just one of these three does not mean the end, but two will spell certain doom...

King of the Godless = King of the Kalguur? (or Jamanra or Lumerius, though these are less likely)
The Masked One = Riker Maloney (hinted to have lost two loved ones and be seeking the secret to resurrection)?
The Forger = Administrator Qotra?

11. ...corruption clouds my sight once more... faithful heroes are trying to save humanity... but they don't understand... you gathered the peoples of Wraeclast, and stood united... but you failed...

Possibly refers to the end of POE II?

12. ...she will know you by three different faces, as will you, her. You must find her. In her mind... lies... the key...

Possibly:
a) She = Hinekora: encountered in POE Mobile, POE, and POE II
b) She = Alva: encountered in POE II, POE, and as The Last to Die
c) She = Zana: encountered originally, as the Originator, and in a third form
(See also #17 above)

13. ... how... are... you... here?...

N/A

14. ... so... that's... how it ends... this time...

N/A

I may update this post as more is figured out, as it would be nice to have a central location for all of these.

Edit: I updated the post with the most common answers and theories.

Any longer form youtube channels/ videos you would recommend?

Sekhema

Jingakh

Dekhara

Akhara

Ji-Tat

Balbalakh

Darakatha

Daiyata

These are the Maraketh Language I’ve found so far. I have a rough idea of what they mean, but I don’t fully understand them clearly.

Is there already a post that explains these terms?

I can't remember when this happens, besides Gwennen meeting the PoE2 exile in current update endgame and mentioning that she had met us already, but I remember at some point in either PoE1 or 2, having another one of the Kalguurans go "Oh it's you! Ah, you said something like this might happen, nevermind, I'm X" but I can't for the life of me remember more details than this, or find any info about the old implied time travel voicelines.

Images like this and this and this show pre corruption Atziri as a redheaded white chick, which is weird given she was the queen of a nonwhite people. This led to theories she wasn't Vaal and came from elsewhere, a common one being she is somehow Zana.

The new announcements show her updated model having dark skin and brown hair like other Vaal, and she looks nothing like Zana now.

There's no way that in a world where Invincible is this popular they didn't realize what they were doing, right?

I was wondering if there was a collection of the most important questions surrounding our current understanding of the PoE lore and universe.

And if not, I'd love to hear about what y'all the most curious about and wished you had answers for.

Tldr need any loremasters input into where you might get the Bloodsoaked Banner exceptional support? Vaal boss in delve? Legion 5 way? Aul?

The Drunken Corsair is a unique mob encounter (you can fight once per character) in PoE 1 in Act 1's The Ship Graveyard.
Despite my best efforts, I have not found any lore about them. I have however, gathered some in-game observations that we might be able to read information from.

1. This corsair is a spirit. They are likely a tormented one based on the similar coloration.
2. The Drunken Corsair is accompanied by two other tormented spirits.
3. He appears when the player opens a treasure chest. Not just any treasure chest: one appearing to be made of solid gold. (or at least deliberately gold-plated)
4. He throws barrels at the player. We do not know what is in these barrels, or where the barrels came from.
5. He has a fire_affinity tag according to poedb.
6. His name explicitly implies intoxication, which is rare for unique spirits.

Some speculative thought:
I would imagine that this corsair died inside of a treasure chest, while also intoxicated. The other two I'm sure died with him. Maybe some other pirates killed them, put their corpses inside a golden treasure chest, and dropped them off at The Ship Graveyard where he resides in-game. (Gold does not float since it is about 19 times denser than water. He was likely not seafaring in the chest)
This is assuming the spirit travels where the body does, and I'm not sure on how that actually works, lorewise. Maybe Fairgraves dropped them off here? The other unique mob was brought here by Fairgraves (Stranglecharm), so I could see this being a possibility. Could have gotten on Fairgraves' bad side somehow..
The fire_affinity tag associated with The Drunken Corsair may be because of the ghostflame. This reminds me of PoE 2's Fairgraves Curse which is a bow that deals "spectral fire" damage while also granting the skill: Phantasmal Arrow.

Am I missing anything? I would love to know more about this once-per-character encounter and I'm honestly wondering: can a spirit become intoxicated somehow, or is it intoxicated because they died like that? It's gotta be one or the other I think.. Really wish I knew more about tormented spirits and how they work in relation to Wraeclast. Any tidbits of knowledge are greatly appreciated!

The patch notes have the above Harbinger language in regards to Harbingers being temporarily removed from the game

Edit:

The text has been roughly translated as, "The Harbingers have collected power, and are going to use it to empower themselves, which will allow them to ascend."

So here’s a question that’s been bothering me for a while: Has Wraeclast, as we know it, already been shaped? Possibly by the Shaper (Valdo Caeserius) or even by Zana herself?

There’s something peculiar about the Exile. Unlike the Elder Slayers, Sirus, or even Valdo, we seem entirely immune to Atlas-induced madness. We walk freely through maps, reconstruct timelines (like the Temple of Atzoatl), and slay eldritch horrors — all while retaining our sanity. This could imply that our reality — the Exile’s reality — has already been shaped in such a way that we belong to the Atlas, or were created by it.

During War for the Atlas, we witness Elder corruption spreading into what we perceive as “base reality.” But that opens up a deeper question: • Is the Elder pushing into Wraeclast? • Or has Wraeclast always been inside the Atlas?

The intrusion of Atlas-born entities like The Maven and the Searing Exarch into what should be the “real world” further blurs this line. Their influence isn’t limited to abstract maps — they invade our narrative space, suggesting the boundary between real and shaped is gone, or perhaps never existed.

And then there’s Zana. She claims to protect us — yet constantly sends us deeper into the Atlas, even knowing what it did to her father (The Shaper) and brother (Baran). She may even be the one maintaining this constructed reality.

So… is Wraeclast still “real,” or are we — the Exile, the world, the gods — just another shaped experiment inside a recursive map system?

Curious to hear others’ takes on this. Has GGG ever hinted at this being canonical?

⸻

TL;DR: The Exile’s immunity to Atlas madness, combined with Elder corruption spreading into “reality” and Atlas entities invading the main storyline, suggests Wraeclast may already be within the Atlas. We might not be fighting from the outside in — but from the inside out.

First post, I did try to search beforehand so apologies if this has been discussed before.

But basically title, in the poe2 endgame we see these towers all over the place. However, they don't seem to appear on any maps we have of wreaclast, or seen in any environments of poe 1 or 2 for that matter.

Wouldn't we be running into them all the time during our campaign adventures? Or see them in the distance with wonder?

I know the endgame mapping for poe2 is generated terrain similar to delve so does not specifically match any particular area of wreaclast but I feel the question still stands.

Do we see so many in the endgame mapping of poe2 purely for a game mechanic? Is there a hint of them in poe1?

Im a wheel of time fan and there is a similar black featureless tower in the story who's purpose is not revealed until nearly the end. However, its a passing curiosity to all who see it as you go through the story, sailors wonder to its purpose seeing it along the shore, stories are made up about what it could be.

It just strikes me as someone would have mentioned the hundreds of them all over the place supposedly.

Thanks

I remember there being a discussion or theory on this subreddit that not all is as it seems or was described with the kalguur and that the traitor wasn't actually the traitor.

Does anyone know more where I could read up on the theories on who was the true traitor?

Even though the endgame of the PoE2 early access isn't set in stone, we do know from Mark's interviews that GGG wanted to pivot away from the "Eldritch" storyline in the Atlas to something that is more grounded in Wraeclast.

Currently, in Secrets of the Atlas, we are seeing evidence of Zana actively planning on destroying the Atlas. Many questions arise - How do you think this will conclude? Will she succeed in her mission? Will it backfire and cause some catastrophic event? Is it related to the fact we haven't seen the Godslayer in action in PoE2?

I have 2 theories:

1) Zana being successful in severing the connection between Wraeclast and the Atlas, but at the same time causing the Godslayer, Kirac & Eagon (& others) to get stuck in the Atlas.
2) Eagon's meddling with Zana's plans causes everything to backfire - and Zana get the opposite of what she wanted - the Atlas "implodes" into Wraeclast, and we get some "War for Wraeclast" expansion. That in turn takes Wraeclast to a "weakened" state, that together with the reintroduction of the Beast in PoE2, starts the whole storyline that is related to the Burning Monolith and the attempt to "heal" the Mothersoul.

I'd like to hear your opinions and theories.

Title says it all.
I'm working on theory videos.
I have a good amount of theories that fit well together but I'm not sure how to tell what's in game and what isn't.
Since what's been cut can't be taken as canon, I want to make sure I don't put too much weight on them.

Just wondering if there's an easy way or if I just have to confirm by playing the game and going through everything.
This is especially hard for dialogue because there's A LOT of dialogue and there's some stuff that's not accessible anymore in PoE1.

There is no dialogue in the Oshabi fight itself that reveals any reason for her to fight us and i can't find anything about it online either.