Of course, being Path of Exile, things get much more complex than that. Sometimes, Syndicate members will offer randomized bargains that can shake up the layout of the Syndicate hierarchy. Grunts can move into high-ranking positions, reveal the identity of their leaders POE currency trade , or you can just choose to execute them. Being immortal, though, this actually causes the Syndicate to promote that character to a higher rank when they’re revived for being loyal enough to die for the cause.

The Syndicate can take action against you, too, like showing up during boss fights to sabotage you when you’re most vulnerable. It’s here that the interpersonal relationships of the Syndicate also play a factor, as sometimes two members who are friends might show up to double-team you. But, again, things can get even more complicated. Wilson explains that it’s quite possible to have one Syndicate member try to ambush you only to, in turn, become a victim of an ambush from another rival Syndicate member. All of this is represented on the Syndicate corkboard, where players can keep track of individual relationships, rankings, and other modifiers that govern each of the dozen or so Syndicate members.

Like Path of Exile’s other leagues, the ultimate goal here is to manipulate these systems to score the best possible loot. As players manipulate and exploit, they’ll earn intel that eventually reveals the location of safehouses associated with each of the four branches of the Syndicate. These special zones are full of regular monsters and treasures, but also contain living quarters for each member of the Immortal Syndicate who belongs to that specific branch.

Here’s where all that manipulation can pay off: Each member of the Syndicate has a specific type of item you’ll find in their living quarters, but the branch they currently belong to will influence how that item is randomly generated. So, for example, one Syndicate member might specialize in amulets. If I manipulate them into a position of power in the Research division of the Syndicate POE buy currency , where item modifiers can be highly experimental—sometimes amazing and sometimes awful—I can guarantee I’ll get amulets with some zany abilities that might end up being obscenely powerful.