It seems the developers of "Path of Exile" are now trudging off the beaten path, as its newest content update will be a rework to the current endgame of the free-to-play isometric action roleplaying game (aRPG).

The new update, titled "War for the Atlas," is now underway from developer Grinding Gear Games (GGG) and is set to be released on Dec. 8. The update is expected to be around 1.3 gigabytes (GB) of data. This could mean the content might have been pre-loaded into the game already but is just locked. The newest update containing "War for the Atlas" expansion will also come with a new challenge league in the game called Abyss.

"War for the Atlas" will be focusing mostly on the endgame content, the phase at which players experience diminishing returns and hit a plateau of progression in-game. Chris Wilson, chief developer at GGG has expressed that this rework for the endgame is going to be in stark contrast to the storyline update they introduced in the "Fall of Oriath" expansion.

"With the Fall of Oriath we focused squarely on the storyline, providing only minor improvements to the endgame. Now we're going all in on the endgame," said Wilson. With "War for the Atlas" players will be treated to an additional 32 new maps, a new Atlas layout, and a new endgame boss named "The Elder."

Elder will apparently be at war with the Shaper, the original endgame boss for the Atlas. Now that the two are locked in a perpetual conflict, it will up to the players to decide who will win, and they will do it all the while being rewarded handsomely.

Meanwhile, the new challenge league will introduce a mechanic similar to the previous "Breach" league, which involves players following ground fissures that spawn otherworldly enemies. The league also comes with 40 new challenges, which players must complete. Rewards await those who reach a certain challenge threshold. Like previous leagues, this will require a new character either in standard mode or hardcore mode.