Path of Exile: How the New Crucible Mechanic Works in 3.21 Update

The recently released Crucible league for Path of Exile’s 3.21 update features a brand new mechanic that centers primarily on making powerful weapons.

In a way, it gives players a chance to craft powerful, mirror-tier weapons that can easily surpass all of the crafted weapons in the game so far.

This is due to the fact that you can add passive skill trees to your chosen weapon via the new mechanic.

But how exactly does it work? Let’s go find out!

How the New Crucible Mechanic Works in Path of Exile’s 3.21 Update

Throughout your adventure in Wraeclast, you will come across Crucible Forges that you can interact with. An area or map will only contain one forge each.

When you interact with a forge, you will be able to choose which weapon you want to forge. If it’s your first time doing so, you’ll notice that the weapon’s passive skill tree is hidden.

To reveal a weapon’s Crucible passive skill tree, you have to click on the passive skill tree node and hold it for as long as you want. You’ll also notice that the meter will start filling up until it reaches the node.

The longer you hold, the more enemies will spawn. This will make the encounter a lot more challenging, but it will also help you reveal the hidden passive tree much more quickly.

This gives you the ability to decide how challenging you want the encounter to be. Once you’re ready to fight off the enemies, all you have to do is step out of the ring from the forge to spawn them.

However, do take note that this only works for one-handed weapons, two-handed weapons, and shields. Also, the skill trees that are granted will make sense for the type of weapon you’re forging.

Applying Skill Trees to Unique Weapons

Unfortunately, this method only applies to non-unique weapons. The method for adding Crucible passive skill trees to unique weapons is entirely different.

For that, you want to use a Primeval Remnant such as the one shown below:

You can just buy it from other players at Path of Exile’s trade website. Once you have one, simply place it on your Map Device and run it.

This will open up a new area, and all you have to do is go to the very end until you come across an Antique Furnace. Then, simply place the unique weapon you want to forge and click the Craft button.

It will then place a random Crucible passive skill tree on it. However, keep in mind that this only works on non-corrupted unique items.

ALSO READ: Path of Exile: How to Reroll Crucible Trees and Keep Base and Links