The Reliquarian is the brand-new Ascendancy class exclusive to the Scion in Path of Exile 3.28 Mirage League, bringing an unprecedented level of build flexibility by integrating the unique effects of iconic Unique items from Wraeclast into its passive skill tree. This guide breaks down PoE 3.28 Reliquarian mechanics, passive skills, unique nodes, leveling, and progression.
New PoE 3.28 Reliquarian Ascendancy
The Reliquarian is a new Scion Ascendancy introduced in PoE 3.28.0, following the classic Ascendant. Its design centers on harvesting the power of Wraeclast’s Unique items—every notable passive skill of this class is derived from the effects of well-known Unique gear in the game, and its lore is linked to a secret Orathan society that studies and wields the mystical properties of ancient Unique items.
Notably, the Reliquarian is a core Scion Ascendancy that is not tied to any single league mechanic. It has strong synergies with the 3.28 Mirage League’s new content, including holy skills, transfigured gems, and Atlas changes, and can be paired with almost all build archetypes in the game.
PoE 3.28 Reliquarian Mechanics & Restrictions
While the Reliquarian is incredibly flexible, it has critical mechanics and restrictionsthat all players must understand to avoid build mistakes. These rules are set by GGG and are non-negotiable for the class:
Core Mechanics
One Node Per Category: Only one Notable node can be selected per category (Armour → Weapon → Jewellery); no overlapping or multiple selections in the same category are allowed.
8 Total Ascendancy Points: The Reliquarian grants 8 ascendancy points in total—players get 2 passive points from the first lab (no node unlock), the first Notable node from the second lab, and the final Jewellery node from the Uber lab.
Dynamic League Nodes: The Reliquarian’s Unique nodes change with each league (GGG’s official design). Nodes available in 3.28 Mirage League will be replaced with new Unique item-inspired effects in future leagues.
Unique Item Synergy (Partial Stacking): Most nodes can stack with their original Unique items for stronger effects (e.g., Kilawa's Bluster node + Kilawa's Bluster shield = 80% chance for 90% elemental resistances). A small number of stats (e.g., no extra crit damage) do not stack, but the upside still far outweighs the downside.
Path Choice Rule: After unlocking the Armour node, players must choose one single path (Caster Weapon or Martial Weapon)—it is impossible to take nodes from both Weapon categories.
Hard Restrictions
Scion-Exclusive: The Reliquarian is only available to the Scion; no other class (Marauder, Ranger, Witch, Templar, etc.) can unlock or use this Ascendancy.
Linear Progression Only: The passive tree has a strict linear unlock order—Armour → Weapon → Jewellery. No skipping of early categories to unlock late nodes is allowed.
No Forbidden Flesh/Flame Rolls: Reliquarian Notable passives cannot be rolled on the Forbidden Flesh and Forbidden Flame Unique Jewels. Players cannot combine Reliquarian nodes with other Ascendancy passives via these jewels.
No Energy Shield for Brass Dome: The Brass Dome node completely removes all energy shield—this stat cannot be reversed with any gear or passive, so ES builds cannot select this node.
PoE 3.28 Reliquarian Passive Skills (Minor & Notable)
The Reliquarian’s passive skill tree has a clear linear progression and is divided into Minor Passive Skills and Notable Passive Skills. The Notable skills—the core of the class—are split into four subcategories, and players must follow the fixed unlock order to choose nodes, with no skipping or overlapping selections allowed.
1. Minor Passive Skills
The Reliquarian’s minor passives are simple with a single purpose: they grant additional passive skill points and act as a bridge to unlock Notable skills. They have no stat bonuses (e.g., strength, mana, resistances), and their only value is for progression.
Effect: Each Minor Passive Skill node grants 1 extra Passive Skill Point to the Scion.
Progression: No prior passives are needed for the first Minor skill; subsequent ones are unlocked only by investing in the previous node.
Total: The minor skills form three separate paths that lead to the four Notable skill categories (Armour → Caster Weapon/Martial Weapon → Jewellery).
2. Notable Passive Skills
Notable Passive Skills are the core of the Reliquarian, all replicating the effects of in-game Unique items (some with slight numerical adjustments). They are split into four fixed subcategories, with strict unlock prerequisites that all players must follow:
Armour: The first unlockable Notable category, available after investing in the initial Minor skills (no other Notable prerequisites).
Caster Weapon/Martial Weapon: Two independent Weapon categories (for casters and melee/bow builds respectively), both requiring the Armour Notable to be unlocked first.
Jewellery: The final Notable category, only unlockable after choosing either a Caster Weapon or Martial Weapon Notable.
Each category offers 5-6 Notable options, and players can only select one Notable per category (Armour → Weapon → Jewellery) to create their unique Reliquarian build combination.
PoE 3.28 Reliquarian Unique Node Mods & Best Uses/Builds
All Reliquarian Notable nodes are based on classic PoE Unique items, with confirmed effects and clear applicable build types for the 3.28 Mirage League. The following is a complete list of all usable nodes, with detailed modifiers and the best matching builds for each category.
1. Armour Category (First Selection)
| Node Name | Exact Modifiers | Best For Builds |
|---|---|---|
| Kiloava's Bluster | 25% chance to avoid elemental ailments; 40% chance for elemental resistances to count as 90% against enemy hits | All builds, especially elemental damage or low-resistance builds—massive elemental survivability |
| Victario's Influence | 15% increased reservation efficiency of all skills; +2 to the level of all aura skill gems | Aura stackers, lightning stackers, holy aura builds (3.28 new holy skills)—the most versatile and powerful Armour node |
| Maw of Conquest | Unaffected by poison; 40% of all damage taken recoups as life | Melee damage builds, poison-resistant defensive builds |
| Veruso's Ambition | Enemies display their monster category; Ravenous skill (15% more damage/+15% less damage vs specific monster types); chaos resistance + movement speed | General defensive builds, monster category-focused farming builds |
| Brass Dome | +3% to all maximum elemental resistances; strength grants no life bonus; no energy shield; body armor armour doubled; takes no extra damage from critical strikes | Armour stacking tank builds—synergize perfectly with the Brass Dome Unique body armor |
2. Caster Weapon Category (For Spell/Caster Builds)
| Node Name | Exact Modifiers | Best For Builds |
|---|---|---|
| Maata's Teachings | Minions' base attack critical strike chance equals your main hand weapon’s crit chance | Minion builds (skeletons, golems, 3.28 holy armaments)—scales minion crit with your weapon |
| The Burden of Shadows | Spells deal added chaos damage equal to 5% of your maximum life | Life-stacking chaos caster builds—can pair with Wrath Globe (unlike the original Unique staff) |
| Cybil's Paw | 20 life per enemy hit with spells; 8% increased spell damage per 5% attack block chance | Low-tier spell builds, beginner caster setups (the weakest Caster Weapon node) |
| Cadigan's Authority | +3 to the maximum number of summon totems; cannot have more than 2 totems of the same type | Totem spell builds—requires creative multi-totem skill combinations |
| Replica Heartbreaker | 60% chance to impale on spell hit | Spell impale builds—can stack with the original Replica Heartbreaker for 100% spell impale chance |
| Mystic Refractor | Spells fire 2 additional projectiles; projectiles cannot continue after colliding with targets | Spell projectile builds (Pyroclast Mines, Forbidden Rite)—the best Caster Weapon node for 3.28 |
3. Martial Weapon Category (For Melee/Bow Builds)
| Node Name | Exact Modifiers | Best For Builds |
|---|---|---|
| Widowhail | 75% increased bonuses gained from the equipped quiver | Bow builds—stacks with the original Widowhail for 325% total quiver bonus |
| Jack, the Axe | Grants level 30 Thirst for Blood (bleed damage bonus + life reservation) | Bleed melee builds, two-handed axe setups—better than the original level 20 Thirst for Blood |
| Grace of the Goddess | +2 to the level of all Sacred Wisp skill gems | Wand builds, Sacred Wisp-focused caster/melee hybrid builds |
| Kitava's Feast | Melee strike skills deal splash damage; life recovery on kill; enemies killed by hits are destroyed | Melee clear builds—defensive anti-corpse detonation, no need for splash damage support gems |
| Terminus Est | Gain a frenzy charge on critical strike; +10% movement speed | Flicker Strike builds—the meta Martial Weapon node for 3.28 melee clear |
| Beltimber Blade | 80% increased evasion while moving; skills fire 2 additional projectiles if a movement skill is used recently | Evasion melee/ranged builds—stacks with the original Bell Timber Blade for 4 extra projectiles |
4. Jewellery Category (Final Selection)
| Node Name | Exact Modifiers | Best For Builds |
|---|---|---|
| Astramentis | +60 to all Attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence) | All Scion builds—solve the Scion’s biggest pain point of gear/gem attribute requirements |
| Astral Projector | Nova spells cast at the targeted location (not around you); 25% increased spell area of effect | Nova spell builds (Pyroclast Mines, holy nova)—far better than the original Astral Projector (no -20% AoE penalty) |
| Prospero's Protection | Shield armour doubled; +10% attack block chance; no armour from equipped body armor | Shield stacker builds—synergizes with armour-free body armors (e.g., Dada's Temperance) |
| The Burden of Truth | 33% non-chaos damage bypasses energy shield; 33% chaos damage does not bypass ES; +10% max life as extra max ES | Hybrid ES/life caster builds—strong defensive node with ES/life synergy |
| Warped Timepiece | Debuffs on you expire 100% faster | All builds, especially debuff-vulnerable setups—frees up the amulet slot (no need for the original Warped Timepiece) |
| Tear of Purity | Grants level 30 Purity of Elements; 100% increased mana reservation efficiency for Purity of Elements | Elemental ailment immune builds—level 30 Purity grants 41% all elemental resistances (25% mana reservation only) |
PoE 3.28 Reliquarian Ascendancy Leveling Guide
The Reliquarian is a beginner-friendly Ascendancy for the Scion, but its 8-point ascendancy progression and path choice can be confusing for new players. Below are step-by-step leveling tips with no unnecessary currency investment, optimized for the 3.28 Mirage League and suitable for all build types.
1. Lab Progression & Early Node Choice (Level 1–70)
First Lab: Only gain 2 passive skill points (no node unlock)—invest these points in the Scion’s core passive tree (e.g., spell damage, melee damage, life/resistance nodes).
Second Lab: Unlock the Armour category—prioritize Victario's Influence or Brass Dome (the two strongest Armour nodes). Victario's Influence is the best choice for 90% of builds (aura reservation + aura level bonus for all setups), while Brass Dome is for armour stacker tank builds.
Third Lab: Unlock the Weapon category—choose a Caster/Martial Weapon node matching your build (e.g., Mystic Refractor for Pyroclast Mines, Terminus Est for Flicker Strike). Avoid weak nodes like Cybil's Paw and Cadigan's Authority for leveling.
Uber Lab: Unlock the Jewellery category—select a practical early node (e.g., Astral Projector for nova spells, Warped Timepiece for debuff protection).
2. Leveling Skill & Gear Tips
Leveling Skills: Start with Rolling Magma (Level 1–28), then switch to Firestorm (Level 28–Cruel Lab). After unlocking the Reliquarian’s core nodes (Cruel Lab+), swap to your endgame skill (e.g., Pyroclast Mines, Flicker Strike, holy nova).
Starter Gear: Use cheap rare gear or classic leveling uniques (Tabula Rasa, Wanderlust) for leveling—no need to equip the original Unique item for any Reliquarian node (the node itself replicates the effect).
Passive Tree Investment: Prioritize life/resistance nodes and build-specific damage nodes (e.g., spell crit for casters, melee damage for warriors) in the Scion’s core tree. Ignore attribute nodes if you plan to select Astramentis in the Jewellery category later.
Aura Setup: For Victario's Influence users, run basic auras (Wrath, Determination) early—15% increased reservation efficiency lets you run 2+ auras with low mana investment.
3. Key 3.28 Synergy for Leveling
Leverage the 3.28 Mirage League’s new Cord Belt (can be anointed) for a secondary anoint on your character—this lets you get splash damage, aura bonus, or damage stats without investing passive points, perfect for filling leveling build gaps.
