Exploration often requires giving up part of yourself. We call it growth. In the case of a particular Path of Exile 2 player, it meant losing his level 100 character after weeks of grinding, but the reward is being part of the game's history.
The action RPG's latest update, Return of the Ancients, contains several enigmas, one of which is a strange chamber in an otherwise empty room. Examining it prompts a request to "Become the Martyr of the first Edict," with the warning that your hero would be erased by doing so.
That's alarming. As spotted by PC Gamer, Path of Exile 2 streamer and YouTuber Carn, who invested hours upon hours to get his main to level 100, eventually decided to give it a go, in the name of science. "Your strength is unquestioned. Your resolve, unbreakable. Are you ready, Martyr?" reads the dialog box.
Carn hits "Enter," and his hero climbs in. The silo lowers, and his screen fades into white. Then, he's back at the character creation menu. The protagonist he sent away appears to be there, but they can't be selected any more. They're now ranked as the "First Edict" as well.
Investigating further, he grabs another of his characters, and heads back to the same spot. There are no signs this was ever any kind of sacrificial area. Instead, there's a glowing orb, where you can, "Claim a Mote of the Martyr's Power." Doing so grants the character an extra skill point.
He tries with another warrior, and the same thing happens. It turns out, he literally sacrificed his level 100 knight for the greater good, because everyone who touches the light after gets a free skill point. But: he's in Solo Self-Found, and only those in the same lane can enjoy this reward. Those in the regular multiplayer needed to see who'd step up to be their martyr.
Thankfully, they weren't waiting long before a fan known as ResurrectGodAura took the hit, giving everyone their free skill point.
"You shall now refer to me as the Martyr of the First Edict," Carn proclaims on his stream. "I saved you all."
This is just one of the things added in Path of Exile 2's huge new Return of the Ancients update, which has been extremely popular despite a buggy launch. With cool secrets like this, you can understand why.
