During the latest developer livestream focusing on Path of Exile, developer Grinding Gear Games showcased the next expansion coming to the online free-to-play action-RPG, known as Ultimatum. In the upcoming update, coming to PC on April 16 (with console launch the week after), a new league event will let you jump into a challenging activity that focuses on wave-based encounters for rare loot.

The Ultimatum expansion centers on the new NPC named the Trialmaster, who comes from the Vaal civilization. Upon meeting him in Act 2, you can engage in a new trial event, which appears sporadically across Path of Exile's maps, that tasks you with facing off against waves of monsters. After specific intervals, you're given a unique reward and the offer to continue fighting. Choosing to take the prize from your completed fights will end the trial, but pressing forward with the trial will lead to tougher battles for better rewards.

During a preview for the latest on Path of Exile, Grinding Gear Games studio head Chris Wilson explained some of the newest content and the other updates coming to existing content. The Trials in the Ultimatum expansion offer some easy rewards initially. Still, if you push yourself too far into the activity, you'll run the risk of losing your haul of rare loot. If you fail to complete the trial, you'll lose all the special rewards acquired from the challenge's various milestones. Trials can last up to 10 different milestones, with each becoming more difficult than the last.