Yesterday we revealed the details of our September expansion, Path of Exile: Heist. We've gathered the answers to the most commonly asked questions and put them into one place for you to peruse.

Before you dive in, we wanted to announce that this Thursday at 3pm (PDT) we'll also be participating in an AMA on /r/games to talk about all things Heist and the process of making Path of Exile. Come join us!

Where do you get Markers, Contracts and Blueprints from?

All three drop from monsters throughout the world, including in Delves and the Labyrinth. You can also get Blueprints (Grand Heists) from Contracts (Heists). If you successfully complete a Heist and turn in the Artifact, you'll also receive a sum of Markers greater than you paid to run the Heist.

What do Artifacts do?

Artifacts are the main objective from a (non-Grand) Heist. The Artifact you're seeking will be shown on the contract before the Heist commences. If you complete the Heist successfully with Artifact in hand, you can turn it into Faustus, the Fence at the Rogue Harbour in exchange for a sum of markers greater than you paid to run the Heist. Artifacts do not have any other gameplay function.

What's the difference between a Contract and Blueprint?

Contracts are needed to run Heists and Blueprints are needed to run Grand Heists.

To run a Contract, you'll need to take it to Adiyah, the Wayfinder in the Rogue Harbour. You'll pay her a sum of markers to arrange the Heist, allow you to select which specialised Rogue you'd like to take with you and handle transportation. Contracts can be crafted, if desired, to increase their difficulty and reward, much like maps.

To run a Grand Heist, you'll need to pay Whakano, the Barber in markers for the intel he's received from your earlier Heists. This intel can reveal escape routes, reward rooms and more. Reveal as much as you desire (or as much as you can afford) and then take the Blueprint to the Planning Room in the Rogue Harbour, where Kurai, the Administrator will help you arrange which NPC's you'd like to take with you and confirm the Blueprint. At this point, you can either trade the Blueprint to another player if you'd like, or take it to Adiyah to arrange transportation and begin the Grand Heist.

There are some gameplay differences between Contracts and Blueprints but the main difference is that Contracts lay the groundwork for Grand Heists and yield Markers and other regular Path of Exile items as rewards, while Grand Heists yield exclusive rewards. These can include Trinkets, Alternate Quality Gems, Rare Body Armour and Weapons with enchantments, Experimented Base Types and Replica Unique items.

What actions affect the alert level?

Alert level is affected by killing guards, opening reward chests, opening side passages and some Rogues when performing their specialised skills. Killing enemies has a small effect on the alert level, while opening side passages and chests can result in larger increases. This means that the main thing you'll need to consider is how much loot you'll want to gather before you reach the Artifact. We have intentionally designed the league so that you can still kill a lot of monsters and earn a lot of items without worrying about this too much.

How much emphasis is put on moving stealthily?

You can move through the Heist at a relatively normal pace, but once you start nearing the alert level cap you might want to consider sneaking past some guards in order to avoid triggering the alarm. The main thing you'll need to consider in regards to alert level is how many reward chests you'll want to open on the way to the Artifact. Are more rewards worth risking blowing your cover for?

What happens when you reach maximum alert level?

When you reach the maximum alert level, you'll trigger the alarm. You'll have a brief window to steal as much as you can, including the Artifact if you're close enough, before the facility goes into lockdown and you're swarmed by guards. When the facility is in lockdown you can't steal anything else. You can still escape with the goods you already have if you can fight your way through the guards.

If you didn't manage to get the Artifact but still managed to escape, then you won't be able to turn a profit on your markers but you'll still get to keep the other goods you stole. You also won't gain any experience on your Rogue Skill or gather intel for revealing portions of Grand Heists.

If you just want regular Path of Exile items and don't want to engage heavily in running Heists, it's a viable strategy to simply begin the Heist, steal as much as you can until you reach the alert level cap and then make your escape.

Note that when you steal the Artifact, you'll automatically trigger the alarm.

Can I still get the Artifact if I cap the alert level?

When you trigger the alarm, you'll have a short window to continue stealing things before the facility goes into lockdown. If you're close enough to the Artifact, this means that you can still grab it before lockdown goes into full effect. There are also mechanisms in play that can extend or modify the amount of alert required to reach the maximum alert level.

How do minions affect your alert level?

Having a slew of minions potentially means that you'll aggro more guards than other builds would, meaning that you'll generate more alert level as you kill them. As mentioned above, killing guards raises the alert level by a relatively small amount compared to other actions during the Heist. Many guards are also positioned on the other sides of doors, letting you choose whether to aggro them or not even, regardless of whether you have minions.

Is the escape timed?

No. There's no timer on your way to the Artifact and no timer in your escape. The only element that includes a timer is that when the alarm has been triggered, a timer will start to let you know how much time you have left to collect loot before the facility goes into lockdown and you're swarmed by guards.

How do you fail at a Heist?

A Heist attempt is only considered a failure if you die after the lockdown and lose your contraband. If you die after the lockdown is in effect, you won't be able to return to the Heist and collect those items (but they can be collected by remaining party members). If you die prior to the lockdown, you can return to the Heist.

You can somewhat consider it a failed state if you don't reach the Artifact (because you can't turn it in for a profit, advance your Rogue's experience or gather intel from the Heist), but if you make it out, you will still get to keep your other rewards.

In a Grand Heist, each wing has its own alert level to manage, so if you fail at one wing you'll still be able to attempt the others. You can also Stash your items between wings to 'lock them in' in case you die in one of the other wings.

Can Guards capture me?

No, only kill you!

What is Contraband?

Items that you collect inside a Heist are considered contraband. It's an indicator to show you which items you'll lose if you die within the Heist. All items you manage to take with you will lose the Contraband indicator when you leave the Heist.

What is intel?

Intel is something that's gained automatically when you turn in Artifacts you've retrieved from Heists and is essential in the planning of Grand Heists. To use the intel that has been gathered from Heists you've run, simply take the Blueprint to Whakano, the Barber and pay him (in both intel and markers) to reveal parts of the Blueprint for you.

How much of a Blueprint do you have to reveal before you can run a Grand Heist?

You can completely skip revealing anything on the Blueprint and jump right to locking in which NPCs you'll take, but you'll miss out on a lot of the value of the Blueprint in doing so. You can unlock as much as you want or can afford. The more you unlock, the more you'll reap from your Grand Heist.

Can you tell what rewards you'll get before you run a Grand Heist?

A revealed Blueprint will indicate which rewards are available from Curio Displays but you won't be able to tell what rewards are in chests, lockers and side-rooms along the way.

What things should I pay attention to if I want to be successful at Heists?

Gather Markers. You'll get these from regular monsters throughout the game and from turning in Artifacts after you complete Heists. These are essential for paying Rogues to assist you with Heists, and to reveal details of a Blueprint for Grand Heists.

Completing Heists is also essential for gaining intel and increasing Rogue skill experience. These are also important for being able to run Grand Heists. Rogue skill experience improves their ability to perform certain tasks during Heists. Heists and Grand Heists also require Rogues with a specific level of skill in certain tasks.

When you plan Contracts and Blueprints, you'll have an interface which allows you to pick which Rogue has the appropriate skill level for the job required. This means you won't have to use your memory to know who is right for what job.

There are bonus things to consider, like using a Thief's Trinket to change which rewards you receive from a Heist or Rogue equipment to improve their skills, but they are not fundamental to your success.

The main thing you need to do is complete regular Heists by reaching the Artifact and turning it in for profit.

What are Thieves' Trinkets?

These are items you can find in Heists which use a new equipment slot. They effectively allow you to invest in Increasing or modifying the rewards from Heists without sacrificing an equipment slot from your build. They always drop corrupted so they can't be crafted. They only affect Heist-related drops and don't do anything outside of Heists.

How do I get to the Rogue Harbour?

Use a marker in town or in your Hideout.

Do I have to keep the Rogues alive?

No. Their skills can be interrupted by incoming attacks so it's good to keep killing guards before they begin, but you do not need to protect them.

Can I change how fast they perform their skills?

These are relatively quick by default to ensure smooth gameplay, but you can make it even faster by leveling their skills or equipping items to them that have the appropriate mods.

The speed at which Rogues perform their skills gets slower in harder (higher-level) Heists but gets faster as they level up and even faster as you improve their equipment, so it can end up overall faster than their base speed.

Do Rogues lose or reset their progress at any point?

They cannot lose progress or experience once they've gained it. There is no reset point.

Is my Heist intel and Rogue skill experience shared between my characters?

Yes, your Heist progress is shared by your characters in each league.

How many specialised Rogue skills are there?

There are thirteen different Rogues and nine different field skills.

How many skills do Rogues have?

Each Rogue has one main skill and up to three alternate skills. Their main skill is their speciality has a higher experience cap than their secondary skills. Some Rogues share their skills.

Do all three of a Rogue's skills gain experience when you complete a Heist?

No, just the skill they utilised on the Heist.

How many Rogues can come with you?

Only one Rogue can assist you on a Heist. In a Grand Heist you can have up to three Rogues per wing. If you pay to reveal elements of a Blueprint, you'll typically have several wings available to run.

Do I automatically have access to all Rogues?

When you first arrive at the Rogue harbour you'll have all the administrative Rogues and some of the active Rogues. The more you progress in Heist, the more Rogues will show up and be available to assist you.

How does party play work in Heists?

When you run a Heist in a party, multiple Artifacts will be available to steal, assigned to each party member. You'll also each gain intel and Rogue experience if you succeed at the Heist. Another benefit is that if you die and drop your contraband, your party member can collect it for you and then share it if they're nice.

You could even pool your intel resources by revealing part of the Blueprint and passing it to your party member to reveal even more of it.

Can I chain Heists/Are Heists Self-Sustaining?

You can store your contracts and save them up to binge Heists when you're ready. There's not a lot of value in hoarding low level Contracts as you'll out-level them, but you can also trade them to other players if you no longer need them.

If you trade for more Contracts, you can potentially run Heist content exclusively. You'll also acquire more Contracts and Blueprints from Heists.

How often will I complete a Heist or Grand Heist?

You'll have access to one Contract per area on average but the amount you get is affected by standard drop multipliers. You can get many per area in well-rolled maps. You'll access a Blueprint for a Grand Heist approximately once per act or around every 12 maps. It's a similar level of content access to Incursions and The Temple of Atzoatl, except you can wait and run them when you feel like it without losing progress.

Does Heist also introduce new bosses?

Yes, but we'll let you find out about them firsthand :)

Does Impending Doom work with Curses cast by Bane?

It currently doesn't but that's not 100% locked in.

Patch Notes When?

Tuesday 15 September (PDT), which is Wednesday 16 September (NZT)