Path of Exile's Mirage league (3.28) introduces one of the most loot-focused mechanics the game has seen in years. At its core, a Mirage is an alternate, slightly warped copy of the area you're currently in, complete with its own enemies, encounters, and a powerful Wish system that lets you target exactly the kind of loot you want. Whether you're farming currency, scarabs, or rare gear, understanding how to set up your Mirage before stepping inside is the difference between a mediocre map and an absolute windfall.
How Does the Mirage Mechanic Work?
When you encounter a captured Djinn in a zone, the Afarud, a faction of desert-dwelling necromancers, have imprisoned it inside an Astral Chain. Your job is to fight through their necromantic creations, reach the chain, and shatter it to free the Djinn. The gate you pass through to do this is the Mirage itself.
Here's what makes the Mirage so valuable: it copies almost everything present in your current area. If your map has Scarab modifiers, Atlas passives, or active league mechanics like Strongboxes, Abyss, Blight, or Legions, the Mirage copies them too. That means the item rarity and quantity modifiers you've already applied to your map carry directly into the Mirage.
What Gets Copied Into the Mirage?
Mirage encounters pull from whatever is active in the parent area. A few notable examples:
- Strongboxes appear fresh and ready to open inside the Mirage
- Blight lanes can be defended again, with one lane replaced by Afarud-infested enemies that can drop the new Cord Belt base type
- Legion encounters reset with potentially different factions than the original
- Ultimatum encounters gain new threatening modifiers like restless ground or quicksand, but reward the new Sinistral and Dextral Catalysts that boost Prefix or Suffix modifier effectiveness on jewellery
- Kalguuran Ore has a chance to become a Thaumaturgic Hourglass, which yields large amounts of Thaumaturgic Dust when mined
The copied mechanics can also be empowered, meaning they may include threats and rewards not available in the standard version of that encounter.
What Are Wishes and How Do You Get Them?
Before entering a Mirage, the ancient Maraketh sorceress Varashta presents you with a choice of three random Wishes from a pool of over 60 options. Each Wish applies a modifier to the Mirage area, ranging from flat loot bonuses to powerful player buffs to additional enemy spawns.
Each Wish also carries the sigil of one of three Djinn types: the Sand Djinn, Fire Djinn, or Water Djinn. The sigil determines which type of Djinn Coin (Coin of Knowledge, Coin of Power, or Coin of Skill) has a chance to drop from monsters inside that Mirage.
Varashta's three Wish choices
All Mirage Wishes
Here is every Wish currently available from Varashta, organized by effect type:
Loot and Currency Wishes
| Wish Name | Effect in Mirage |
|---|---|
| Wish for Wealth | 100% more Currency found |
| Wish for Foreknowledge | 100% more Divination Cards found |
| Wish for Horizons | 100% more Maps found |
| Wish for Scarabs | 80% more Scarabs found |
| Wish for Treasures | 80% increased Rarity of items found |
| Wish for Gold | 80% more Gold from slain enemies |
| Wish for Hordes | 20% increased Pack Size |
| Wish for Glyphs | Portal and Wisdom Scrolls drop as other Currencies instead |
| Wish for Trinkets (loot) | Jewellery drops as Jewels instead |
| Wish for Uncertainty | Area affected by 10 random Scarab modifiers |
| Wish for Prosperity | Additional Fountain of Wealth appears |
Astral Chain Completion Reward Wishes
These Wishes trigger a specific reward cache when you shatter the Astral Chain:
| Wish Name | Chain-Break Reward |
|---|---|
| Wish for Fortune | Cache of Currency |
| Wish for Skittering | Cache of Scarabs |
| Wish for Augury | Cache of Stacked Decks |
| Wish for Distant Horizons | Cache of Maps |
| Wish for Strange Horizons | A Unique Map |
| Wish for Binding | Orbs of Binding |
| Wish for Regency | Regal Orbs |
| Wish for Connections | Fusing or Jewellers Orbs |
| Wish for Mosaics | Chromatic Orbs |
| Wish for Ancient Protection | A Unique Armour |
| Wish for Ancient Armaments | A Unique Weapon |
| Wish for Ancient Curios | A Unique Jewellery item |
| Wish for Craftsmanship | A Five-Linked Body Armour |
| Wish for Eminence | An additional Unique Jewel |
| Wish for Swiftness | Rare Boots |
| Wish for Helms | Rare Helmets |
| Wish for Mitts | Rare Gloves |
| Wish for Protection | Rare Body Armours |
| Wish for Blades | Rare Melee Weapons |
| Wish for Missiles | Rare Ranged Weapons |
| Wish for Bastions | Rare Shields |
| Wish for Trinkets (gear) | Rare Jewellery |
Enemy and Encounter Modifier Wishes
| Wish Name | Effect in Mirage |
|---|---|
| Wish for Foes | Rare Monsters gain two additional modifiers |
| Wish for Rebirth | Monsters have a chance to revive when slain |
| Wish for Titans (small) | 1 additional pack of Atlas Bosses |
| Wish for Titans (large) | 3 additional packs of Atlas Bosses |
| Wish for Meddling | 12 additional packs of Astral monsters |
| Wish for Risk | 12 additional packs of difficult, rewarding monsters |
| Wish for Hindrance | Enemies are Chilled and Hindered |
| Wish for Pursuit | 4% chance for enemies to release a Golden Volatile on death |
| Wish for Avarice | Some packs replaced with monsters that convert Equipment to Gold |
| Wish for Betrayal | Some packs replaced with Syndicate members |
| Wish for Phantoms | Some packs replaced with monsters that cannot drop Equipment |
| Wish for Wisps | Enemies have a chance to be empowered by Wildwood Wisps |
| Wish for Croaks | Additional frogs appear in the area |
| Wish for Rust | Map Boss accompanied by Ridan, of the Afarud |
| Wish for Terror | Map Boss accompanied by a Pinnacle Atlas Boss from The Feared |
Unique Encounter and Reward Wishes
| Wish Name | Effect in Mirage |
|---|---|
| Wish for Troves | Additional Unique Strongbox appears |
| Wish for Glittering | Skill and Support Gems found have random Quality |
| Wish for Jewels (Bronze) | Additional Bronze Jewel Cache appears |
| Wish for Jewels (Silver) | Additional Silver Jewel Cache appears |
| Wish for Jewels (Golden) | Additional Golden Jewel Cache appears |
| Wish for Oases | Area has patches of Oasis Ground |
| Wish for Providence | The Nameless Seer appears on breaking the Astral Chain |
| Wish for Reflection | A Reflecting Mist appears on breaking the Astral Chain |
Player Power Wishes
| Wish Name | Effect in Mirage |
|---|---|
| Wish for Godhood | Players have Echoing Shrine and Divine Shrine |
| Wish for Knowledge | Players gain 50% increased Experience |
| Wish for Power | Enemies explode on death when slain by players |
| Wish for Momentum | Players have Onslaught and Adrenaline |
| Wish for Souls | Players have Soul Eater |
| Wish for Elements | Players have the Blessing of the Storm |
Miscellaneous Wishes
| Wish Name | Effect in Mirage |
|---|---|
| Wish for Fishes | Grants a Fishing Rod |
How to Juice Your Mirage Effectively
Because the Mirage inherits your map's existing modifiers, the foundation of good Mirage juicing starts before you even enter the area. Here's how to think about it:
What's the Best Strategy for Mirage Juicing?
- Stack item rarity and quantity on your map first. A map with 100% item rarity passes that bonus directly into the Mirage, so your Wish multipliers stack on top of an already-boosted base.
- Prioritize Wishes that match your farming goal. If you're targeting currency, Wish for Wealth (100% more Currency) or Wish for Glyphs (Portal and Wisdom Scrolls convert to other currencies) are strong picks. For endgame gear, Wish for Ancient Armaments or Wish for Ancient Protection guarantee Unique drops on chain-break.
- Wish for Uncertainty is a high-variance option that applies 10 random Scarab modifiers to the Mirage, which can produce spectacular results if the rolls land well.
- Wish for Risk or Wish for Meddling add 12 additional monster packs, which is excellent if your build can handle the density and you want raw volume of drops.
- Avoid Wish for Phantoms unless you specifically want a cleaner run, as those packs cannot drop Equipment at all.
The Wish selection is random across the three options offered, so there is no way to directly manipulate which Wishes appear. However, evidence from the campaign suggests that Wish weighting is tied to area difficulty, with more powerful Wishes appearing more frequently in higher-level endgame content.
