How Kulamac fits into Abyss & the Lightless in the new update, with corrected phrasing and structured lore notes.
Hello, welcome to another discussion on the second teaser for Path of Exile 2’s upcoming update, The Third Edict. This teaser is titled Cooler Mac Teaser 2.
“In the light, we burn. In the dark, we thrive.” From that teaser, any Path of Exile player is going to recognize the color scheme and the words as Abyss. This is almost definitely going to be Abyss coming to Path of Exile 2 in some form. The black, gray, and green color scheme and the words thriving in the darkness and burning in the light are consistent with Abyss themes.
This is a strong representation of what is known about the Lightless or the Abyssal creatures that exist in the depths of Wraeclast. But how exactly does Kulamac fit into this?
Not much is known about what Kulamac is. Only small tidbits of information exist about that entity. The following sections piece together what is likely going on here.
The Winter of the World
Begin with a concise lore recap. Start with an event known as the Winter of the World, where volcanoes erupt and the skies of Wraeclast fill with fire and ash, completely covering the continent and shrouding it in darkness.
This creates a winter that is cold and dark and lasts for a thousand years. At some point during that thousand years, likely earlier on, the Lightless come to the surface from underground, slaying the inhabitants of Wraeclast. This is primarily in the Vastiri region, but possibly in other areas as well.
The Primeval civilization is largely buried under ash, but a Primeval woman known as Akoya survives and flees. She later allies with the Maraketh Accara.
Key motifs
- Darkness
- Ash
- Primeval ruins
Factional shifts
- Maraketh
- Accara
- Primeval remnant
Order of the Jin and the Third Pact
That group forms an order known as the Order of the Jin. The goal of the order is to seek out and secure powerful artifacts to seal them away from danger.
After the Lightless come to the surface, the Third Pact is created, uniting different races and groups that live in the Vastiri and beyond. This includes the Maraketh, the Sunclan (hyenas seen in Path of Exile 2), the Cabala clan (serpents seen in Path of Exile 2), the Titans, the Golems, and even Chayula as part of this pact.
The Lightless are a threat significant enough for all of these groups to form a temporary alliance against a common enemy. If they do not form the alliance, the Lightless will probably win and take over Wraeclast.
Alliance Member
Role in the Pact
Notes
Maraketh
Leadership and unification of tribes
Historic stewards of Vastiri.
Sunclan (Hyenas)
Frontline skirmish and scouting
Rapid flanking and pursuit.
Cabala (Serpents)
Tactical strikes and venom arts
Ambush and attrition play.
Titans & Golems
Siege and bulwark forces
Hold lines vs. Lightless swarms.
Chayula
Nightmare might within the pact
Power bargained for survival.
The Sisters and the End of Winter
Further on, three sisters are able to end the winter. The sisters are known as Cerei, Landara, and a third unknown figure. They unite the scattered Maraketh tribes and use the essence of gold and silver to clear the skies, ending the winter and driving the Lightless back underground.
Flavor texts from Heist and elsewhere suggest that the three sisters are Solaris, Lunaris, and Viridi. During this period and long after, the Order of the Jin remains secret from the majority of civilization, operating in the shadows.
They continue to secure artifacts and keep them from getting into the wrong hands. However, one of the members of the order is Janus Perandus. At the command of Catarina, he betrays the order, leading to the death of all members except for Jun and Janus. Catarina then obtains the Horns of Kulamac, having Janus steal them from the Order of the Jin’s forbidden vault.
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Horns of Kulamac and the Immortal Syndicate
With the Horns, Catarina is able to form the Immortal Syndicate, a new world order designed to be immune to the vulnerabilities of normal civilization, such as the death of leaders or other important personnel, due to the mysterious power of the Horns of Kulamac, which provide the ability to grant immortality or to completely steal the life force of an entity.
Dialogue from Jun provides more detail: “Catarina has obtained the Horns of Kulamac, an artifact capable of shifting the very energies of life freely. She sought power, not just magical, but political power. To be able to grant immortality is a powerful bargaining tool indeed. There is a reason my order hid the Horns for so long. We believed the Horns to be the ultimate tool of life and death, capable of siphoning the very breath of life from any living thing. We do not know where it came from. Perhaps the remains of a powerful long-dead animal. Perhaps a creation of the gods themselves. Regardless of its provenance, I believe the Horns are what have given the Immortal Syndicate their ability to return from the dead unscathed.”
Further dialogue: “My people were long ago tasked with protecting the people of Wraeclast from themselves. Many artifacts of great power exist, but there are some artifacts whose power is so great that to use them would put the world in jeopardy. Artifacts like the Horns of Kulamac. We, the Order of the Jin, existed to keep such power sealed away in secret. Better that the world forget that it and we exist than fight for control of a power they have no hope of controlling.”
The Cane of Kulamac, also used by Catarina, bears the flavor text “Stolen power is still power,” referring to Janus stealing the Horns from his order and giving them to Catarina, forming the basis of the Immortal Syndicate.
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How the Order Held the Horns
How exactly did the Order of the Jin come into possession of the Horns of Kulamac? It likely happened at some point during the Winter of the World, which suggests that Kulamac has some relation to the Lightless or the Abyssals.
Kulamac could be a Lightless Lich. However, it is possible and perhaps more likely that Kulamac is a different creature entirely and the Lightless worship this entity. Perhaps Kulamac is the one that gave them their powers.
If Kulamac empowered the Lightless, the Horns function as a portable axis of life-force manipulation, aligning with Abyssal motifs of siphoning and rebirth.
Katarina and the Lightless Liches
The Tier 17 Ziggurat map features the Uber Katarina boss. In that fight, Katarina summons three notable Lightless Liches: Kirgle the Blackblooded, Olman, Sovereign of the Well, and Amanu, Legate of the Lightless. It is interesting that Catarina summons these creatures.
With the Horns of Kulamac, Catarina may be able to command them. This would suggest that the Horns—and Kulamac—are bound to a hierarchy that the Lightless follow.
The first teaser image for this patch contains deciphered symbols: “well,” and further down, “noble,” “highborn,” and “king,” all crossed out, with “sovereign” as a suitable alternative. One of the Abyssal Liches is the Sovereign of the Well, which fits with those words. There is also “winter,” referring to the Winter of the World, and “beginning” and “birth,” likely pointing to Kulamac’s life-shaping power.
Created Not Born
Zarka in Path of Exile 2 Act 2, on the Vast Plains: “These fair plains became barren and lightless, a time those generations called the Winter of the World. A thousand years of ice brought hardship and suffering. But that was only the beginning. To the south, the foreign tyrant Ahn fell, and horrible creatures flooded forth under this darkness, seemingly born of bone and blood and foul magic.”
Flavor text on the Sculpted Suffering unique mace: “The Abyssals were created, not born. And every moment in the light was agony.”
Who created the Abyssals, also known as the Lightless? That could be Kulamac, supporting the idea that Kulamac is not Lightless but a godlike entity or something with real power. It is likely that Kulamac will appear in 0.3 as part of the Abyss mechanic being implemented into Path of Exile 2, possibly as the pinnacle boss for the Abyss league mechanic.
“Created, not born” implies deliberate artifice. Exposure to light during their making could explain the agony motif and strengthen the non-Lightless nature of Kulamac.
Mechanics and Expectations
The line “every moment in the light was agony” suggests that the Lightless were created in the light, or at least exposed to the light during their creation. This may reinforce the idea that Kulamac is not bound to light and dark in the same way. The Lightless could be a failed creation, or they required exposure to the light in order to become one with the darkness.
Abyss is expected to make its way into Path of Exile 2. The winding Abyss-chase mechanic from Path of Exile 1 may not return due to backtracking and movement constraints in Path of Exile 2, but that remains to be seen.
There are three days to go for the full reveal. Unlike 0.2 where full patch notes arrived close to patch time due to data-mined gem info, the 0.3 patch notes will be released immediately following the Q&A with ZiggyD, allowing a thorough readthrough well before release.