ExileCon 2023: Delve League edition
The card game has run at both earlier ExileCons, 2019 and 2023. The 2023 edition had the Delve League active. A GGG staff member who worked on the game has said that the core rules are unchanged in 2026. This page records what 2023 looked like, for context and to explain some player advice.
Rules leaflet: 2023 vs 2026
Both leaflets share the same core rules: fighting staff in monster shirts, matching symbols, the number, the loadout and the two-Damage limit. The differences:
| Topic | 2023 (Delve League) | 2026 (Runes of Aldur League) |
|---|---|---|
| Jewellery | Amulet and ring symbols can count toward Attack or Defence. | Same, and it now says explicitly that all of a piece’s symbols go to the side you chose. |
| Crafting | Currency at the Crafting Bench on the top floor. | Currency at the Crafting Benches on the upper levels. Each item can have only one Quality or Rune. |
| Crafting tables | One, with very long queues | Three |
| Maps | Found by defeating Gods. Used at the Map Device against three random monsters. | Found from Act 4. Used at the Map Device against three random monsters. |
| League | Bring Sulphite to the Delve Wall and explore the Azurite Mine together. | Bring Logbooks to Expedition Island and explore together. |
| Monster shirts | Name, Attack, Defence | Name, Attack, Defence and act |
| Item bases | Path of Exile 1 bases | Path of Exile 2 bases |
How staff ran fights in 2023
Players shared photos of the sheets staff carried. Each sheet listed:
- the staff member, their location and their monster,
- the monster’s Attack and Defence,
- loot instructions, e.g. “Tier 5, 3 draw, 1 pick”, or “special” for bosses,
- durability instructions, e.g. “clip all items” or a fixed order in which to clip items.
Each loot deck contained an End of Deck card meant for staff only. The first time a staff member drew it, they clipped it and shuffled it back in. The second time, they fetched a fresh loot deck.
Delve
Delve fights were a gamble: you didn’t know what you’d face until you were in. Like maps, a loss there cost you something (your Sulphite). Players saw it as risky compared with farming known monsters.
Prizes
- 2019: the first five finishers got the last remaining DVDs of the game’s alpha and some other items.
- 2023: mirror pins were the top prize, and supply was limited. Players also recall a pin for the first 50 people to beat the big bosses.