Every area has a coven cauldron. Defeat the Coven Queen’s coven at its rite and you choose a Fate; invoke up to three Fates on the area’s boss, and each one makes the fight harder and adds a reward: currency, gear, uniques or maps. Some combinations pay extra, such as a unique Basalt Flask for one pair and an exceptional support gem for a set of three.
Fate-empowered bosses drop Viscera trophies, which are impaled on the Wickerman for permanent character buffs in four slots and three tiers. At higher Atlas tiers Grim Fates make the pinnacle fights harder and drop Pinnacle Viscera, and beating them is the only way to the final boss, the Coven Queen. Sources: Grinding Gear Games’ ExileCon 2026 announcements thread, and the keynote coverage by OutputLag and PCGamesN.