← All briefs
BUILDKIT BRIEF · GROUNDED

BuildKit Brief — Gaming & Tech — September 17, 2026

What changed this cycle across the games worth your time. Every claim sourced.

14 grounded updates·Sep 17, 2026

Every claim is sourced. Every item below is tied to a primary source with a freshness stamp. Rumors are labelled and never appear in the public edition. If we could not verify it, we did not publish it.

🔱Path of Exile 2

Your main ARPG. League state + balance patches move your build.

NEWS confirmed

Fan Art Competition Runners-Up

Last week, we announced the winners of our Fan Art Competition. Today, we'd like to announce and highlight the runners-up. Congratulations and thanks to everyone who participated in this competition! Click here to check out the runners-up!

Path of Exile 2 — Official·Sep 14·published=2026-09-14T00:32:55Z
NEWS confirmed

Introducing the Spirit Warden & Seer of the Maji Microtransactions

The Legends of Wraeclast: Spirit Warden Bundle and the Seer of the Maji microtransactions are now available! Commune with sacred Spirits and become their Warden, or channel the ancient rites. Legends of Wraeclast - Spirit Warden Walk with the Spirit. Hear its whispers. Become its vessel.

Path of Exile 2 — Official·Sep 11·published=2026-09-11T03:15:50Z
NEWS confirmed

Fan Art Competition Winners

Our Fan Art Competition concluded last week, with more than 150 Exiles submitting artwork inspired by the latest Path of Exile and Path of Exile 2 content expansions. With the help of our art team, we’ve selected the winners and are now ready to announce them!

Path of Exile 2 — Official·Sep 8·published=2026-09-08T22:12:59Z

⚔️Path of Exile

PoE1 events + league cycle (separate game from PoE2).

EVENT confirmed

The Third Path of Exile 1 ExileCon Qualifier Begins Tomorrow - Earn Twitch Drops

Catch the third ExileCon Path of Exile 1 Qualifier tomorrow at 2 PM PDT on September 17, at Earn the Darkshard Helmet Attachment by watching the official broadcast or any Path of Exile 1 stream for 30 minutes.

Path of Exile — Official·Sep 16·published=2026-09-16T21:15:24Z
NEWS confirmed

Fan Art Competition Runners-Up

Last week, we announced the winners of our Fan Art Competition. Today, we'd like to announce and highlight the runners-up. Congratulations and thanks to everyone who participated in this competition! Click here to check out the runners-up!

Path of Exile — Official·Sep 14·published=2026-09-14T00:32:50Z
EVENT confirmed

The Path of Exile 1 ExileCon Qualifier #2 Has Begun!

The second Path of Exile 1 ExileCon Qualifier is now underway! Who will join allexpleblord at ExileCon 2026 and earn their spot at the offline competition taking place in November? Catch all the action live at Twitch Drops are now available for 24 hours, until 2 PM PDT on September 11th.

Path of Exile — Official·Sep 10·published=2026-09-10T21:00:58Z
STATUS confirmed

League check: Allflame is live

Current PoE1 challenge league: **Allflame**. Started Jul 24, 2026.

🔫Counter-Strike 2

Updates, map/economy changes, and the pro circuit.

PATCH confirmed

Counter-Strike 2 Update

Cache Fixed various gaps in map. Fixed a wallbang spot on B site. Added a missing competitive CT spawn point. Added additional T spawn points. Reworked CSPlayerCamera: Renamed it to CustomPlayerCamera. Added GetPlayer, GetMode, SetMode, and SetFollowConfig.

  • Fixed various gaps in map.
  • Fixed a wallbang spot on B site.
  • Added a missing competitive CT spawn point.
  • Added additional T spawn points.
  • Reworked CSPlayerCamera:
  • Renamed it to CustomPlayerCamera.
Counter-Strike 2 — Official·Sep 9·published=2026-09-09T22:51:08Z

🕵️Deadlock

Valve's hero shooter — patch cadence + hero balance.

PATCH confirmed

Minor Update - 09-16-2026

- Unstable Rift comeback resist max values now scale over the course of the game. Previously the max values were 35%.

Deadlock — Official·Sep 16·published=2026-09-16T20:16:43Z
PATCH confirmed

Valve's nerf-happy new Deadlock update makes it harder to turn games around

Valve has just dropped a new Deadlock update ahead of its anticipated major overhaul, and it's filled with item nerfs and hero balancing. Read the full story on PCGamesN: Valve's nerf-happy new Deadlock update makes it harder to turn games around

Deadlock — PCGamesN·Sep 17·published=2026-09-17T10:28:23Z
NEWS confirmed

There's a new Deadlock mod that syncs your gameplay with your vibrator. You're welcome, I think

A new Deadlock mod syncs your deaths and kills with your vibrator. Great if you're good or bad at the game, albeit potentially too good. Read the full story on PCGamesN: There's a new Deadlock mod that syncs your gameplay with your vibrator. You're welcome, I think

Deadlock — PCGamesN·Sep 1·published=2026-09-01T11:09:07Z

🗺️Hearts of Iron IV

Grand strategy — dev diaries + version betas.

PATCH confirmed

HOI IV | Patch 1.19.3

Generals! With the weather becoming more gloomy and the summer on its way out, we bring the last “Summer” release. This will be the last patch that specifically targets Thunder at our Gates and brings a few additional pieces of content for the countries that were introduced with it.

  • Add a tracking of total participation in a combat to award HQ capture to the most participating country.
  • Halved supply usage for light/medium/heavy armored HQ's.
  • Added supply usage to motorized army HQ battalions.
  • SIA: Removed Production Efficiency Cap from Agrarian Economical Policy.
  • SIA: Removed Research Speed and Factory Output from The Army of Siam.
  • AST: Stretch the Fleet, Battle of the Ocean, Workers Educational Association and Equal Pay reduced to 35 days.
Hearts of Iron IV — Official·Sep 17·patch=1.19.3
NEWS confirmed

HOI IV Dev Corner | One if by Land, Two if by Sea, Three if by…Air?

Hi all, and welcome to the next installment of our 2026 Dev Corners. Your feedback on ideas in early development, including my prior ones on army quality and airborne troops, is very helpful to us. I hope I can benefit from your input once more.

  • What are the limitations of the current system of air transport wings, and how they deliver airborne troops and supplies?
  • How would you feel about not having to control all transport wings manually, and if they were more abstracted at a national level similar to naval convoys, d…
  • Would it be interesting for you if there was a more specific, point-to-point connection between two airfields you controlled, that would allow air transport…
  • Would using airborne troops Crete-style, to capture and hold an enemy airfield to use as a base of replenishment and remove the vulnerability of operating en…
Hearts of Iron IV — Official·Sep 15·published=2026-09-15T13:04:38Z
NEWS confirmed

HOI IV Dev Corner | Industrial Might & Military Production

Generals! Welcome to an additional Dev Corner on Military Production. Hello, I am Zwirbaum, Game Designer for Hearts of Iron, and welcome to this Dev Corner about Industry. This is a follow-up to the Military Production Dev Corner since you had a lot of feedback around it.

Hearts of Iron IV — Official·Sep 8·published=2026-09-08T13:03:33Z

🖥️PC Hardware & Your Wishlist

Part-price drops on your wishlist + hardware moves. Deep specs live on PC Bottleneck (we link, never duplicate).

No confirmed changes this cycle. Hardware deep-dives live on PC Bottleneck .

← Back to all briefs