Races

Races are events where players compete in a special league to win prizes. With duration ranging from twelve minutes to one month, they allow players to demonstrate mastery of the game. The goal is to accumulate the highest amount of experience possible within the time limit, starting with a new character and an empty stash. Many races have special modifications, such as preventing players from making parties or increasing monster damage.

Races are no longer regular events of the game. GGG has special races near the end of some leagues, such as Legacy (version 2.6), Harbinger (version 3.0) and Heist (version 3.12; Mayhem and Endless Delve events)

Flashback events are also held during Bestiary, Incursion, Synthesis and Heist leagues. Flashback events are counted as race for the purpose of the achievement.

Seasons
Races are divided into seasons, each lasting around six weeks. Every season has its own leaderboard and a special set of alternate art item prizes.
 * Race season 1 ran from February 23rd to April 7th, 2013 with a total of 109 events.
 * Race season 2 ran from April 20th to June 6th, 2013 with a total of 260 events.
 * Race season 3 ran from June 29th to August 11th, 2013 with a total of 161 events.
 * Race season 4 ran from August 31st to October 13th, 2013 with a total of 162 events.
 * Race season 5 ran from November 16th to December 29th, 2013 with a total of 160 events.
 * Race season 6 ran from January 11th to February 23rd, 2014 with a total of 177 events.
 * Race season 7 ran from March 29th to May 11th, 2014 with a total of 190 events.
 * Race season 8 ran from June 7th to July 20th, 2014 with a total of 190 events.
 * Race season 9 ran from October 25th to November 21st, 2014 with a total of 120 events.
 * Race season 10 ran from December 23th to January 19th, 2015 with a total of 120 events.
 * Race season 11 ran from February 15th to March 14th, 2015 with a total of 120 events.
 * Emberwake race season (Season 12) ran from July 24th to August 20th, 2015 with a total of 120 events.
 * Bloodgrip race season (Season 13) ran from September 4th to October 1st, 2015 with a total of 120 events.
 * Soulthirst race season (Season 14) ran from November 6th to December 3rd, 2015 with a total of 155 events.
 * Winterheart race season (Season 15) ran from January 29th to February 25, 2016 with a total of 155 events.
 * Medallion race season (Season 16) ran from July 23rd to August 19, 2016 with a total of 125 events.

There are sometimes test races which are not part of a season and have less, or no, rewards. There was a series of 46 such races between seasons 1 and 2.

Rewards
Players are ranked on the season ladder by their accumulated reward points from races. Information about future races can be found on the main PoE site.

Reward points are awarded for the following:
 * Ending among the highest characters ranked by experience. Typically the top 20 characters of each class earn points, with higher ranks earning more. You must be alive at the end of the race.
 * Reaching one of the level goals. Depending on the duration, reaching level X might award Y points. You must be alive at the end of the race.
 * Being the first player to finish a certain quest.
 * Being the first player to kill all monsters in a certain area.

In some races, first-place characters of each class receive a prize, a custom or unique item. Some races also have a random drawing for items, with each reward point you earn counting as a ticket. Finally, earning certain amounts of reward points over an entire season gives items.

The results for each race are posted at poestatistics.com along with the season ladder.

Race modifiers
Race modifiers add special rules to a race, usually making the game harder in some way. Generally the name of a race event will include in it the length of the race, whether the race allows partying, and what modifiers it includes.

Combined Modifiers
Races can have multiple modifiers applying their effects to the race. Some common combinations are given their own acronym:


 * BLAMT: Blood Magic, Lethal, Ancestral, Multiple Projectile and Turbo.


 * ELBLAMT: An Endless Ledge race with BLAMT.


 * FBLAMT: Fracturing, Blood Magic, Lethal, Ancestral, Multiple Projecile and Turbo.

Special Races
There are 4 special types of race that do not occur in the regular areas of Wraeclast. These do not have the usual towns, quests or stashes, but instead have their own custom areas and special chests to provide basic equipment and skill gems. Special races parent to void league, effectively deleting characters on the conclusion of the race, so special races can have different drop rates of item such as rare currency without affecting the main leagues.
 * Descent
 * Descent: Champions
 * Endless Ledge
 * Endless Delve

While Mayhem race league did use the regular areas of Wraeclast, but the area has one additional area modifiers that greatly increase the difficulty of the area.