That's at least what the latest expansion implies. Grinding Gear Games figured out ways for Path of exile currency players' behavior to impact the game's story. In the end, the players will continue to play Atlas maps throughout the game's endgame. If you do that for long enough, it's not surprising that people become insane. This is the reason behind the new bosses you'll see during this patch. They're not actually player characters who squandered endless PoE orbs, or that you could purchase them from p2pah.com however, they're similar to it.

Find out more regarding the new update!

The Conquerors who are the wanderers mentioned in the Atlas are becoming to be too powerful. While they created the space they found themselves in, they did not realize the changes they made. They are now threatening your life and the world that you reside in. They're currently trapped however, they'll be free very soon!

Five bosses that you must beat. Each will award you the Watchstone after being defeated. These stones can be used in order to gain access to new maps you can explore within the Atlas. You can even swap out buy POE currency the stones on the fly!