Path of Exile 2 Endgame: A Deep Dive into Rituals
Path of Exile 2 introduces four major endgame map events: Breaches, Expeditions, Delirium, and Rituals. Rituals, inspired by the original Path of Exile's Ritual League, offer a unique endgame experience. This guide details how to initiate Ritual events, understand their mechanics, utilize the Ritual Passive Skill Tree, conquer the Pinnacle boss, and maximize rewards from the Tribute and Favour system.
Understanding Rituals and Altars
On the Atlas, Ritual Altar map nodes are marked with a distinct red pentagram icon. A Ritual Precursor Tablet, slotted into a completed Lost Tower, guarantees a Ritual encounter on a chosen node.
Entering a Ritual map spawns multiple Altars. Each map features a shared random modifier affecting enemy types and mechanics. These modifiers might introduce massive rat swarms or life-draining pools of blood.
Locate an Altar, examine its modifiers, and interact to initiate a challenging enemy wave. Remain within the designated circle; venturing into the shadows ends the event without reward. Complete all Rituals on a map to mark it as finished.
Conquering the Pinnacle Boss: The King in the Mists
The 'An Audience With The King' currency, obtained through Favours, unlocks access to The Crux Of Nothingness and the King in the Mists Pinnacle Boss fight. This boss shares mechanics with the Act 1 Cruel version found in Freythorn (useful for practice).
Victory rewards two Ritual Passive Skill points, a chance at event-exclusive Uniques, powerful Currencies, and Omen items.
Mastering the Ritual Passive Skill Tree
The Ritual Passive Skill Tree, accessed via the Atlas map, enhances Ritual events. Nodes modify Tribute requirements, improve rewards, and boost Unique Currency drop rates.
The tree features eight Notable nodes and eight difficulty-increasing nodes for the King in the Mists. Defeating the King in the Mists grants two skill points, necessitating increased boss difficulty with each new Notable node.
Prioritize 'From The Mists', 'Spreading Darkness', and 'Ominous Portents' for optimal reward increases. 'Tempting Offers' and 'He Approaches' follow, boosting high-value Omen and 'An Audience With The King' chances. The table below summarizes Notable nodes and their effects:
| Notable Delirium Passive | Effect | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Promised Devotion | 25% increased Altar skill damage; 50% less Tribute and faster Favour appearance for Deferring Favours. | N/A |
| From The Mists | Two extra enemy packs in Rituals. | N/A |
| Reinvigorated Sacrifices | Revived monsters gain 20% Toughness and deal 10% more damage, but no longer penalize Tribute. | From The Mists |
| Spreading Darkness | Four Ritual Altars always present in Ritual maps. | N/A |
| Between Two Worlds | Rituals always contain a Wildwood Wisp, increasing Tribute earned. | Spreading Darkness |
| Ominous Portents | 25% faster monster waves, but 50% higher chance of Omens in Favours. | N/A |
| He Approaches | 20% chance for revived monsters to be Magic or Rare; 50% chance for 'An Audience With The King'. | Ominous Portents |
| Tempting Offers | Extra Favour re-roll; 25% less Tribute for re-rolls. | N/A |
Maximizing PoE 2 Ritual Rewards
Successful Rituals grant Tribute, a temporary currency exchanged for randomized Favours. Completing more Altars increases Tribute and unlocks higher-tier rewards. Initial Favours offer Magic items and low-level Currencies, progressing to Rare gear and high-tier Currencies with more completed Rituals. 'An Audience With The King' is exclusively available through Favours.
Omen Currencies, powerful items improving other Currency effects, are highly sought-after. They are consumed upon use. Examples include Omens of Annulment and Alchemy, offering targeted modifier manipulation. Consider trading unused Omens for valuable Currencies.
Ritual events also yield high-tier Currencies (Exalted Orbs, Vaal Orbs, etc.) from slain enemies. The King in the Mists offers a chance at event-exclusive Uniques.
All PoE 2 Omen Currencies:
This comprehensive guide equips you to conquer the Ritual endgame in Path of Exile 2, maximizing your rewards and enjoying the challenging and rewarding gameplay.
