News about Path of Exile 2: Ritual Mastery Unveiled!

Path of Exile 2's Atlas offers four major endgame encounters: Breaches, Expeditions, Delirium, and Rituals. Rituals, inspired by the original Path of Exile's Ritual League, are detailed here. This guide covers initiating Ritual events, key mechanics, the Ritual Passive Skill Tree, the Pinnacle boss (King in the Mists), and the unique Tribute and Favour reward system.

Understanding PoE 2 Rituals and Altars

The Atlas map displays endgame events with specific icons. Ritual Altars are marked by a red pentagram with a demonic face. A Ritual Precursor Tablet, inserted into a completed Lost Tower, guarantees a Ritual encounter on a chosen map node.

Maps with Rituals feature multiple Altars, each with a shared random modifier impacting enemy types and mechanics (e.g., massive rat swarms or life-draining blood pools). Interact with an Altar to trigger a large enemy wave. Remain within the designated circle; leaving it ends the event and forfeits rewards. Completing all Altars on a map marks it as complete.

Confronting the King in the Mists

'An Audience With The King,' a unique Ritual currency, unlocks the Crux of Nothingness, home to the King in the Mists Pinnacle Boss. This boss shares mechanics with the Act 1 Cruel difficulty version found in Freythorn (useful for practice). Defeating him yields 2 Ritual Passive Skill points, a chance at unique PoE 2 items, powerful currencies, and Omen items.

Navigating the Ritual Passive Skill Tree

The Atlas Passive Skill Tree includes a red, five-pronged Ritual section. This tree modifies Ritual events, reducing Tribute costs, enhancing rewards, and boosting unique currency drop rates. Access it via the Atlas Map's top-left button, located in the bottom right of the main Atlas tree.

The tree features eight Notable nodes and eight nodes increasing King in the Mists difficulty. Each King in the Mists victory grants 2 Ritual Passive Skill points, necessitating increased difficulty for new Notable nodes.

Prioritize 'From The Mists,' 'Spreading Darkness,' and 'Ominous Portents' for improved rewards with minimal drawbacks. Subsequently, focus on 'Tempting Offers' and 'He Approaches' for increased chances of valuable Omens and 'An Audience With The King.'

Deciphering Ritual Rewards

Tribute and Favours: The Currency of Rituals

Completed Rituals award Tribute, a temporary currency exchanged for randomized Favours. More Altars completed equate to more Tribute and unlocked Favours, ranging from basic Magic items and currencies to Rare gear and high-tier Currencies as progress is made. 'An Audience With The King' is exclusively obtained through Favours.

Favours initially cost minimal Tribute but unlock higher-tier rewards as you progress. Omens, powerful items enhancing other currencies, are a possibility. These are consumed upon use. Examples include Omens that modify Annulment or Alchemy Orb effects.

Omens are highly sought after for crafting potential and can be traded for substantial value.

Beyond Tribute and Favours, Ritual enemies drop high-tier currencies (Exalted Orbs, Vaal Orbs, etc.). The King in the Mists has a chance to drop Uniques from a Ritual-exclusive pool.