Path of Exile 2 Vaal Orb Wiki & Tips

The Path of Exile 2 Vaal Orb Wiki provides detailed information about this high-risk, high-reward currency item, used to corrupt gear, maps, and skill gems. Corruption introduces unpredictable changes, from powerful upgrades to detrimental effects, and permanently locks the item from further modification. This guide explains the potential outcomes of using Vaal Orbs, their role in crafting and farming strategies, and tips for maximizing their value in Path of Exile 2.

What is Vaal Orb in Path of Exile 2?

The Vaal Orb in Path of Exile 2 is a currency item used to corrupt equipment, gems, or maps, introducing unpredictable changes. Corruption can result in beneficial upgrades, detrimental effects, or no change at all, adding a layer of risk to crafting. Once an item is corrupted, it becomes unmodifiable by any other crafting processes, making its use a high-stakes decision for players aiming to improve their gear or experiment with different outcomes.

What Do Vaal Orbs Do in Path of Exile 2?

In Path of Exile 2, Vaal Orbs are unique items used for corrupting other items, which can lead to powerful upgrades or unpredictable changes. Here’s what you can do with Vaal Orbs:

• Corrupt Items: When you use a Vaal Orb on an item, it corrupts that item, resulting in one of several possible outcomes. This can include gaining new modifiers, rerolling existing modifiers, or even losing modifiers entirely.

• Unlock Unique Effects: Corruption can unlock powerful effects, such as improved modifiers or unique corrupted modifiers that are not available through regular crafting methods.

• Skill Gems: Applying a Vaal Orb to skill gems can potentially increase their level or quality, which can significantly enhance their effectiveness.

What are Vaal Orb Outcomes in Path of Exile 2?

When a Vaal Orb is applied to an item in Path of Exile 2, it triggers one of several possible outcomes. These outcomes are random and irreversible, making the corruption process unpredictable. Here’s what can happen:

• General Item Outcomes:

• New Modifiers: The item may gain new implicit or explicit modifiers.

• Rerolled Affixes: Some or all existing modifiers on the item can be rerolled.

• Unique Item Outcomes:

• Additional Rune Sockets: Unique items may gain an extra Rune socket, but there is also a chance they lose their unique status and become rare items.

• Skill Gem Outcomes:

• Increased Level or Quality: Skill gems can gain additional levels or quality.

• Loss of Levels: There is a chance that the gem loses levels instead of improving.

• Map Outcomes:

• Added Modifiers: Corrupting maps can apply new modifiers, often making the map more challenging, but increasing potential rewards and item drops.

How & When To Use Vaal Orb in Path of Exile?

In Path of Exile, Vaal Orbs offer a high-risk, high-reward crafting option that can radically change items. Knowing how and when to use them is important to avoid regret while maximizing benefits. So here we guide to make the best use of Vaal Orb.

How to Use Vaal Orbs (Items To Vaal)

Vaal Orbs can be applied to various items, including gear, skill gems, maps, and strongboxes. Here’s what happens when you use a Vaal Orb:

• Gear: Applying a Vaal Orb to gear can result in new implicit modifiers, rerolled affixes, added Rune sockets (on unique items), or bricking the item with poor outcomes. Corruption can also divine the item, changing its existing stats within their ranges.

• Skill Gems: Vaal Orbs can increase the level or quality of the gem, reduce its level, or even remove quality. They can also add or remove sockets in the gem, though this is more useful early game when socketing options are limited.

• Maps: Corrupting a map can add higher-tier modifiers, making it more challenging with increased rewards. There is also a chance the map upgrades to a higher tier.

• Strongboxes: Corrupting strongboxes can add modifiers that increase loot rewards or difficulty.

Keep in mind that once an item is corrupted, it cannot be modified further with crafting, quality improvements, or divining.

When to Use Vaal Orbs (Best Items To Vaal in PoE 2)

"When to use Vaal Orbs" refers to the situations or conditions in which you should consider applying a Vaal Orb to an item, skill gem, map, or strongbox in Path of Exile 2. It focuses on the timing and context of using the orb to minimize risks and maximize potential rewards, as corruption outcomes are random and irreversible.

• Gear: Use Vaal Orbs on gear that is already strong but not perfect. Corrupting can result in powerful implicit modifiers like increased resistances, movement speed, or other beneficial stats. Avoid using Vaal Orbs on essential items that your build depends on unless you're confident in taking the risk. Corruption can brick the item by rerolling it poorly or removing valuable stats.

• Skill Gems: Vaal Orbs are great for skill gems early in the game, especially when greater crafting orbs are unavailable. They can potentially increase the gem's level or add sockets. Use them on skill gems that you can replace if the corruption fails. If a gem's level or quality drops, you may need to farm or trade for a replacement.

• Maps: Reserve Vaal Orbs for higher-tier maps (e.g., Tier 15 or higher). Corrupting maps can yield better rewards, including higher drop rates for valuable items like level 20 skill gems or unique items. Use them selectively on maps that already have good base modifiers. A corrupted map can become much harder but often more rewarding.

• Unique Items: Unique items are a common target for Vaal Orbs because of their potential to gain additional Rune sockets or powerful implicit modifiers. However, some unique items can lose their unique status if corrupted, though this outcome seems less common in Path of Exile 2.

How To Use Vaal Orbs on Skill Gems in PoE 2?

In Path of Exile 2, using Vaal Orbs on skill gems is a simple and effective way to increase your build's power early in the game. Here's how you can use this method to get up to 5 spell sockets and improve your damage output significantly.

What Happens When You Use a Vaal Orb on a Skill Gem?

When corrupting a skill gem with a Vaal Orb, one of the following outcomes can occur:

• Gain an additional spell socket (up to a maximum of 5).

• Lose one level on the gem.

• Gain one level on the gem.

• Lose quality on the gem.

• Gain quality on the gem.

• No visible changes, but the gem becomes corrupted.

Once corrupted, the gem cannot be modified further with Gemcutter's Prisms or other crafting methods. However, corrupted gems can still gain experience and level up, making this method great even early in your progression.

Why Use Vaal Orbs on Gems Early in the Game?

Extra Spell Socket: The main reason to do this is to unlock an additional spell socket for your skill, allowing you to link an extra support gem or utility gem. This can boost your damage or utility significantly. Avoid the Cost of Jeweler’s Orbs: Early in the game, currency like Jeweler’s Orbs or Greater Jeweler’s Orbs can be scarce or expensive. Corrupting a gem is a cheaper and faster way to gain additional sockets. No Major Downside: Even if the corruption results in no improvement, the gem remains usable and can still gain levels, making this strategy low-risk with potentially high rewards. For example, if you’re using Arc, gaining a fourth spell socket lets you add another support gem like Added Lightning Damage or Increased Area of Effect, which can dramatically increase your overall damage.

How to Use Vaal Orbs on Gems

• Choose the Right Gems: Start with skill gems that are important to your build, such as your main damage-dealing or utility skills. Use gems that are lower level so you can continue leveling them even after corruption.

• Corrupt the Gem: Apply a Vaal Orb directly to the gem. Check if the gem gained an extra spell socket or other beneficial effects.

• Continue Leveling the Gem: If the gem was low-level when corrupted, it will continue to gain experience and level up as normal, even if it’s corrupted.

How To Use Vaal Orb on Uniques in Path of Exile 2?

In Path of Exile 2, using a Vaal Orb on unique items can lead to a variety of outcomes. Here's an overview based on observations and testing:

Vaal Orb Outcomes on Uniques

When you apply a Vaal Orb to a unique, the following can happen:

• Nothing happens (the item is only corrupted).

• Adds one extra socket (exceptions: caster weapons, rings, belts, and amulets cannot roll sockets).

• Rerolls the range of one or more affixes, increasing or decreasing their values by up to 22%. For example, a roll of +10% could range between +7.8% and +12.2%.

• Adds a corrupted modifier (new mods specific to corrupted items).

Each of these outcomes is believed to have an equal 25% chance. However, once the item is corrupted, it cannot be modified further, except for adding Runes or Soul Cores into its sockets.

Using Omen of Corruption (OOC)

The Omen of Corruption modifies the behavior of Vaal Orbs, making their outcomes "more unpredictable." Testing suggests the following adjustments:

• The "Nothing happens" outcome might be removed, increasing the chance of other results (e.g., from 25% to 33.3% per outcome).

• Some combinations of outcomes are not possible. For instance: A unique item cannot gain both an extra socket and a corrupted mod. A unique item cannot gain more than one additional socket.

Limited testing shows that Omen of Corruption often leans toward rerolling affixes or adding corrupted modifiers, though sockets are still possible.

Best Items to Vaal in PoE 2

Certain unique items are highly desirable to Vaal due to the potential value increase from corrupted modifiers, extra sockets, or improved affix ranges. Here are some examples:

Corrupted Modifiers to Look For

Some corrupted modifiers in PoE 2 are especially powerful and can make certain items incredibly valuable. Examples include:

• +1 all Minion Skills (Helmet)

• +20-30 Spirit (Helmet)

• +1 All Skills (Amulet)

• +1 Melee Skills (Gloves)

• +1 Elemental/Chaos Skills (Caster Weapons)

• +1 Arrow/Bolt (Bow/Crossbow)

• +1 Rage on Hit (Martial Weapons)

• +1–3 Maximum Resistances (Belts)

What is Drop Chance (Odds) of Vaal Orb in PoE 2?

The drop chance of Vaal Orbs in Path of Exile 2 depends on several factors, such as enemy type, content difficulty, and loot sources. They can drop from any enemy, but the odds are better when defeating Magic (blue) and Rare (yellow) enemies. On lower difficulty levels, such as Normal, the chances are minimal, while higher difficulties like Cruel offer slightly better odds. Endgame content, including Atlas Maps, provides the most reliable drop rates, making it an effective option for farming. Vaal Orbs can also be obtained from loot containers like chests and destructible objects, which tend to have better odds for rare currencies than regular enemies. However, player experiences suggest some variability in drop rates, with reports of both consistent and rare findings.

Where & How To Farm Vaal Orbs Fastest in PoE 2?

To farm Vaal Orbs quickly in Path of Exile 2, players can focus on several efficient methods. One of the fastest options is farming the boss in The Lost City (Act 2), specifically The Ninth Treasure of Keth, using the Waypoint system to reset the encounter after defeating the boss and consuming its corpse with skills like Profane Ritual or Unearth. Equipping gear with "Increased Rarity of Items Found" enhances the chances of obtaining Vaal Orbs and other valuable currencies. Additionally, using item rarity gear while farming in high-density areas, participating in league mechanics like Breach or Expedition, and optimizing Strongboxes can further boost drop rates. If farming proves insufficient, players can trade for Vaal Orbs using in-game systems or external platforms, keeping an eye on market trends to maximize value.