PoE Sanity

A QUICK Guide to Delirium in PoE 2

By GhazzyTVWatch videoDuration: PT5M9S

Summary

  • The Hare and the Raven: A new endgame questline introducing Delirium mechanics through Elder Madox and Tangmazu.
  • Delirium Bar: A new UI element tracking distance to the map boss, increasing enemy threat and rewards as the fog deepens.
  • Crystal Encounters: Purple crystals enhance map enemies, while Red crystals lead to gauntlets rewarding amulets with dual anointments.
  • Liquid Emotion Crafting: Deterministic crafting for jewels using an “add/remove” process.
  • Infinite Atlas Progression: Victory over Grand Mirror bosses provides “Fruit” to spread Delirium fog across the Atlas, leading toward the Simulacrum.
  • Deterministic Farming: Specific crafting materials drop from specific enemy types (e.g., humanoids).

The Hare and the Raven Questline

The endgame journey with Delirium begins with a storyline titled “The Hare and the Raven.” This questline involves saving Elder Madox—the NPC from whom you select a unique item at the end of the campaign—after he is trapped in a Delirium mirror by Tangmazu. This narrative serves as a tutorial-style introduction to the mechanic, guiding players from initial encounters to the endgame pinnacle.

Mechanical Changes: The Delirium Bar and Crystals

In Path of Exile 2, the Delirium fog no longer relies on the same timers or mechanics as the original game. Instead, a bar at the bottom of the screen tracks progress.

  • The Bar: Indicates the distance between the start of the run and the map boss. As the bar fills, enemy threat levels increase significantly.
  • Purple Crystals: Encountered along the path; these enhance enemies to make them more dangerous but also more rewarding.
  • Red Crystals: These trigger a separate gauntlet-style zone. Survival in this zone rewards a new base amulet capable of having up to two anointed notables.

Crafting with Liquid Emotions

Liquid Emotions, traditionally used for anointing amulets, have a powerful new secondary function for crafting jewels.

  1. The process functions as an “add/remove” mechanic similar to perfect essences.
  2. Using the orb removes a random modifier from a jewel.
  3. The orb then applies a deterministic modifier immediately afterward.

The Grand Mirror and Infinite Atlas

Upon reaching the end of the initial questline, players encounter a Grand Mirror containing two bosses. Defeating these bosses yields a “Fruit.”

  • Consuming the Fruit: This reveals an area covered in Delirium fog on the Infinite Atlas.
  • Scaling Difficulty: Every map progressed within this fog increases the “Delirious” percentage, scaling the difficulty upward.
  • The Simulacrum: Progressing through the fog eventually grants access to the Simulacrum, where the mechanic’s pinnacle endgame boss resides.

Deterministic Farming and Atlas Passives

Once the initial storyline is complete, Grand Mirrors spawn randomly or can be forced using tablets. Engaging with Delirium in the endgame allows for targeted farming:

  • Targeted Materials: Certain Liquid Emotions only drop from specific enemy types. For example, the Potent Liquid of Melancholy drops exclusively from human bosses. Players can deliberately place Delirium fog in Atlas regions containing these boss types to farm specific materials.
  • Atlas Passive Points: Points for the Delirium Atlas tree are earned by engaging with the mechanic on the Infinite Atlas. The UI clearly indicates if a map will provide a passive point.

Key References