In Path of Exile 2 (POE 2), the endgame content offers players a wealth of new systems to enhance their gameplay experience. One of the most intriguing mechanics introduced is Delirium, and with it, a new form of currency known as Distilled Emotions. This resource can significantly impact your progression, helping you craft powerful amulets and boost your mapping experience.

In this article, we'll dive into what Distilled Emotions are, how to acquire them, and how to use them effectively in your endgame journey.

What Are Distilled Emotions in POE 2?

Distilled Emotions are a special currency in Path of Exile 2 that is tied to the Delirium mechanic. Each Distilled Emotion represents a different type of emotional energy, and they come with distinct effects. These emotions can be used to modify your amulets or enhance your Waystones for more challenging and rewarding encounters.

Here’s a list of the Distilled Emotions available in POE 2:

Distilled Despair

Distilled Disgust

Distilled Envy

Distilled Fear

Distilled Greed

Distilled Guilt

Distilled Ire

Distilled Isolation

Distilled Paranoia

Distilled Suffering

Each of these emotions has a specific effect and can be used in different ways to tailor your build or play-style. For example, Distilled Despair might offer defensive benefits, while Distilled Greed could improve your rewards in Delirium encounters. Understanding which Distilled Emotions benefit your character most will help you decide how to acquire and use them.

How to Obtain Distilled Emotions?

There are two primary ways to acquire Distilled Emotions in POE 2: farming through Delirium encounters and trading with other players. Both methods have their pros and cons, so you’ll need to choose which best fits your play-style and current resources.

1. Challenge Delirium

Once you enter the endgame of POE 2, you can run maps containing Delirium encounters. These maps are marked by a white icon on the map and contain Delirium Fog. As you enter these maps, the fog will start to spread, affecting the entire area. To gain Distilled Emotions, your goal is simple: kill monsters within the fog to fill up a meter at the bottom of your screen.

The more monsters you kill, the more the meter fills, and once it's filled, you'll receive rewards, which include Distilled Emotions. The rewards can vary based on your performance, and you can enhance your farming efficiency by doing things like increasing monster rarity or adding extra encounters that spawn additional monsters. The higher the difficulty of the Delirium encounter, the greater the potential rewards.

2. Trade with Other Players

If you're not confident in your ability to farm Delirium effectively, or if you simply want to skip the grind, you can always trade for Distilled Emotions. To use the trading system, you need to have completed Act 3 in Normal difficulty. Once this is done, you can visit any settlement and talk to NPCs like Finn, Risu, or Alva to access the currency exchange system.

Within the trading system, you can exchange POE 2 Orbs (or, less frequently, Divine Orbs) for the Distilled Emotions you need. Generally speaking, Exalted Orbs are the preferred currency for acquiring Distilled Emotions, as they yield a better exchange rate.

If you happen to have multiple common Distilled Emotions, you can combine three similar ones to create a more rare and powerful version. This is especially useful if you want to upgrade your collection without endlessly farming specific emotions.

How to Use Distilled Emotions?

Once you’ve acquired Distilled Emotions, there are two primary ways you can use them: Anointing Amulets and Adding Delirium Effects to Waystones.

1. Anointing Amulets

Anointing amulets is one of the most powerful uses of Distilled Emotions. By anointing your amulet, you can gain access to notable passive skills that are often essential for optimizing your build. If there’s a specific passive skill you need but lack the skill points to obtain it, using Distilled Emotions on your amulet allows you to bypass this limitation.

To anoint an amulet, interact with the Distilled Emotions in your inventory. This will open the anoint menu, where you can place the desired Distilled Emotion at the bottom of the interface and the amulet you wish to anoint at the top. Once you're ready, click the anoint button to apply the effect.

It’s important to note that the order in which you place Distilled Emotions affects the outcome. Therefore, you should carefully check which Distilled Emotions are required for the notable passive skill you want to acquire. You can easily do this by opening the passive skill tree, hovering over the node you're interested in, and pressing Alt to view the required emotion.

If you don’t want to manually check each notable skill, you can also use an anoint calculator, which will streamline the process and save you time.

2. Adding Delirium Effects to Ways-tones

Another significant use for Distilled Emotions is enhancing your Way-stones. These are items that you use to map in POE 2, and adding Delirium effects to them allows you to create additional layers of rewards within your maps.

To add Delirium effects to a Way-stone, right-click on the Distilled Emotion you want to use. This will open the installation menu, where you can place the desired Distilled Emotion in the bottom slot and the uncorrupted Way-stone in the top slot. Once you confirm, the Delirium effect will be added to your Way-stone, and you’ll be able to run maps with increased difficulty, but also with the potential for better rewards.

This system is an excellent way to further tailor your mapping experience, especially if you’re looking to increase the challenge for better loot drops or more currency.

Conclusion

Distilled Emotions are a powerful addition to the endgame mechanics of Path of Exile 2. Whether you're looking to enhance your amulet for better passive skills or increase the rewards in your Delirium encounters, these emotions provide you with a variety of ways to boost your character and gameplay experience.

By understanding how to farm Delirium efficiently or make use of the trading system, you can acquire the Distilled Emotions you need to maximize your potential in the game. Additionally, learning how to properly use Distilled Emotions for anointing amulets and enhancing Way-stones will allow you to customize your build and map progression for optimal success.

The introduction of Distilled Emotions, combined with the complex and rewarding systems of Delirium, opens up new ways for players to approach Path of Exile 2's endgame. Whether you’re a seasoned player looking to maximize your power or a new player aiming to catch up with the mechanics, understanding how to effectively utilize this new currency is essential for your continued success in the game.

Good luck, Exiles!