Path of Exile 2 Ritual Guide: Mastering Passives, Tributes, Favours

In Path of Exile 2, the Atlas map offers four primary endgame events: Breaches, Expeditions, Delirium, and Rituals. Among these, Rituals stand out as they revive the mechanics of the original Path of Exile's Ritual League. This guide will walk you through initiating Ritual events, understanding their mechanics, interacting with the Ritual Passive Skill Tree, facing the Pinnacle boss, and exploring the unique Tribute and Favour reward system in this engaging PoE 2 endgame event.

PoE 2 Rituals & Altars, Explained

On the Atlas screen, map nodes with guaranteed endgame events are marked with specific icons. Nodes containing a Ritual Altar are identified by a red icon featuring a pentagram and a demonic horned face. To ensure a Ritual encounter, you can use a Ritual Precursor Tablet, which can be slotted into a completed Lost Tower.

Upon entering a map with a Ritual encounter, multiple Altars will appear across the map. Each map's Altars share a random modifier that introduces unique mechanics or enemies. For instance, one map might unleash hordes of rats alongside other Ritual summons, while another could generate waves of Blood that drain your Life.

When you approach an Altar, take a moment to review its Modifiers. Once ready, interact with the Altar to trigger a massive wave of enemies. The area around the Altar will darken, confining you to a specific zone where you must eliminate all enemies to complete the Ritual. Stepping into the shadows outside this zone will end the event without any rewards.

A map is considered complete once you've successfully finished all Rituals within it.

Ritual Pinnacle Boss: The King In the Mists

During a Ritual encounter, you might encounter a special reward called 'An Audience With The King'. This unique Currency item grants access to The Crux Of Nothingness, the domain of the Ritual Pinnacle Boss, the King in the Mists. To challenge this boss, slot 'An Audience With The King' into your Realmgate on the Atlas map.

The King in the Mists shares mechanics with its campaign counterpart. For practice, revisit Act 1 on Cruel difficulty and create a new instance of the Freythorn zone where the boss appears.

Defeating the King in the Mists earns you 2x Ritual Passive Skill points and a chance to obtain one of several PoE 2 Uniques, along with valuable Currencies and Omen items.

Ritual Passive Skill Tree

The Ritual Passive Skill Tree, accessible from the Atlas Passive Skill Tree screen, enhances the Ritual event by reducing Tribute requirements, boosting Ritual rewards, and increasing the drop rate of unique Currencies. To view your Ritual passives, navigate to the Atlas Map, click the top-left button to open the Atlas Passive Skill Tree, and look at the bottom right section.

The Ritual Passive Skill Tree is marked by a red color with five prongs, featuring eight Notable nodes and eight nodes that ramp up the difficulty of the King in the Mists encounter. Each victory over the Crux of Nothingness grants 2x Ritual Passive Skill points, necessitating increased difficulty for each new Notable node you aim to unlock.

Notable Delirium Passive	Effect	Requirements
Promised Devotion	Ritual Altar skills deal 25% increased Damage. Deferring Favours at Ritual Altars requires 50% less Tribute, and they appear 50% sooner	N / A
From The Mists	Rituals contain 2 extra packs of enemies	N / A
Reinvigorated Sacrifices	Every time a monster Revives in a Ritual it gains 20% Toughness and deals 10% more damage. Revived monsters no longer penalize Tribute.	From The Mists
Spreading Darkness	There are always 4x Ritual Altars in maps with a Ritual	N / A
Between Two Worlds	Rituals always contain a Wildwood Wisp, which increases Tribute earned	Spreading Darkness
Ominous Portents	Rituals spawn monster waves 25% faster, but Favours are 50% more likely to contain an Omen	N / A
He Approaches	Revived monsters in Rituals have a 20% chance to be Magic or Rare. Rituals have a 50% chance to contain An Audience With The King	Ominous Portents
Tempting Offers	You may re-roll Favours in a Ritual an extra time, and it costs 25% less Tribute to re-roll	N / A

For the Ritual passives tree, prioritize 'From The Mists', 'Spreading Darkness', and 'Ominous Portents' to maximize rewards with minimal drawbacks. Follow up with 'Tempting Offers' and 'He Approaches' to increase your chances of obtaining high-value Omens and 'An Audience With The King'.

PoE 2 Ritual Event Rewards

Tribute Is Used To Purchase Ritual Rewards

Completing a Ritual grants you Tribute, a temporary currency used to purchase randomized items known as Favours. Completing more Altars increases your Tribute and unlocks additional items in the reward screen, some of which remain locked until you complete a certain number of Rituals on the map.

Initially, Favours cost only a few hundred Tribute and typically include Magic items or low-level Currencies. As you progress and unlock more rewards, you may access Rare gear and high-tier Currencies. 'An Audience With The King' is exclusively obtainable through Favours.

Among the Ritual Favour rewards, you might find an Omen, a highly sought-after item that enhances the effects of other Currency items when held in your inventory. Omens are consumed upon activating their unique effects. For example, the Omen of Annulment can make Orbs of Annulment remove specific modifiers, while an Omen of Alchemy can add certain modifiers when using an Orb of Alchemy.

PoE 2 Omen Currencies are extremely valuable due to their ability to significantly improve crafting outcomes. If unsure about using one, consider trading it for other high-value currencies.

In addition to the Tribute and Favour system, enemies defeated during Ritual Events can drop regular high-tier Currencies like Exalted Orbs and Vaal Orbs. Unlike the Simulacrum boss, the King in the Mists has a chance to drop Uniques upon defeat, selected from a pool exclusive to the Ritual event.