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In Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.5, Abyss farming has emerged as a highly popular strategy. Driven by Omen of Light and other high-value Abyss drops, the approach has shifted from chasing specific items to a comprehensive strategy that prioritizes overall returns and resource efficiency. Let's take a look at the changes to Abyss content in Patch 0.5.5 and how to build an effective farming setup.

What's Different About Abyss in Patch 0.5.5?

Patch 0.5.5 introduces several enhancements to Abyss mechanic.

Ghastly Relics now affect all large Abyssal Chests spawned within Pits, rather than just the final chest; additionally, of Champions suffix on Abyssal Tablets has been buffed, increasing the number of spawned rare monsters from 1-2 to 2-3. The introduction of Abyssal Ravines further increases the likelihood of consistently encountering Abyss content within maps.

These changes have shifted the focus of Abyss farming toward Abyssal Depths. Recent player testing indicates that while obtaining Omen of Light in standard maps has become more difficult, Abyssal Depths have emerged as a crucial source. Meanwhile, high-value drops like Cranium have raised the potential profitability of Abyss farming strategy.

Core Mechanics

Omen of Light is an extremely valuable currency item. When active, it ensures that the next use of an Orb of Annulment removes only a Desecrated modifier. This effect is highly prized for high-end gear crafting.

In Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.5, the acquisition method for Omen of Light has changed: any rare monster within Abyssal Depths has a chance to drop it, regardless of faction. In contrast, within standard maps, only monsters belonging to Amanamu faction - specifically those bearing Amanamu's Void Lichborn modifier - can drop Omen of Light.

It is worth noting that monsters affected by Amanamu's Void are surrounded by black smoke. If you kill the monster while it is still inside the smoke, you will only obtain an Omen of the Liege; you must lure the monster out of the smoke before killing it to have a chance at obtaining other Abyssal Omens, including the Omen of Light.

Therefore, the primary advantage of choosing Amanamu faction is that it covers both sources of the Omen of Light: regular maps and Abyssal Depths.

Atlas Passives and Map Configuration

As established, the acquisition efficiency of Omen of Light in Abyssal Depths was significantly increased in version 0.5.5. So, how should you configure your Atlas passives and maps to maximize returns?

Atlas Passives

First, select Jado as your Atlas Master; his Spycraft focuses on map enhancements, Tablet effects, and rewards from Abyss chests.

Regarding Atlas passive tree, prioritize the following nodes:

• Unexpected Mission: A must-have node for corrupted maps; it further boosts map rewards.
• Partial Translation: Provides up to a 40% increase in Tablet effects, significantly boosting overall map returns.
• Mysterious Gifts: Increases the drop rate of Cryptic Keys, which are used to open Abyssal Troves.
• Ancient Activations: Improves chest quality and increases the spawn rate of rare chests.

Within Abyss Atlas passive tree, selecting the Amanamu faction node is the top priority. Other key passives include:

• Scattered Pits: If your Tablet already has a modifier granting a 10% effect boost for every closed Pit, this node offers additional chances for Heart of the Well drops.
• Forest Biomes: Increases the number of rare monsters.
• Water Biomes: Increases the number of currency chests.
• Rarity-related nodes: Prioritize nodes that boost item rarity and monster rarity.

Map Preparation

For map Waystones, prioritize stacking item rarity and monster rarity; aim for at least 55% item rarity and 25% monster rarity. Item rarity primarily boosts the map's base rewards, while monster rarity further increases the chance of high-value drops. If you are on a limited budget, you can lower the monster rarity slightly, but abandoning it entirely is not recommended.

Regarding Tablets, the core objective for this Abyss farming strategy is to increase Abyss density, the number of rare monsters, and overall drop quality; using 3-4 Tablets is recommended. Regarding modifiers, prioritize attributes that directly boost map returns - such as item rarity, monster rarity, tablet effectiveness, and additional Abyss encounters - while ensuring at least one Abyssal Depths modifier is included to increase the chance of accessing Depths.

The of Champions suffix for Abyss Tablets is particularly noteworthy, as it causes Abyss to spawn 2-3 additional Rare Monsters within the map.

It is recommended to keep the total cost of Tablet configuration within the equivalent of 2-3 Omens of Light to ensure the overall cost-efficiency of your farming runs.

Practical Gameplay and Operational Tips

Map Selection

Prioritize the city map due to its layout and the available space for Tablet configurations. Once inside, progress along the Abyss crack and close the Pits sequentially; if your Tablet includes relevant modifiers, closing a Pit can further enhance the effects of the Abyss monsters.

Abyssal Depths

If an entrance to Abyssal Depths appears after Abyss crack collapses, prioritize entering it. Rare Monsters here have a chance to drop Omens of Light, making this a crucial source of profit for this farming strategy. Use a Cryptic Key to open any large Abyssal Chests you encounter.

Kill Priority

In actual gameplay, prioritize Rare Monsters with Abyss modifiers, followed by Rogue Exiles, and finally clear out ordinary monsters. Pay special attention to the location where you kill Amanamu's Void monsters; failing to do so could result in missing out on Omen of Light drops.

Overall, Abyss mechanic in PoE 2 0.5.5 has evolved from a simple hunt for Omens of Light into a comprehensive farming system centered on Abyssal Depths, Rare Monsters, Abyssal Chests, and high-value drops.

Its strengths lie in its straightforward gameplay and diverse revenue streams, while still offering a high profit ceiling. However, since access to Abyssal Depths and high-value drops involves RNG, actual returns can fluctuate significantly. As long as you manage Tablet costs and adjust your configuration based on market prices, this Abyss farming strategy remains a solid, reliable choice for the current patch.

Although nearly four months have passed since the initial release of Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.0, the new Ascendancy classes introduced then remain solid choices; Spirit Walker, for instance, has several viable builds available in 0.5.5 league.

If you are looking to significantly boost your damage, particularly against single targets, Freezing Shards Spirit Walker Build, which relies on the specific Gelid Staff item, is a reliable option. Here, we will outline the crafting strategy for this build.

What is the core mechanic of this build?

Freezing Shards skill in this build is granted to you upon equipping Gelid Staff. By default, the skill fires six projectiles, all of which can strike the same enemy.

This means that when facing single targets, stacking many projectiles allows you to deal massive damage through shotgunning (hitting a single target with multiple projectiles simultaneously).

By combining this with Spirit Walker's Primal Bounty skill, you can further increase projectile count and damage, enabling you to instantly kill bosses and smoothly clear high-difficulty content.

However, it is worth noting that under current PoE 2 mechanics, Freezing Shards appears to have some bugs; certain modifiers that should provide additional projectiles do not seem to be functioning correctly.

It is unclear whether this is intentional or a technical error, but it results in a significant loss of combat power. Fortunately, even before a fix is implemented, other viable strategies can be developed around Primal Bounty.

Passive skill and gem options

Freezing Shards Spirit Walker Build establishes its core defensive and offensive setup by combining Energy Shield, high critical strike potential, and damage mitigation via minions.

To this end, the most crucial element in Spirit Walker's passive tree is Primal Bounty. Serving as the primary source of burst damage, this skill allows you to accumulate three stacks of Owl Feather charges over six seconds; these charges are then consumed by performing a dodge roll to empower your next skill.

The empowered skill fires six additional projectiles and significantly increases projectile speed. Additionally, unlocking Mhacha's Gift node in Spirit Walker passive tree further accelerates the rate at which Owl Feather charges are generated.

Mana Tempest skill grants a buff that causes projectiles to split, thereby increasing the total number of projectiles. Additionally, Breachlord's Amalgam Lineage Support Gem allows all projectiles to return to you after traveling, dealing damage a second time.

Wild Protector is another key PoE 2 Ascendancy passive that summons a bear. By boosting the bear's survivability, you can have it soak up damage on your behalf.

For instance, unlocking Sacred Unity node grants the bear Embrace of the Wild effect, allowing it to share 8% of the damage you take. Further enhancing the bear's tankiness is possible by combining this with support gems like Hulking Minions and Meat Shield.

Another Lineage Support Gem, Zarokh's Revolt, introduces a long-cooldown mechanic that lets you cast Freezing Shards five times in rapid succession. You should also pair this with Pinpoint Critical to boost your critical strike chance, which is crucial for this build.

PoE 2 Projectile Acceleration III provides increased projectile speed and damage, making it an excellent synergy with Primal Bounty.

What does the gear setup entail?

The key to maximizing the effectiveness of Freezing Shards Spirit Walker Build is ensuring every projectile hits the target enemy. However, achieving this in actual combat is difficult; even when facing a boss at point-blank range, many projectiles often fly off-target.

In other words, hit registration is a highly inconsistent factor for this build, but fortunately, this issue can be resolved by equipping Ghostmarch Threaded Shoes.

These unique boots allow you to pass through enemies while performing a dodge roll. You can use this maneuver to position yourself inside the enemy's hitbox, thereby significantly increasing the likelihood that your Freezing Shards projectiles will connect with the target.

While this phasing technique requires some practice to master, it is currently the most reliable method in Path of Exile 2 to ensure all projectiles hit the boss.

For your core gear, Gelid Staff, ideally, you should reroll the stats to prioritize +Cold Skill Levels, Spell Damage, Critical Strike Chance, Critical Strike Multiplier, Cast Speed, and any other high-quality damage modifiers.

Of course, don't forget to increase the staff's quality, as doing so grants an additional projectile for Freezing Shards.

Another excellent gear upgrade for this build is to roll modifiers on your gloves that grant +2 to the level of projectile skills, along with increased projectile speed and damage bonuses, resulting in a significant boost to your overall damage output.

Additionally, equipping two Pearl Rings with increased cast speed modifiers can drastically improve your casting speed, while also helping to cap your resistances and provide extra cold damage.

The amulet slot is another prime location to boost your damage in Path of Exile 2. Prioritize finding modifiers that offer increased cast speed and bonuses to projectile skill levels, while focusing other stats on defense, maximum life, and resistances.

For your body armor, ensure you have reserved enough Spirit to accommodate all necessary gems as well as defensive and resistance-boosting modifiers. Apply the same logic to your helmet, prioritize stacking defensive stats wherever possible.

That covers everything for this guide. If this build aligns with your plans for your next PoE 2 session, why not give it a try right away? Good luck!

In Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.5.5, Expedition remains a highly profitable endgame farming method. Here, I introduce a streamlined speed-farming strategy for Grand Expeditions: instead of aiming to clear the entire map, you quickly scan for Runic Remnants, engage only with high-value rewards, and exit immediately, thereby maximizing profit per unit of time.

This farming method requires a certain level of character power. If you have a build with high movement speed and efficient map-clearing capabilities, consistently generating dozens of Divine Orbs per hour is entirely achievable. However, if your character clears monsters slowly, the time cost will erode the profits gained from repeatedly entering and exiting maps; it is recommended to upgrade your build before attempting this strategy.

Core Mechanic: How do Runic Remnants work in Grand Expeditions?

Grand Expeditions are specialized maps unlocked via Logbooks. Unlike standard map Expeditions, Grand Expeditions feature a large number of Runic Remnants, each with a varying number of Rune Slots.

Placing and detonating explosives on a Runic Remnant spawns enemies affected by specific Runic Modifiers. Defeating these enemies grants the rewards associated with that Remnant. Generally, more Rune Slots mean a greater impact on enemies and a larger scale of rewards, making multi-slot Remnants the primary targets of interest.

This is the heart of the speed-farming strategy: prioritize high-value Runic Remnants rather than clearing the entire Grand Expedition map. Upon entering, quickly scout the area to check the rewards offered by various Remnants; if you find a target worth pursuing (using a value of 1 Divine Orb as a benchmark), place your explosives and complete the encounter. If the map contains no worthwhile rewards, do not waste time - simply detonate one charge and exit immediately.

Expedition Atlas Passive Tree: Two Key Nodes

As of PoE 2 Patch 0.5.4, Expedition has its own dedicated Atlas Passive Skill Tree, comprising 24 nodes in total, 12 of which are Notables. These talent points are earned by defeating bosses in Grand Expedition questline and are completely independent of the standard Atlas Tree points.

For Grand Expedition speed-farming strategy, two nodes are particularly important.

Feeling Lucky?

The first is Feeling Lucky?. Allocating this node causes Farrow to start selling Liquid Verisium. This is a kind of POE 2 currency used on Runic Remnants that allows you to directly reset Runic Inscription on that Remnant - essentially a free reroll.

When you encounter a Runic Remnant with good slot placement but a poor reward list, using Liquid Verisium to reroll it offers a chance to transform it into a high-value target, significantly boosting the expected yield per map.

Extra Remnant

The second node is Extra Remnant. It directly increases the number of Runic Remnants encountered during an Expedition. For speed-farming, a higher number of Remnants means more rewards can be checked within a given timeframe, making it easier to find high-value targets worth using explosives on.

The remaining 22 nodes can be allocated according to personal preference. However, there is one more node to consider: Extreme Archaeology. It alters the explosive mechanics, replacing the standard multiple small-scale placements with a single, large-area blast.

While this significantly simplifies the explosive placement process, it also activates more enemies at once, placing higher demands on your character's clear speed and survivability. Therefore, if your goal is simply to execute a consistent speed-farming strategy, there is no need to rush into allocating this node.

Map and Logbook Selection and Usage

Grand Expedition speed-farming places almost no requirements on the map itself. Whether the map is Normal, Magic, Rare, or Unique, as long as your character can complete it quickly and locate Expedition, it is suitable for use.

Since the primary returns from this strategy come from Runic Remnant rewards rather than the map's inherent drops, there is no need to invest excessive resources into Waystone. For high-speed builds, minimizing the time spent per map is usually more important than maximizing the returns from map modifiers.

Logbooks are crucial resources for accessing the Ocean region and locating Grand Expeditions. Using a Logbook reveals a new exploration zone within the Atlas's Ocean region, featuring standard Expeditions, Grand Expeditions, and other special encounters. Note that a Grand Expedition is not a standalone map launched directly by Logbook; instead, it appears as content within the revealed Ocean exploration zone. Therefore, the basic gameplay loop is quite simple: obtain Logbooks from standard Expeditions found in regular Path of Exile 2 maps, use them to explore oceanic zones, and hunt for Grand Expeditions. Once inside a Grand Expedition, focus on inspecting Runic Remnants and engage only with high-value targets that justify the time investment.

Standard map Expeditions are also a crucial part of this cycle. Runic Monsters have a chance to drop Logbooks, creating a continuous resource loop between standard Expeditions and Grand Expeditions.

Overall, the core strategy for speed-farming Grand Expeditions in Path of Exile 2 is straightforward: use a high-speed build to quickly clear maps, selectively target high-value Runic Remnants, and concentrate your time on objectives that truly offer the best returns. This approach is best suited for players who prioritize efficiency - maximizing profit per unit of time - and whose characters already possess strong mobility and clear speed.