Empowered Monolith Guide

The Monolith of Fate is a good starting point for endgame progression, but the empowered version is where the true grind begins. This version cranks up the difficulty while also providing better rewards and infinite scaling to ensure that players can find a challenge no matter their build or skill level.

Empowered vs Normal Monolith

Normal Timelines have their own area level, start at zero Corruption and can only increase their Corruption to a maximum of 50. Empowered versions are all level 100, start at 100 Corruption and can scale Corruption infinitely (provided you can handle the challenge.)

There are also rewards that can only drop in Empowered Timelines or at levels of Corruption that can only be achieved in them. We'll discuss this in more detail in a later section.

How To Empower Your Timelines

In order to activate the empowered version of every Timeline you need to complete the Normal versions of Spirits of Fire, The Last Ruin and The Age of Winter. Once these are complete head to the center island between the three Timelines and click on the chest in the center. Empowered versions of every Timeline are now unlocked

Now when you access a Timeline you always have two options. You can play the normal version or the empowered version by selecting the appropriate option. Each web will be maintained with its own corruption and stability so you can go back and forth between them as you choose.

Empowered Monolith Rewards

While the normal versions of each Timeline offer many rewards to players, there are some that are reserved exclusively for empowered Timelines.

Blessings

Empowered versions of each Timeline offer the same Blessings as the normal versions but they roll much higher. This means in order to get the best Blessings in the game you need to farm empowered versions of each Timeline

Boss Specific Uniques

Every Timeline boss has at least one Unique that is exclusive to empowered. If you need a particular Unique that falls into this category you're going to be farming it in empowered.

Empowered Exclusive Boss Uniques

• Fall of the Outcasts - Strands of Souls
• The Stolen Lance - Wings of Argentus
• The Black Sun - The Confluence of Fate
• Blood, Frost, and Death - Eulogy of Blood
• Ending the Storm - Eye of Storms
• Fall of the Empire - Anchor of Oblivion
• Reign of Dragons - Horns of Uhkeiros
• The Last Ruin - Sacrificial Embrace, Ravenous Void (these are also a random world drop in empowered, but at a massively lower drop rate)
• The Age of Winter - Faith of the Frozen
• Spirits of Fire - Trinity of Flames

Additionally, Shade of Orobyss has some Uniques that can only drop at certain levels of Corruption that are exclusive to empowered.

Empowered Exclusive Shade of Orobyss Uniques

• Apathy's Maw (While this technically can drop in normal at 50 Corruption it has a lower drop rate and there's no other reason to reach that level of Corruption so this should be farmed in empowered only.)
• Shattered Chains (Requires 150 Corruption)
• Omnis (Requires 200 Corruption)

Corruption

While we covered Corruption in our Monolith Beginner Guide, it's worth revisiting the topic as it relates to empowered since this is where the mechanic is most prominent. Corruption is the primary source of progressing both the difficulty and rewards in the Empowered Monolith, allowing players to increase the health and damage of enemies while also increasing XP and Item Rarity.

Item Rarity

In order to get the best items possible you want to increase Item Rarity, which affects drops in a number of ways:

• Increases the likelihood that an item drops with more affixes. This also makes Exalted items more common since more affixes means a greater chance of finding an affix that rolls T6/T7.
• Increases the likelihood that an item will roll Unique.
• Increases the likelihood that a boss will drop a rare Unique.

Item Rarity is increased both by corruption and Echo modifiers. Higher Corruption also yields higher modifiers so rarity is increased in two different ways by increasing Corruption.

Blessings

While Corruption doesn't directly affect Blessing drops or rolls, getting to 200 Corruption opens up an additional Blessing option from boss kills. If you're having trouble getting a Blessing you want at a high enough roll, make sure you're at 200+ Corruption to improve your chances!

Other Benefits of Corruption

• As mentioned in the previous section, certain levels of Corruption are required in order for Shade of Orobyss to drop some Uniques.
• Corruption increases the amount of Stability gained from completing Echoes allowing you to reach boss fights more quickly.
• The Echo Rewards are improved with Corruption. Example: High Corruption Echoes are more likely to offer Unique and Exalted rewards.

The benefits of Corruption are undeniable, so don't overlook this important mechanic when trying to improve your loot!

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Summary

• Empowered Timelines are similar to Normal, except they start at level 100, have 100 Corruption and Corruption can be scaled infinitely.
• To Empower your Timelines, you need to complete Spirits of Fire, The Last Ruin and The Age of Winter.
• Empowered Timelines offer many rewards above Normal, including better Blessings and exclusive Uniques.
• Corruption provides a greater challenge with greater rewards. Item Rarity, more Blessing rolls, better Echo rewards and even some exclusive Uniques can be gained from scaling Corruption.

Credits

Written by McFluffin.
Reviewed by Lizard_IRL, Aristotelian.