Act 2 Campaign Secrets Guide
Last Updated:December 20, 2024|Changelog
Act 2 of Path of Exile 2's campaign contains a wealth of secret unique Rare monster fights, special treasure chests and hidden locations. As you explore the lands of the Maraketh in Act 2 you can find permanent character buffs, Uncut Skill Gems, helpful gear upgrades, Gold and Currency orbs. This campaign secrets guide shows where to find each of these hidden locations scattered around the Act 2 map — and which of them are worth your time.
Path of Exile 2 is currently in early access, this means rapid development including iteration on the campaign. Be sure to pin this page to be notified of any updates to the guide.
There are many hidden encounters and permanent buffs to discover in the previous Acts! Make sure to check out the Act 1 Guide and the Act 3 Guide!
Finding Secret Encounters on the World Map
Many hidden encounters can be located on Path of Exile 2's Act 2 world map after you have discovered them or after you have finished exploring the zone. The ones with a + symbol represent major encounters, which give permanent character buffs you do not want to miss.
The markers without + symbols point out some of the other loot locations and special encounters — but not all of them. This campaign exploration guide shows where to find the marked and unmarked secrets and what rewards they give such as Gold, Uncut Gems, crafting Currency and gear.
Checkpoints also appear near many of the hidden encounters, which can be a good way to spot them. However, take note that there are also many Checkpoints randomly positioned around the map. Look around Checkpoints for anything unusual looking and use the reference images and descriptions in this guide to aid in your search.
From this point onwards there are spoilers for many things in the campaign — bosses, zones, secrets and easter eggs. Spoiler tags are not used as it is all spoilers, so proceed with caution!
Act 2 Secrets Quick Guide
Within the spoilers is a quick list of each Act's hidden loot, permanent buffs and secret encounters in Path of Exile 2's Act 2. Reference the specific section in this guide for each location for more information on anything in the Quick Guide. The list is color-coded to help distinguish reward and encounter types:
- Zone Name
- Encounter Name or Description: Randomized Loot / Guaranteed Drop / Permanent Unlock or Buff (Difficulty Mode: Normal / Cruel)
Note: Unless otherwise stated, guaranteed drops are one time only, even if the event can be repeated. Most guaranteed drops are available in both Normal and Cruel but the specific reward often changes.
ACT 2 EXPLORATION QUICK GUIDE
Many of these events are repeatable if you enter a fresh instance of their zone. Most guaranteed rewards, however, can only be obtained once. Randomized loot, like gold and gear from Rare Chests can usually be obtained multiple times if you reset the zones. Also note that Early Access features Cruel Difficulty, which repeats Acts 1, 2 and 3 a second time. Most events are available again in Cruel, but many of the rewards change (this guide notes changes where applicable).
Traitor's Passage
Traitor's Passage contains the Ancient Passage, a door that leads to unlocking the Trial of the Sekhemas. Entering this door and unlocking the Trial is the important first step in unlocking your Ascendancy Class.
There is a small trail of Gold piles leading to a Rare Chest near a checkpoint. You need to search the Traitor's Passage for the Ancient Passage and for the zone exit so you'll likely happy upon this small treasure hoard accidently. Do not go out of your way as it only contains random loot as a consolation prize for getting lost.
The Tinker's Tools hidden event only appears to you in the Mawdun Quarry if you did not return the Smithing Tools to Renley in Act 1. It's a failsafe event designed to unlock the Salvage Bench for players that have not. If you have already unlocked the Salvage Bench you wont see this event on the map but may find an empty chest in the Mawdun Quarry, which would have held the tools.
Mastodon Badlands and Bone Pits
Shrine of Bones
In the Mastodon Badlands there is the giant skull of an unknown long-dead beast. The site has become a place of worship for the necromantic locals and features the map-marked location: The Shrine of Bones. This site drops a Level 1 Uncut Support Gem in Normal Difficulty and a Level 13 Uncut Skill Gem in Cruel.
This zone also features many ritual summoning sites where Zealots summon Carrion Reapers. These don't have any bonus loot but are a unique feature that adds flavor to the location.
The Sun Clan Relic in the Bone Pits
An important quest item: the Sun Clan Relic is available as a semi-random drop from enemies in this location. A story quest to defeat the unique boss Ekbab, Ancient Steed is also located here and slaying monsters on the way is likely enough for the Sun Clan Relic to drop. The quest item is needed later in the Valley of the Titans.
Keth, the Lost City and Buried Shrines
Keth: Passive Skill Points, Kabala Clan Relic and More
Keth is a Path of Exile 2 zone worth exploring. Here, a random enemy drops the other half of the Relic you found in the Bone Pits: the Kabala Clan Relic. Once again, kill monsters as you explore to find it.
Keth is also home to the unique side boss: Kabala, Constrictor Queen. She's easy to miss, hiding underground in a marked pit with a checkpoint. Ensure you hunt down Kabala as she drops a Book of Specialisation, which grants +2 Passive skill points (along with +2 weapon swap passives). Check out the Act 2 Boss Guide if you need tips for this fight.
Keth: the Looted Vault and Abandoned Shrine.
Keth also has at least two other hidden locations: the Abandoned Shrine and the Looted Vault. The Abandoned Shrine is located in a still-intact building through a door. Inside is Gold and a Rare Chest guarded by some ambushing monsters beneath the sands. The Rare Chest contains a guaranteed Magic Amulet in both Normal and Cruel Difficulties!
The curiously empty Looted Vault is located through a doorway in a destroyed building buried under the sand. It contains... nothing. Unless it holds some greater secret yet to be discovered...
The Lost City: Jewels and Gems
The Lost City underneath Keth is a great zone for treasure and it contains two very important hidden encounters: The Golden Chest and the Gilded Beetle. You can tell they are great just from their names!
The Lost City features a checkpoint with guaranteed Gold piles and Magic chests. It also has many smaller rooms that always have either a Magic or Rare monster pack in them. With plentiful randomized Rare monsters and chests it's likely the most bountiful zone in Act 2.
The Golden Chest encounter features an ostentatious sarcophagus in a sunken area promising untold riches. You are ambushed by a swarm of animated Gilded Scarabs when you approach. Defeat the swarm and you can loot the chest for randomized loot and a guaranteed Uncut Spirit Gem (once in both Normal and Cruel difficulties).
The Gilded Beetle encounter is a fight with a unique Rare Monster named The Ninth Treasure of Keth inside a long hallway. The Ninth Treasure shoots arcing red lightning around it while summoning smaller beetles to its aid. Be wary of it overloading, which ends in a large explosion. When defeated, it drops a guaranteed Ruby, Emerald, or Sapphire Jewel — which can be crafted and socketed into your Passive Skill Tree. The Ninth Treasure of Keth drops a guaranteed Jewel in Cruel difficulty once as well. Jewels are difficult to obtain early on in the campaign outside of the Trial of the Sekhemas, which makes this encounter particularly useful for filling out empty Jewel sockets.
Buried Shrines: Resistance Rings and Support Gem
The Buried Shrines is the zone directly following The Lost City and it contains two special encounters: the Guarded Sarcophagus and the Elemental Offering.
The Elemental Offering is in a special room with two doors and a checkpoint — inside of which is a set of three elemental offerings. Each offering drops a guaranteed Elemental Resistance Ring. For example, the Offering of Lightning drops a Topaz Ring, while the Offering of Fire drops a Ruby Ring. You may only choose one offering (once per Normal and once per Cruel difficulty), choose a ring with a resistance type you most sorely need. Resistances are an extremely powerful defensive layer, so this reward is worth hunting down.
The Guarded Sarcophagus features a, you guessed it, Sarcophagus that is sitting entirely too suspiciously surrounded by dozens of terracotta warriors. As you might have guessed, they come to life when you disturb their eternal vigil. Unfairly surrounded you must fight your way out, so have some large area of effect skills prepared. Your graverobbing does not go unrewarded as the Sarcophagus drops an Uncut Gem in each difficulty in addition to some randomized loot.
The Valley of Titans
In the Valley of the Titans you must activate several switches at Titans around the map to open a hidden entrance to the Titan Grotto. Located in this area is a special titan with an altar with two Relic-shaped holes. Having collected the Kabala Clan Relic and Sun Clan Relic from Keth and The Bone Pits you are now able to place them here together from your inventory. This gives you the ability to select a permanent character stat buff that you may change at any time by returning here. Both Normal and Cruel difficulty feature this hidden quest, each with their own unique buff choices.
- Normal: 30% increased Charm Charges gained OR 15% increased Mana Recovery from Flasks.
- Cruel: 30% increased Charm Charges gained OR 15% increased Life Recovery from Flasks.
Deshar and the Path of Mourning
Deshar: Passive Skill Points and a Djinn Barya (Trial of Sekhemas Key)
Within Deshar there is the corpse labelled as a Fallen Dekhara, from which you can obtain the Final Letter quest item. Turning it in to the NPC Shambrin in town rewards you with +2 Passive and Weapon Swap Skill Points.
Also within Deshar are The Watchful Twins. These are two unique Rare Monsters named Hugin and Munin — a reference to the twin ravens that serve under the god Odin in Norse mythology.
This fight is quite dangerous to an unprepared player, so be ready when entering their large bone arena. They guard the corpses of their previous kills as well as a Djinn Barya, a non-quest version of the key used to open the Trial of the Sekhemas. This key is tradeable with other players or it can be used once to open a Trial of the Sekhemas. This is insufficient to gain another pair of Ascendancy passives if you already Ascended via the quest earlier in the Act. It can be farmed for Relics and loot to prepare for future Trials of Ascendancy.
Path of Mourning: Uncut Support Gem
The Path of Mourning connects Deshar and Spires of Deshar zones and while mostly for travel it does contain an event called Shifting Vases.
This innocuous-looking storage room contains an Uncut Support Gem in Normal Difficulty and an Uncut Skill Gem in Cruel. When looting the nearby vases animate and spring their ambush — but as regular monsters they are not too threatening.
The Spires of Deshar
In the Spires of Deshar is the vitally important special location the Sisters of Garukhan Shrine. Clicking this Shrine bestows you with +10% Lightning Resistance, permanently. You can obtain this buff in both Normal and Cruel Difficulty, for a total of +20% Lightning Resistance. Beware that once you take this power all previous inanimate statues in the Spires of Deshar becomes empowered and attack you.
Summary
Exploring Act 2 in the Path of Exile 2 campaign leads to some of the richest hidden encounters in the game. Finding these secrets is a powerful way to boost your character. Ensure you don't miss the permanent buffs as well!
- Unlock your Ascendancy by finding the hidden boss fight in the Traitor's Passage.
- Grab new Uncut Skill and Support Gems in the Shrine of Bones, the Golden Chest and the Guarded Sarcophagus events.
- Collect the Relics in the Bone Pits and Keth and return them to the Valley of the Titans for a permanent character buff!
- Claim +2 passive skill points from Kabala in Keth and by finding The Final Letter in Deshar.
- Get a guaranteed Jewel for your passive tree from the Gilded Beetle in the Lost City.
- Choose a Resistance Ring from the Elemental Offering event in Buried Shrines.
- Don't miss the +10% Lightning Resistance in The Spires of Deshar (both in Normal and Cruel for +20%).
Credits
Written by: ZIGGYD
Reviewed by: Crouching_Tuna, Jerrin, Tenkiei