How to Corrupt Essences and Outcomes in PoE 2

If you’ve been grinding through the brutal lands of Wraeclast in Path of Exile 2, chances are you’ve run into a glowing, pulsating structure trapping some equally angry-looking monster inside. That’s an essence monolith, and if you're serious about gearing up or juicing your crafting potential, you better learn how to corrupt essences properly.

Corrupting essences in PoE 2 isn’t just another gimmick—it’s one of the fastest ways to roll high-tier gear with powerful modifiers or get rare crafting ingredients that can change your entire build’s trajectory. Whether you're min-maxing your resistances, hunting that elusive +1 to socketed gems, or trying to make serious currency, knowing how to corrupt essences and manipulate their outcomes is essential.

This guide breaks down exactly how to corrupt essences in PoE 2, the possible outcomes, what items you need, and when it's worth the risk. Let's dive in.

What Are Essences in Path of Exile 2?

Essences are special crafting materials that drop from monsters trapped inside monoliths. These trapped mobs won’t break free until you interact with them, and when you do, they’ll drop at least one essence. Think of them like deterministic crafting—each essence has a specific effect when used on gear, which makes them incredibly useful for early-game power spikes or rolling specific stats.

In PoE 2, essence farming is a core part of mid- to late-game crafting, especially when you're trying to avoid RNG-heavy chaos spamming or fossil crafting.

How to Corrupt Essences in PoE 2

So, how do you actually corrupt essences in Path of Exile 2? The process is pretty simple once you have the required item: Remnant of Corruption.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Find an Essence Monolith – These are scattered throughout zones. You’ll know it when you see glowing chains locking down a monster.

2. Look at the Essence Types – Hover over the monolith to see which essences the monster holds. You’ll want to do this before corrupting, especially if you're looking for specific types like Screaming or Wailing Essences.

3. Use a Remnant of Corruption – Right-click the Remnant of Corruption and then click on the essence monolith before releasing the monster. This corrupts the essence.

4. Fight the Monster – Once corrupted, the monster may gain new effects or mods, so be prepared. These aren’t your average trash mobs anymore.

5. Collect the Loot – After killing the corrupted monster, you’ll receive one of several corrupted essence outcomes.

Where to Get Remnant of Corruption

Remnant of Corruption is the consumable item that enables this entire process. Without it, you can't corrupt essences.

You can get it in a few ways:

• Monster Drops – Some mobs drop them naturally, especially in mid to high-tier maps.

• Delve – Some delve nodes can yield Remnants.

• Trade – Easily obtainable on trade sites for a few scraps of currency. If you're low on resources, this is one of the reasons players often buy cheap PoE 2 currency from trusted sources like PVPBank to keep crafting flowing smoothly.

Corruption Outcomes in PoE 2

Here’s where things get spicy. Using a Remnant of Corruption can significantly change the outcome of the essence monolith. There are four special corrupted essences that can only be obtained this way:

1. Essence of Delirium

• Effect: Upgrades a Normal item to Magic or a Magic item to Rare with a random passive modifier.

• Great for gambling on lucky rolls, especially for crafting rare boots or gloves with movement speed or resistances.

2. Essence of Horror

• Effect: Upgrades a Normal or Magic item to Rare with a single property.

• Useful if you're targeting specific builds that benefit from one supercharged stat.

3. Essence of Hysteria

• Effect: Upgrades a Normal item to Rare with an Item Rarity modifier.

• Often used by magic finders or MF builds stacking rarity for drops.

4. Essence of Insanity

• Effect: Upgrades a Normal item to Magic or Magic to Rare with a guaranteed property.

• Most sought-after of the four—can be a key part of creating endgame gear bases for further crafting.

These special essences are exclusive to corrupted monoliths, and the only way to get them is by using Remnant of Corruption. You can’t find them anywhere else.

Other Possible Corruption Effects

Corruption isn't always predictable. Sometimes, instead of a special essence, you’ll get one of the following:

• No change at all – The corruption fails, and nothing new happens.

• All essence tiers increased – Every essence in the monolith gets bumped up one tier (e.g., from Screaming to Shrieking).

• Adds an additional essence – Extra essence gets added to the mix, increasing loot.

• Transforms to a random essence type – Totally rerolls the essence to something else, sometimes better, sometimes worse.

It’s this unpredictability that makes corrupting essences both exciting and risky. Veteran players know when to go all in and when to save their Remnants for high-value setups.

When Should You Corrupt Essences?

Not every monolith is worth corrupting. Here's when it makes the most sense:

• High-tier Essences: If the monolith already contains Shrieking or Deafening Essences, it’s worth the gamble to corrupt.

• Multiples of the Same Essence: If you see several of the same essence (like three Shrieking Wrath), corruption might give you an additional one or bump it to a rare essence.

• Hunting for Specific Crafting Mods: Going after gear bases that synergize with Horror or Insanity mods is a solid reason to corrupt.

Avoid corrupting low-tier monoliths unless you’re just doing it for fun or trying to farm specific essence types.

Best Builds for Essence Corruption Farming

Some builds are better suited for corrupting essences than others. Since corrupted monolith monsters are often tougher and have added mods, you’ll need:

• High single-target DPS

• Decent AoE clear for surrounding mobs

• Defensive layers, like block, evasion, or regen

Here are a few build types that dominate essence farming:

• Bleed Gladiator – Strong single-target with great sustain.

• Lightning Spear Amazon – Can burst down essence monsters before they get dangerous.

• Chaos Lich – Solid DoT pressure that works well on beefier corrupted mobs.

Tips from a Veteran: Essence Corrupting Like a Pro

I’ve corrupted thousands of essences in both PoE 1 and now PoE 2. If you're looking to get the most out of your Remnants of Corruption, here are some tips:

• Always inspect the monolith first. Don’t waste a Remnant on junk-tier essences.

• Stack Remnants for high-value zones. Save your corruption attempts for areas like Atlas memory chains or essence-focused Atlas passives.

• Don't hoard. Use your Remnants regularly—PoE is about momentum, and hoarding too long means you might miss key crafting windows.

• Know your market. Some corrupted essences, like Insanity, sell for way more than regular ones. Keep an eye on prices and flip them if you’re not crafting.

Final Thoughts

Corrupting essences in PoE 2 adds a thrilling layer to essence farming and crafting. With the right knowledge, timing, and a bit of RNG luck, you can transform basic crafting fodder into powerful gear or sellable assets. Whether you're hunting for that perfect base item, aiming for a rare drop, or just trying to spice up your farming runs, learning how to corrupt essences and understand the outcomes is a game-changer.

Just remember: Remnant of Corruption is your key, and every monolith is an opportunity. Play smart, stay stocked, and don't forget to check prices if you're not self-sufficient. If you’re running low on currency, it’s not uncommon for players to buy cheap PoE 2 currency from reputable places like PVPBank to keep crafting moving.