Delirium is one of the most intriguing and challenging activities available in Path of Exile 2's endgame content. The fog of Delirium presents a chaotic and intense experience where waves of powerful, illusory foes appear out of nowhere, and only those who can navigate the fog's dangers will walk away with the best rewards. In this guide, we'll go over where to find Delirium encounters, how to tackle them, and what kinds of rewards await you.

Where to Find Delirium Encounters

Delirium encounters are spread across the Atlas of Worlds, and you'll come across them on maps that are marked with the Delirium icon. These encounters appear randomly throughout the Atlas, with no specific biome or region being more likely to spawn Delirium than others. However, you can influence the likelihood of encountering Delirium by using the Delirium Precursor Tablet in a Lost Tower, which increases the chances of encountering Delirium on the Atlas.

Once you enter a map with a Delirium encounter, you'll notice a large, swirling vortex-the Delirium Mirror. Stepping through the mirror initiates the encounter.

How to Complete Delirium Encounters

Upon stepping through the Delirium Mirror, a ring of fog will envelop the map, creating a surreal and dangerous environment. This fog will continuously spawn Delirium monsters, which are often named after emotions like Fury, Spite, and others. These monsters are added to the existing enemies on the map, increasing the challenge significantly.

Key Mechanics of Delirium Fog:

Fog Spread: As time passes, the fog will grow and cover a larger portion of the map. At the same time, the center hole of the fog expands outward. In some cases, Ritual encounters may also be affected by the fog, with holes appearing around those Rituals, creating a mix of mechanics that can complicate the encounter.

Staying in the Fog: The key mechanic of the Delirium encounter is that you must remain inside the fog to keep it active. If you leave the fog, a timer will begin counting down from 5 seconds. If you fail to return to the fog before the timer expires, the Delirium encounter will end. As long as you stay within the fog, your progress will continue, and slaying monsters will add to the reward counter at the bottom-left of your screen.

Fracturing Mirrors: While exploring the fog, you might encounter Fracturing Mirrors. These mirrors spawn additional Delirium monsters-including magic, rare, or even unique Delirium bosses-which can offer significant rewards. Make sure to interact with these mirrors whenever you come across them, as the enemies they summon provide additional loot.

Delirium Rewards

The rewards for completing a Delirium encounter are primarily Distilled Emotions. The reward counter will increment as you kill monsters within the fog, with more powerful Delirium monsters contributing more toward the counter.

Reward Tiers:

Levels 1-3: These early stages of the encounter are fairly quick and easy. The monsters are less difficult to kill, and you will fill up the counter more rapidly.

Levels 4-5: As you progress to higher levels of the Delirium fog, the difficulty increases, and it becomes more challenging to kill the monsters. At these levels, it requires more effort to fill up the counter completely.

Simulacrum Splinters: In high-tier maps (Level 10+), you may encounter Simulacrum Splinters. These items can be combined to form a Simulacrum, a special endgame Delirium encounter.

The Simulacrum: The Ultimate Delirium Challenge

Once you've gathered enough Simulacrum Splinters, you can combine them into a Simulacrum and use it at the Realmgate to enter The Simulacrum, a challenging and rewarding endgame encounter.

Simulacrum Mechanics:

15 Waves of Enemies: In the Simulacrum, you'll face 15 increasingly difficult waves of enemies. Each wave brings stronger and more numerous enemies, culminating in a final, extremely difficult wave.

Completion Rewards: Completing all 15 waves rewards you with Delirium passive skill points, which can be spent on the Delirium section of the Atlas passive skill tree. The more difficult the Simulacrum encounter, the more skill points you earn.

Higher Difficulty: As you progress through higher difficulties, you will face tougher enemies, but the rewards increase as well. Completing the Simulacrum on higher difficulties also unlocks stronger passive skills, offering buffs that can affect the Delirium encounters you undertake in the future.

Delirium Passive Skills: Enhancing Your Experience

After completing a Simulacrum encounter, you will earn passive skill points. These points can be spent in the Delirium section of the Atlas passive skill tree, where you can choose from various notables and skills that enhance your Delirium encounters.

Passive Skill Options:

Monster Density: Increases the number of monsters you encounter within the fog, providing more opportunities to earn rewards but also increasing the challenge.

Monster Power: Enhances the strength of Delirium monsters, making them tougher to defeat, but providing greater rewards when you manage to overcome them.

Reward Drops: Boosts the chances of getting higher-tier rewards from Delirium encounters, including Simulacrum Splinters, Delirium items, and currency items.

By investing in the Delirium passive skills, you can tailor your experience to your preferences, either by increasing the challenge or optimizing the rewards.

Key Tips for Delirium Encounters

Stay Mobile: The Delirium fog can quickly overwhelm you if you're not careful. Equip gear or use skills that increase your movement speed and help you navigate the fog efficiently.

Target Delirium Monsters: These enemies drop the most Distilled Emotions, and many times they drop Simulacrum Splinters, so prioritize them over regular monsters when possible.

AoE and Survivability: The sheer number of enemies in the fog can be overwhelming. Equip Area of Effect (AoE) abilities, crowd control skills, and defensive buffs to stay alive and handle large groups of enemies.

Focus on Resistances: The Delirium fog often introduces various damage types, including Chaos damage. Ensure that your build has adequate resistance to survive the fog's onslaught.

Utilize Fracturing Mirrors: These mirrors spawn higher-level Delirium bosses, and defeating them can lead to more significant rewards. Don't overlook them.

Conclusion

Delirium encounters in Path of Exile 2 offer some of the most intense and rewarding experiences in the game's endgame content. By stepping through a Delirium Mirror, you enter a world filled with fog, dangerous monsters, and hidden treasures. The rewards-Distilled Emotions, Simulacrum Splinters, and passive skill points-are well worth the challenge, providing significant progression options for those who can endure the chaos.

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