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Vaal Orbs are a key part of the endgame crafting loop inPath of Exile 2, necessary for crafting some of the most broken pieces of gear in the entire game which cannot be obtained any other way.
Using a Vaal Orb is always a double-edged sword, however, as corrupting an item is essentially a high-risk, high-reward gamble between securing a positive result, a negative result, or nothing at all. Vaaling can—and will—brick your items in a dozen different ways if it goes wrong. And itwillgo wrong. This is because there are multiple possible outcomes of using a Vaal Orb on an item inPoE 2, and only a few of them are beneficial. Here’s the breakdown.
Updated July 02, 2025, by Hamza Haq:As of Patch 0.2.0 of Path of Exile 2, a new method of using a Vaal Orb has been added to the game that was not present previously, allowing players to apply the corruption effect on Essences. The article has been updated with this information.
All Vaal Orb Outcomes in PoE 2
There are four possible outcomes of using aVaal Orbon an item. They are:
A Vaal Orb will only ever have one out of the four possible outcomes, never a combination of two or more.
Nothing Happens
Using a Vaal Orb on an item has the possibility ofleaving that item unchanged other thanadding a corrupted tag to that item.While the stats and modifiers of the item remain the same, you cannot use any Currency on the item again, including Vaal Orbs, because of the corrupted tag.
Adds a Corrupted Modifier
Vaal Orbs canadd a new affix to an item—pulled from a selected list of corrupted modifiers—even if it has the maximum number of possible affixes already. This is beyond useful if you hit something critically important but merely an okay result if the added affix is nothing special. This modifier appears as an implicit above the rest of the modifiers.
Vaaling is the only way to obtain Jewels with 5 modifiers inPoE 2.
Rerolls Modifiers
Like Divine Orbs, Vaal Orbs have the ability toreroll all (or some) modifiers of an item, but in a different way. Where Divine Orbs can only reroll an item’s modifiers within the maximum upper and lower limit of possibility, Vaal Orbs do not have that constraint. A Vaal Orb has the ability to push an item’s modifier above (or below) the maximum modifier limit.
Where Divine Orbs can reroll modifiers of any item, Vaal Orbs can only do so on Unique items.
For example,a Temporalishas a modifier, “Skills have -# seconds to Cooldown,” and the range for this modifier is -2 to -4. With Vaal Orb, it’s possible to exceed that limit and obtain a Temporalis that has -4.1 seconds to cooldown, a feat a Divine Orb will never be able to accomplish.
Adds a Socket
Vaal Orbs canadd a single socket to an item. This is the only way to obtain three socket weapons and armor pieces that can only have two sockets at most. Even theMorior Invictus Grand Regalia, a Unique body armor with four sockets, can be corrupted to obtain five sockets.
Adding a socket is only a possibility for items that can have a socket in the first place. Amulets, Rings, Belts, Flasks, and Rings cannot have a socket.
What Happens When You Vaal Orb a Skill Gem in PoE 2
Skill Gems and Spirit Gems have a special outcome pool whenever a Vaal Orb is used on them. There are six possible outcomes:
The main reasons to use a Vaal Orb on a Skill Gem are to aim to get a 5-link or 6-link without having to use aGreater Jeweler’s OrborPerfect Jeweller’s Orbor to get a Level 21 Gem
Corrupted Skill and Spirit Gems can still be leveled up after being Vaaled, but you cannot add quality to them anymore.
What Happens If You Vaal Orb an Essence in PoE 2
What many players may not realize is they can use a Vaal on atrapped Essence monsterbefore freeing it. Doing so can have multiple desirable outcomes.
Notably, using the Vaal Orb on a Greater Essence is the only way to obtain Corrupted Essences. There are four types of Corrupted Essences: Essence of Hysteria, Essence of Delirium, Essence of Insanity, and Essence of Horror. Each comes with a unique effect that is not found anywhere else.
Essences found in the unique map, Silent Cave, can also be corrupted, making it the most efficient way to farm Greater and Corrupted Essences in the game.
What Does Omen of Corruption Do in PoE 2
The Omen of Corruption is an Omen obtainable through Rituals that does one thing and one thing only:removes the chance of nothing at all happening when you use a Vaal Orb. Doing so makes both good and bad options more likely to occur, hence the item description. It is almost always a good idea to use an Omen of Corruption on an item in order to remove a useless outcome from the pool. However, these omens are quiteexpensive in the currency exchangeand should only be used on items that have the potential to become extremely valuable.
Important Things To Do Before Using Vaal Orb in PoE 2
A lesson players learn early but often forget is thatusing a Vaal Orb is always, always, the final step in the crafting process. This is because after a Vaal Orb is used on an item, it cannot be modified further using any form of Currency. If Vaaling a valuable piece of gear to make it better, always remember to:
If you want, you can also useChaos Orb,Divine Orb, orOrb of Annulmenton the item before Vaaling because you cannot change a corrupted item in any way after the fact.
