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The Slithering Dead is a side quest inPath of Exile 2in which Servi, the local guide of the Ziggurat Encampment, enlists the player’s help in uncovering the secrets of a rival tribe and the fate of her son, Apus.
While the quest itself is relatively straightforward, once you figure out where to go, it’s choosing the rewards for the Slithering Dead that confuses players. Of the three possible rewards Servi offers, only one can be picked, and the choice is permanent and non-reversible.
To start The Slithering Dead, enter theJungle Ruinsmap in Act 3 (and Act 3 Cruel) and look for the entrance of the Venom Crypts. It will be located right next to the Jungle Ruins Waypoint.
The Jungle Ruins map has two exits: the Venom Crypts and the Infested Barrens. The Infested Barrens lead further down the main questline, Legacy of the Vaal, whereas the Venom Crypts entrance is missable as it is not required to progress the main story. Fortunately, if you missed going to the Venom Crypts during your playthrough, you’re able to return to it even after entering the endgame.
Enter the Venom Crypts and thoroughly explore the area until you come acrossa Corpse in the Den of the Serpent Priestess. The exact location of this place is random, as all maps inPoE 2are random, but it’s always located far away from the entrance.
Interact with the Corpse, and your character will automatically pick up theCorpse-Snake Venom. Teleport back to the Ziggurat Encampment and give the Venom to Servi, the quest-giver, to complete The Slithering Dead.
The Slithering Dead is a repeat quest, appearing once in Act 3 and then again inAct 3 Cruel. Each time, the rewards are different, and therefore, the choice is different. Here are the details:
After a few lines of dialogue, Servi will ask you to choose one of the three possible quest rewards. Make your choice carefully, however, because there is no going back. The rewards for The Slithering Dead are:
Venom Draught of Clarity
Grants 25% increased Mana Regeneration Rate
Once made,this choice is permanent. There is no way to go back and get a different Venom Draught from Servi after consuming one on the same character.
By far the safest choice, and one that’s going to remainuniversally useful for most builds inPoE 2, is the Venom Draught of Clarity (25% increased Mana Regen Rate).This is especially true for melee characters like Monks and Warriors who always run into the problem of having too little mana regen at critical moments.
Venom Draught of the Veil (30% increased Elemental Ailment Threshold) is the second best choice, mainly for classes like Witch and Sorceress, who don’t typically have mana problems.Elemental Ailment Thresholdmeans they are less likely to be inflicted by Bleed, Poison, Chill, Freeze, Ignite, Electrocute, or Shock from enemy attacks.
Lastly,Venom Draught of Stone is the least attractive choiceas Stun Threshold only defends against the Stunned status effect, which is not that common compared to the Status Ailments. Still, some Warrior builds may prefer this reward over others since handling Stun is sometimes a problem for them.
Like in Act 3, there are three different Venom Draughts to choose from. They are:
Venom Draught of the Marshes
Grants 15% Reduced Slowing Potency of Debuffs on you
The choice this time is much simpler. Taking theVenom Draught of the Lost for +10% to Chaos Resistance is by far the superior choice. This is because, unlike elemental resistances like Fire, Lightning, and Cold,Chaos Resistance is much more difficult to build upas it’s quite rare to find it on gear pieces in large numbers. For almost all builds, a +10% to Chaos Resistance is too good to pass up.
The only exception is a build that uses the Chaos Inoculation (CI) Node in the Passive Tree, which makes a character immune to Chaos damage but reduces their HP to 1. This is typically paired with Eternal Youth to make Life Flasks compatible with Energy Shield instead of Life, making ES the only form of ‘life’ a character has. For these builds, Venom Draught of the Sky (+5 to all Attributes) is a better choice.
