Path of Exile 2 Delirium guide

Delirium is one of the most recognizable league mechanics from Path of Exile. It is returning to Path of Exile 2 as one of the cornerstone endgame mechanics, available in the Atlas of Worlds. Used to spawn additional enemies with special reward structures added to existing encounters, Delirium is a premium "juicing" mechanic that is costly to set up and rewarding when optimized.

This guide will outline the various strategies for Delirium juicing, how to scale the league mechanic for profit, the bosses, and all the general mechanics of Delirium.

All that you need to know about Delirium in Path of Exile 2

Delirium as a league mechanic is a bit different from many others in Path of Exile, as it allows players a greater degree of control over their progression and gameplay. It is one of the few league mechanics that can be ended prematurely.

Fight through the hordes and get rewarded (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

The basics of Delirium

Delirium can be initially found via the white icon with a black warped crown in the Atlas of Worlds. Once you use a Waystone on that node via the Atlas, the map will open with a Mirror of Delirium appearing near the beginning. Walking through this mirror will begin the Delirium encounter, upon which monsters from the expanding mist will start appearing.

Killing these monsters will begin the accumulation of rewards, as well as the timer that tracks the mist's progress. Rare and unique enemies on the map caught in the mist will occasionally become possessed by demons, unleashing special attacks. Delirious enemies become tougher and more lethal as the mist deepens. The encounter ends if the mist outruns you or you manually end it.

Also Read: Path of Exile 2: 5 tips for navigating the Atlas

Delirium can occasionally spawn one or multiple Fractured Mirrors that generate additional Delirium demons upon interaction. Alongside radiant rewards such as currencies and gear, Delirium is the only source for Simulacrum Splinters and Distilled Emotions.

The Delirium deep dive: Simulacrum, Distilled Emotions, and bosses

The most important factor of this league mechanic is that it can generate exclusive currencies known as Distilled Emotions. These can be used on both your amulets and Waystones to produce unique effects.

Using Distilled Emotions on your amulet in a specific order can enchant the jewelry with a Notable from the Passive Skill tree. This is completely independent of any other mod on that item and can be used without drawbacks. As for Waystones, using Distilled Emotions can imbue the map with a guaranteed Delirious effect, specific rewards, and additional difficulty modifiers.

These Distilled Emotions are as follows:

Distilled Disgust
Distilled Fear
Distilled Guilt
Distilled Isolation
Distilled Suffering
Distilled Despair
Distilled Envy
Distilled Greed
Distilled Ire
Distilled Paranoia

Imbue yourself with terror (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

As mentioned before, killing Delirious monsters will occasionally drop Simulacrum Splinters, a form of stackable currency similar to Breach Splinters found in Breach encounters. Similar to Breach, collecting 300 of these Splinters will create a Simulacrum — a separate playable space where waves of enemies spawn with escalating difficulty and reward structures.

As you progress deeper into your Delirium-affected maps and Simulacrums, you will encounter bosses who represent the pinnacle of this league mechanic. Kosis, The Revelation, and Omniphobia, Fear Manifest are two bosses that can put some pressure even on a well-built character, so prepare accordingly if you plan to tackle the challenge.

A simple Atlas strategy

Delirium, like the other standard Atlas league mechanics, comes loaded with its own Atlas Passive Skill tree, where you can invest points to make encounters even tougher and more rewarding. There are various aspects of upgradation available, such as the frequency of Delirium's spawn, the speed of the mist, monster density, boss spawn, and so on.

The Delirium Atlas Passive Skill tree (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

First, you need points to invest in your Atlas tree, which can be obtained from Kosis kills. The optimal strategy is to take the following nodes — "Isn't it tempting?", "They're coming to get you..., It's not real, it's not real!", and "The mirrors... the mirrors!" — so the Delirium is active for the longest possible time.

As for Precursor Tablets, the mods you should be looking for are "Delirious Monsters Killed in your Maps provide (5–10)% increased Reward Progress" and "Delirium Encounters in your Maps have (3–8)% chance to generate an additional Reward type". These are not set in stone, and any additional scaling is fine.

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Edited by Niladri Roy