PoE 2 0.5 Campaign Checklist

The PoE 2 campaign hands you 24 passive skill points, 100 spirit, capped elemental resistances, and a free unique item. All of it permanent. Most players skip half of it and then cry about being squishy in the endgame. Shocking.

This is a Path of Exile 2 campaign checklist: not a love letter to game design. Every table contains only what's worth your time. The rest is filler GGG expects you to run through anyway. Patch 0.5 (Return of the Ancients) streamlined Acts 1–3 so the excuse "it takes too long" no longer applies. Congratulations, you are out of excuses.

One clarification on priority: PoE 2 spirit farming should come first for aura-heavy and minion builds. A single passive skill point early can open a keystone that multiplies everything else: more valuable than any rare weapon you'll find at level 40. Act order does not change; reward priority does.

ACT 1 Clearfell to Ogham Manor

+4 Skill Points +30 Spirit +10% Cold Res +20 Max Life

Act 1 is the tutorial nobody asked for. The permanent rewards are modest: cold resistance, a lump of life, your first spirit chunk: but missing the skill points here means you start Act 2 already behind. Everything below is mandatory unless it says optional.

The Gembloom Skull from The King In The Mist grants +30 Spirit AND creates an Uncut Spirit Gem L4. Consume it. Do not sell it. Do not stare at it.

Permanent Rewards: Act 1

ACT 2 Vastiri Desert to Spires of Deshar

+4 Skill Points +10% Lightning Res +1 Charm Slot (Swappable)

Act 2 is where the PoE 2 charm slot unlock lives, tucked behind a relic delivery quest that requires you to pick up an item from snakes and another from hyenas. Not simultaneously. Separately. In different zones. Classic design.

The relic mechanic: collect the Kabal Clan Relic (dropped by hyenas in Keth) and the Sun Clan Relic (dropped by snakes in Bone Pits). Deliver both to the Valley of the Titans altar. The charm slot bonus: 30% Charm Charges gained or extended Charm Effect Duration: is swappable at any time. Pick whichever your build wants right now.

The Sisters of Garukhan Shrine in Spires of Deshar awards +10% Lightning Resistance. You do not need to kill anything. Just run to it and interact. Yes, really.

+4 Skill Points +30 Spirit +10% Fire Res Utility Choice (Permanent) Reforging Bench

Act 3 contains the most impactful permanent choice in the entire campaign: a stat from Venom Crypts that cannot be changed. The three options are +25% Stun Threshold, +30% Elemental Ailment Threshold, or +25% Mana Regeneration. Your build determines this. Mana Regen is good for casters. Ailment Threshold keeps you standing longer against anything with a status effect. Stun Threshold is relevant versus hard-hitting single targets. Pick wrong and live with it.

Spirit farming note: Ignagduk the Bog Witch in Azak Bog hands over another +30 Spirit. This brings your running total to 60. You will hit 100 in Interlude 2. The Azak Bog Flame Ritual is also the best XP spot in the game until level 34: kill the rares, reset at checkpoint, repeat until you stop dying to everything.

Permanent Rewards: Act 3

Blackjaw requires a Lesser Soul Core to unlock the area. Do not spend 20 minutes wondering where the door went.

ACT 4 Trail of the Ancestors to Eye of Hinekora

+4 Skill Points +5% Max Mana Attribute or Resist Choice Flask Recovery Choice

Act 4 delivers the Halls of the Dead trials: three separate encounters that each grant a choice between +5 to an attribute or +5% to a matching elemental resistance. These are permanent and non-swappable. Pick the one your build needs. Str/Fire Res for melee. Int/Cold Res for casters. Dex/Lightning Res for everything that moves fast and hits faster.

The Abandoned Prison is a separate swappable choice: +30% Mana Recovery or +30% Life Recovery from flasks. Change it whenever your flask setup changes. There is no penalty.

One that costs nothing: find the Silent Hall in Eye of Hinekora and press interact. +5% Maximum Mana, permanent, zero combat required. The most effortless stat upgrade in the game. The quest log even calls it "Pay Your Respects." Act accordingly.

Interlude Order: Do It Right

1 The Stolen Barya
 (Hardest. Gets worse at higher level.)

2 Doryani's Contingency
 (+40 Spirit. Do this early if you need it.)

3 The Curse of Holten
 (Easiest. Nothing special. Just finish it.)

After completing all three, return to The Hooded One in Kingsmarch. This grants the final +2 Skill Points, bringing the total to 24. If your count is off, retrace each act for any missed boss. The map marks permanent-buff bosses with a skull icon bearing a small plus sign. Hard to miss if you are paying attention.

+2 Skill Points +5% Max Life 7 Boons Choice (Swappable)

The Seven Pillars in Qimah: also known as Orbala's 7 Boons: is the most elaborate swappable mechanic in the campaign. The pillars sit near a niche along the outer edge of the map, easily missed when rushing. The bonuses: +5 All Attributes, +5% All Elemental Resistances, +12% Cooldown Recovery Rate, +3% Movement Speed, +20% Presence Area of Effect, +15% Global Defences. The seventh option gives +5% EXP gain but inverts all other bonuses and cuts attributes by 5. Avoid the EXP option unless you enjoy suffering for marginal gains. You can return to swap at any time.

+2 Skill Points +40 Spirit (Total: 100)Free Unique Item

This is the interlude that completes your PoE 2 spirit farming quota. Lythara, The Wayward Spear drops the final +40 Spirit, bringing the campaign total to 100. Elder Madox in Kriar Peaks hands you a free unique item of your choice: one choice, permanent. Look up which uniques are on offer before you commit. Treat it seriously. Abominable Yeti in Howling Caves closes out the skill points here.

+2 Skill Points

The shortest interlude with the least interesting rewards. Kill Oswin, The Dread Warden. Collect skill points. The merchant in Holten trades Greater Runes for gold: worth a stop if you need specific runes for PoE 2 Verisium Runeforging, the new crafting layer introduced in patch 0.5. Otherwise, keep moving.

Full Tally: Campaign Permanent Stats

• +24 Passive Skill Points: 4 per Act (1–4) + 2 per Interlude 1 & 2 + 4 for Interlude 3 + 2 post-Interludes in Kingsmarch
• +100 Spirit: 30 from Act 1, 30 from Act 3, 40 from Interlude 2
• +10% Cold Resistance: Act 1, Clearfell
• +10% Lightning Resistance: Act 2, Spires of Deshar
• +10% Fire Resistance: Act 3, Jinquani's Machinarium
• +20 Maximum Life: Act 1, Ogham Manor
• +5% Maximum Life: Interlude 1, Skullmaw Stairway
• +5% Maximum Mana: Act 4, Eye of Hinekora
• Permanent utility stat: Act 3, Venom Crypts (one of three; cannot change)
• Attribute or resistance x3: Act 4, Halls of the Dead (one choice per trial)
• Free unique item: Interlude 2, Elder Madox