Path of Exile 2
Corruption Zones

Last Update: 17/04/2025

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During your journey through the Atlas you might randomly encounter areas affected by Corruption. They posses a distinguished red effect affecting the Maps and its surroundings. In those zones you will also find Corrupted Nexus. Completing the Nexus will purify the area, turning all nearby Corrupted Maps into Cleansed Maps, changing the modifiers and monster types encountered there. 

Corrupted Areas

The Map affected by Corruption two additional features. Firstly, slaying monsters close together has a chance to spawn special Corrupted monsters. Furthermore, the Maps will have a random special modifier applied to them, added on top of the usual Waystone Modifier. It makes the zones more challenging, but also more rewarding. Each Map has individual set of modifiers, unrelated to other Maps in the same Corruption zone. 

Corrupted Nexus

One Map in the Corrupted zone becomes a Corrupted Nexus. It works just like a regular Corrupted Map, but slaying the final Rare Enemy on the Map will summon an Unique Monster, acting as the Corruption Boss. There are 3 Unique Bosses, each with a different set of abilities and special Unique Item that might drop upon defeating them. 

The Corrupted Nexus requires a Waystone with at least 4 Modifiers. Upon completion, it will purify all surrounding Corrupted Maps and turn them into Cleansed Maps, with a new set of modifiers and effects. 

Another important feature of Corrupted Nexus is the Atlas Passive Tree progression. The Quests that award you points require you to complete the Corrupted Nexus on a increasingly high level of Waystone. In total, you need to complete a total of 15 Corrupted Nexus Maps, granting you 30 Atlas Passive Points. This might get adjusted in the future, as currently this process can be very time consuming. 

List of special Corruption Unique Items
Icon	Name and modifiers	Unique Boss
	Morior Invictus Grants 1 additional Skill Slot (15-25)% increased Rarity of Items found +(17-23)% to Chaos Resistance Lose 5% of maximum Life per second Attacks have added Physical damage equal to 3% of maximum Life	The Pale Angel
	Death Articulated (100–150)% increased Armour and Evasion (5–10)% increased Attack Speed +(17–23)% to Chaos Resistance Lose 5% of maximum Life per second Regenerate 5 Rage per second No Inherent loss of Rage	The Skittermind
	The Gnashing Sash (20-30)% increased Flask Charges Gained Has (1-3) Charm Slots(15-35)% increased Flask Life Recovery rate +(17-23)% to Chaos Resistance Lose 5% of maximum Life per second Life Recovery from Flasks can Overflow Maximum Life	The Eater of Flesh

Cleansed Areas

The Cleansed Areas are inhabited by special Cleansed monsters. Unlike the Corrupted monsters that ambush you after slaying their allies, the Cleansed monsters appear naturally right from the start. All Cleansed monsters have a small chance to drop the Fracturing Orb, the new type of valuable Currency used in Crafting. It can be used only on Rare Items with at least 4 modifiers. One of the modifiers will be forever locked in place, not being able to change. 

The only Unique monster of this faction is the The Immured Fury. Unlike the Bosses of the Corrupted zones, it has no guarantee to appear, but also you can find more than one per Cleansed zone. This monster is usually not harder than typical Map Boss, but it will depend on your Build and Waystone modifiers. Currently, it has no special Unique Items associated with it, but will always drop a Fracturing Orb upon death. 

Corrupted vs Cleansed

The obvious quest here is, which side is better to farm - Corrupted, or Cleansed Areas? Currently, we believe the Cleansed Areas are much better.

• Firstly, by completing the Nexus you will gain more Points for your Atlas Passive Tree. 
• Another reason is the number of monsters on your Maps. Corruption requires you to slay enemies in close range to take effect, which may simply not be possible on many Map layouts. The Cleansed Areas always have some additional enemies to fight. It also makes the fights easier, as you will not be randomly swarmed by enemies after exhausting your resources. 
• The special Map modifiers on the Cleansed Maps are usually more beneficial. There are some bad modifiers on both sides, but the Corrupted Modifiers are generally more punishing. 
• Lastly, the Cleansed monsters have a chance to drop Fracturing Orb, while the Corrupted monsters do not have any special reward associated to them. 

Keep in mind, this discussion is subject to change in the future. If a substantial balance pass happens and turns the favour towards the Corrupted Zones, we will make sure to update this article accordingly. 

If you have any other Guide requests, please leave them in the comments below. We are always open to suggestions and constructive feedback.

Pictures used in this article are the intellectual property of Grinding Gear Games.