Delirium encounters are one of the more challenging and rewarding endgame activities in Path of Exile 2. In these encounters, you face wave after wave of monsters that emerge from the mist, and staying inside the fog is key to maximizing rewards. Here's everything you need to know to effectively complete these encounters and maximize your Delirium rewards.

1. Where to Find Delirium Encounters

Delirium encounters are randomly distributed across the Atlas of Worlds, marked by the Delirium icon on the map. These encounters are available in higher-level maps, and they occur as an added challenge that increases the difficulty of the map.

You can also trigger more Delirium encounters by using a Delirium Precursor Tablet in a Lost Tower, which will cause the Delirium effect to appear within the map.

2. How to Start and Complete Delirium Encounters

To start a Delirium encounter:

Find the Delirium Mirror: When you enter a map with Delirium, you'll encounter a Delirium Mirror. Stepping through the mirror will trigger the Delirium encounter.

Delirium Fog: Upon entering, a swirling fog will cover the area, and monsters will begin appearing from the mist. The fog will grow and expand across the map, and you need to stay within it to keep the encounter going.

Fog Movement: The fog constantly shifts, and you must avoid leaving it. If you step out of the fog, a five-second counter will begin ticking down. Once the timer runs out, the Delirium encounter will end. Stay inside the fog to keep progressing.

Fracturing Mirrors: Throughout the Delirium fog, you might encounter Fracturing Mirrors. These can be interacted with to summon additional Delirium monsters, including magic, rare, and unique bosses. Defeating these bosses will offer greater rewards.

3. Tips for Completing Delirium Encounters

Stay Inside the Fog: The primary objective in Delirium encounters is to stay inside the fog, which continuously moves and expands. The longer you stay inside, the more enemies you'll spawn and the more rewards you'll earn.

Defeat Delirium Monsters: As you kill monsters inside the fog, you'll see a counter at the bottom-left corner of your screen that tracks how many Distilled Emotions you're accumulating. Killing Delirium monsters contributes more to this counter, and higher-level monsters grant better rewards.

Fracturing Mirrors: Always interact with Fracturing Mirrors when you find them. These mirrors can summon additional monsters, including Delirium bosses, which can yield better loot and help you progress through the encounter faster.

Manage Your Movement: The fog moves, and you need to constantly reposition yourself within it. Be mindful of the edge of the fog and avoid getting caught outside. Mobility is key during these encounters, so having movement skills (like Flame Dash, Leap Slam, or Blink Arrow) is essential for staying inside the fog.

Defensive Layering: Because Delirium monsters can quickly overwhelm you with their numbers, make sure to have strong defenses and crowd control in place. Use AoE abilities (such as Arc, Storm Burst, or Vaal Cyclone) to clear waves of enemies quickly.

4. Delirium Rewards

As you kill enemies in Delirium, your progress towards earning Distilled Emotions will increase. These Distilled Emotions are the primary form of reward for completing the encounter.

Rewards You Can Earn

Distilled Emotions: Each wave you defeat contributes to this counter. The more enemies you kill, the more Distilled Emotions you earn.

Simulacrum Splinters: In high-tier maps (Level 10+), you can also earn Simulacrum Splinters. Once you have 300 splinters, you can combine them into a Simulacrum, a unique endgame encounter where you face 15 waves of enemies.

Simulacrum Encounter

Simulacrum is a pinnacle encounter you can access after collecting enough Simulacrum Splinters. It's a high-risk, high-reward challenge where you face 15 waves of increasingly difficult enemies.

Rewards for Completing Simulacrum: Completing the Simulacrum grants you passive skill points, which can be spent on the Delirium passive skill tree to unlock various beneficial notables.

You earn more passive skill points as you complete the Simulacrum at higher difficulties, which will increase the rewards of Delirium encounters as well.

5. Delirium Passive Skills

By completing the Simulacrum (the 15-wave encounter), you'll earn passive skill points. These points can be used to unlock nodes in the Delirium passive skill tree, which offer various boosts to your Delirium encounters and the overall endgame experience.

Types of Notables in the Delirium Passive Tree

Improved Rewards: Some notables increase the drop rates or quality of loot from Delirium encounters.

Increased Difficulty: Some nodes raise the difficulty of Delirium encounters, granting better rewards at higher levels of challenge.

Boosts to Delirium Monsters: Certain notables increase the spawn rate or strength of Delirium monsters, making it easier to farm high-level encounters for loot.

6. Key Strategies for Delirium Encounters

Optimize for AoE Damage: Since you'll be surrounded by many monsters, it's important to have AoE damage skills to clear groups quickly. Abilities like Firestorm, Arc, Vaal Cyclone, and Volcanic Fissure are excellent choices.

Positioning is Crucial: Always stay near the edge of the fog so you can maneuver easily while still maintaining a steady stream of enemies. It's better to avoid getting caught in the middle of the fog, as this can be chaotic and lead to poor positioning.

Stay Mobile: Delirium monsters can swarm you quickly, so ensure you have movement skills to help you dodge attacks and maintain position. Flame Dash, Leap Slam, or Dash will be crucial for quick escapes.

Defensive Layers: These encounters can quickly overwhelm you, so it's important to have solid defensive layers. Consider using Evasion for dodging hits, Energy Shield for extra mitigation, or Armor for physical damage reduction.

Use of Flasks: Consider using flasks that boost your damage or defenses during Delirium encounters. A Witchfire Brew flask can also provide a Despair curse, which is a strong synergy with Chaos builds.

Conclusion

Delirium encounters are among the most rewarding yet challenging activities in Path of Exile 2's endgame. By managing your positioning, clearing monsters efficiently, and utilizing powerful AoE skills, you can maximize your rewards from these encounters. Keep an eye out for Fracturing Mirrors to spawn additional bosses, and use the rewards from completing Simulacrum to enhance your character with Delirium passive skills for even better future encounters.

Having the right POE 2 currency and Path of Exile 2 items will go a long way in making sure you have the gear needed to survive the toughest challenges.