Path of Exile – Act 2: Forest Encampment

Route and starting point

Southern Forest → Forest Encampment. East: Old Fields/Crossroads → Chamber of Sins and Fellshrine Ruins/Crypt. West: Riverways → Western Forest/Weaver’s Chambers. Then Wetlands → Vaal Ruins → Northern Forest → Caverns → Ancient Pyramid.

The area sequence describes connections rather than fixed screen directions: instances are procedurally generated. Activate waypoints and keep quest items until handed in.

Main and side quests

1. Through Sacred Ground

   Travel through the Crossroads and Fellshrine Ruins to the Crypt, recover the Golden Hand and return it to Yeena. Reward: one passive point and two refund points. Complete the Crypt Labyrinth trial on the same trip.

2. Intruders in Black

   Defeat Fidelitas in Chamber of Sins Level 2, rescue Helena and retrieve the Baleful Gem. Check the new gems after handing it in. Another Herald is useful only if your remaining unreserved mana is sufficient.

3. The Great White Beast

   Enter the Den from the Old Fields and kill the Great White Beast. Choose a flask or belt from Yeena; no passive point is awarded. The detour is particularly useful if your flasks are far below your level.

4. Sharp and Cruel

   Enter the Weaver’s Chambers from the Western Forest, defeat the Weaver and return Maligaro’s Spike to Silk. This unlocks new supports. Since 3.29 Yeena sells Faster Casting to every class after this quest.

5. The Root of the Problem

   Bring the Baleful Gem and Maligaro’s Spike to remove the roots blocking the Vaal Ruins passage in the Wetlands. Both previous main quest branches must be completed.

6. Deal with the Bandits

   Kraityn: Broken Bridge; Alira: Western Forest; Oak: Wetlands. Kill all: one passive point from Eramir. Alternatives: Alira +15% to all elemental resistances, Kraityn 8% movement speed, Oak +40 life. Alira can cover early gearing gaps; let your final build determine the choice.

7. Shadow of the Vaal

   Continue through the Vaal Ruins, take the Caverns route to the Ancient Pyramid and use the Apex to activate the Vaal Oversoul. Defeating it opens Act 3.

8. Safe and Sound

   Speak to Helena about hideouts and clear the proposed location in the Dread Thicket. Your hideout later becomes the hub for stash, crafting bench and maps; it does not grant another skill point.

9. Einhar's Hunt

   Help Einhar in the Riverways and weaken marked beasts until he captures them. Visit the Menagerie afterwards. Bestiary is an additional content branch, not a prerequisite for the Vaal Oversoul.

Boss strategy and power check

Vaal Oversoul: respect the large melee slam and do not stand in front of the raised striking arm. Keep room to move after activation. Resistances and life are more reliable than one additional small damage node.

Before the next act

Golden Hand handed in; bandit choice deliberate; Tarkleigh’s Way Forward reward collected in Act 1; Crypt and Chamber of Sins trials completed.

YOUR NEXT STEP

Your checklist

Saved locally on this device, shared between both languages. This counter measures guide tasks, not game progress.