Anointing is one of the most powerful mechanics in Path of Exile 2. The olf fans might remember Blight Oils—the handy little drops that let you use a passive skill on your gear. Things have changed in PoE 2, anointing now revolves around Distilled Emotions, a new type of currency that lets you unlock Notable Passive Skills without the need to travel across the skill tree. Our guide tells how to anoint your amulet in Path of Exile 2 and the best anoint list to use.
What is Anointing in Path of Exile 2?
Anointing is a crafting mechanic that allows you to apply a Notable Passive Skill to your Amulet or Waystone without allocating points in the passive skill tree. It’s great because it allows you to get powerful passives far away from your main build path.
Let’s say you’re a squishy caster but want an extra block chance—normally, you’d have to waste a ton of points traveling across the skills tree to get it. With anoint, you can equip that passive onto your amulet to receive an instant power-up. However, unlike Path of Exile 1, you can’t Anoint rings or Blight-specific towers anymore. It’s only Amulets and Waystones now, so you have to make it count.
How to Get Distilled Emotions in PoE 2
Distilled Emotions are basically the new Blight Oils introduced as currency, but instead of being tied to Blight encounters, they now drop from Delirium content. There are 10 different types, each linked to different passives:
- Distilled Despair
- Distilled Disgust
- Distilled Greed
- Distilled Ire
- Distilled Suffering
- Distilled Paranoia
- Distilled Guilt
- Distilled Envy
- Distilled Fear
- Distilled Isolation
How to Farm Distilled Emotions
| Method | How It Works |
|---|---|
| Delirium Maps | Run maps with the Delirium League mechanic (marked by a white icon). The more enemies/mobs you kill before the fog fades, the better your rewards and more Distilled Emotions. You can see the progress bar appear at the screen’s bottom-left. |
| Currency Exchange | If you’d rather throw some currency at the problem, you can buy Distilled Emotions from the Path of Exile Trade page or exchange them with currency. Offer up the Chaos Orbs or Exalts according to the trade price and receive the oil. If you have enough money to invest, this is the quickest way to collect them. |
| Reforging Bench | Combine three same lower-tier Distilled Emotions to create a higher-tier one. |
| Simulacrum | If you’ve reached the big leagues and have a solid build, you can farm Distilled Emotions through Simulacrum. It only happens in the end game where you fight wave after wave of increasingly difficult enemies. You’ll also get Simulacrum Splinters, which can be used to face even tougher fights with better drops. |
There’s always a chance that endgame bosses, league mechanics, or random lucky drops will give you Distilled Emotions. However, this method is less reliable, so it is better to go with the above ways to farm this anoint oil. When on this task, give a full focus on the Delirium skill tree as well.
How to Anoint in PoE 2
The process is very simple as previous, but let’s go step by step to anoint Amulets and Maps/Waystones:
Anointing Amulets
First, you need to decide which Notable Passive Skill you want to add.
- Open your Passive Skill Tree.
- Find a Notable Passive (the big circle passive nodes).
- Hover over it and hold Alt (or R3 on a controller) to see which three Distilled Emotions you need.
Pick a passive that synergizes well with your build. Don’t only obtain something random, you’re committing three Distilled Emotions to this. After seeing what you need, it’s time to apply the anointing.
- Right-click on any Distilled Emotion in your inventory which opens the small Instilling pop-up window.
- Place your Amulet in the top slot of the Instilling menu.
- Insert the three required Distilled Emotions in the bottom slots (order matters, so be careful).
- Click “Instill”, and your Amulet will now have a new Notable Passive Skill.
If you are not happy with the current anoint, it’s possible to overwrite it by going through the same process with a different combination of Distilled Emotions. You cannot anoint Corrupted or Mirrored Amulets (at least not yet). So, make sure your gear is clean before trying to anoint in PoE 2.
Anointing Waystones
Waystones work a little differently than Amulets. Instead of adding a Notable Passive skill, anointing them brings Delirium effects to the table—which means more loot, but also more pain.
- Right-click a Distilled Emotion to open the anointing interface.
- Put your Waystone in the top slot.
- Insert three Distilled Emotions that match the effects you want.
- Click Instill to finalize the process.
Every type of Distilled Emotion is used for different effects, such as:
- Distilled Ire: 20% more Magic Monsters on the maps.
- Distilled Paranoia: 15% higher chance to encounter Rare Monsters.
- Distilled Greed: Increases item rarity by 8%.
- Distilled Despair: 30% increase in stack size of Simulacrum Splinters.
Note: Anointing a Waystone results in harder maps, so make sure your build can handle it before going to play it or otherwise avoid to do it.
Best Notable Passive Skills to Anoint in Path of Exile 2
Choosing the right Notable Passive Skill can make or break your build. Below is a list of some of the best Anoints, categorized by their benefits. If you’re unsure what to pick, find your build type and then choose the one that aligns with the build type.
Best Damage Anoints
| Notable Passive | Distilled Emotion 1 | Distilled Emotion 2 | Distilled Emotion 3 | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stormcharged | Fear | Fear | Envy | +40% Elemental Damage after a Crit, +20% Crit Chance. |
| Deadly Swarm | Paranoia | Despair | Disgust | Minions deal +15% increased Damage, +20% Crit Chance. |
| Doomsayer | Paranoia | Guilt | Disgust | Herald Skills get +30% AoE and Damage. |
| Lay Siege | Fear | Envy | Fear | +1% increased Damage per 1% Block Chance. |
Best Defensive Anoints
| Notable Passive | Distilled Emotion 1 | Distilled Emotion 2 | Distilled Emotion 3 | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parrying Motion | Ire | Fear | Ire | +12% Block Chance, +1% Move Speed per Block in last 10s. |
| High Alert | Ire | Ire | Greed | +50% Evasion Rating on full Life, +25% Stun Threshold. |
| Heavy Drinker | Envy | Envy | Envy | +30% Flask Duration, +20% Flask Life Recovery, +5% Life Recovery when using a Life Flask on low HP. |
Best Utility Anoints
| Notable Passive | Distilled Emotion 1 | Distilled Emotion 2 | Distilled Emotion 3 | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spreading Shocks | Guilt | Disgust | Disgust | 50% chance for Shock to spread to nearby enemies. |
| Endless Blizzard | Isolation | Suffering | Fear | +1 to the level of all Cold Skills. |
| Icebreaker | Ire | Paranoia | Fear | Gain 100% of Maximum Energy Shield as an additional Freeze Threshold. |
If you’re not sure what to pick, Stormcharged and Deadly Swarm are always solid choices for Crit-based and minion builds.
Still not sure what to pick? Use this cheat sheet:
✅ Playing Minions? → Deadly Swarm
✅ Playing Crit? → Stormcharged
✅ Playing Evasion? → High Alert
✅ Spamming Flasks? → Heavy Drinker
✅ Using Heralds? → Doomsayer
✅ Want more Lightning Damage? → Spreading Shocks
Anointing is one of the best ways to power up your build in Path of Exile 2. It lets you use powerful passives without spending skill points, which can turn out to be very helpful in challenging battles.
